Last night the San Jose Earthquakes found out that Santa Clara County officials do not want gatherings of more than 1,000 people until early next month. What this means is that at least one home MLS game will be either played in front of no fans or postponed to a later date.
At this time - No other MLS team is under mass gathering restrictions nor have any taken it upon themselves to take important measures similar to events in Santa Clara County to minimize the spread of the Coronavirus.
That said, just today, the Columbus Crew issued a statement as to what is happening this weekend. The game is being played as normal. There are no major changes to the game except for adding hand sanitizer and removing "non-essential pre-match, halftime and post-match activations (whatever that means).
The timing of this Crew statement is likely because Ohio State University has decided to keep students out of classrooms for the next few weeks.
The loss of game-day revenue for MLS over a number of weeks would be devastating. They will continue to have games in front of fans for as long as they can. As of this post, both Italy and Spain have decided to play closed-door matches.
Below is the full statement from the Columbus Crew:
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COLUMBUS — Columbus Crew SC announced today that Saturday’s home match against Real Salt Lake (5:00 p.m. ET) remains scheduled to be played as planned.
Columbus Crew SC, along with Major League Soccer and its other member clubs, have been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and will continue to do so. Major League Soccer’s task force has been regularly communicating with MLS clubs regarding appropriate measures to take as the situation continues to evolve.
The health and safety of the players, staff and supporters are of utmost importance. Crew SC and MAPFRE Stadium, through their dedicated task force, will continue to work with relevant governmental agencies and Major League Soccer to monitor the situation and react as necessary throughout the week.
MAPFRE Stadium undergoes a detailed cleaning procedure before and after every match or event. Many parts of the stadium, including high-traffic areas, will receive extra cleaning prior to and during Saturday's match.
Additionally, Crew SC will have the following protocols in place for the match:
- Hand sanitizers available in restrooms, guest services and first-aid locations.
- Attendants in both the men's and women's restrooms to regularly clean surfaces.
- Non-essential pre-match, halftime and post-match activations will be temporarily postponed.
Additional information on COVID-19, including health tips, news updates and other resources, is available via the Ohio Department of Health. Guests attending Saturday's match are encouraged to frequently wash their hands and avoid contact with their eyes, nose and mouth.
Should they choose to do so, Crew SC Season Ticket Members can take advantage of the Club's ticket-exchange program by contacting their Account Services Representative prior to the upcoming match.
For additional updates, please continue to monitor www.ColumbusCrewSC.com and all team social media accounts at @ColumbusCrewSC.
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As I mentioned before the last game the Crew played away in Seattle: THIS GAME SHOULD NOT HAVE FANS ATTENDING. The best thing to do is postpone it. Postpone them all until at least the beginning of April.
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