Full back: Team workouts given all clear for Monday
The Fire will resume fullteam workouts Monday at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, the team announced Sunday.
Major League Soccer, as well as local and state governments, approved fullteam training, which will be mandatory for all players.
The Fire’s full-team training plans were reviewed and approved by the club’s medical staff and local infectiousdisease experts, the team said. Access will be restricted to players and essential staff.
To maintain a safe environment for players and staff, individual clubs must remain in compliance with local health and government policies and adhere to detailed health and safety protocols.
MLS plans to resume play July 8 with a 54-game tournament spread over 35 days at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, with no spectators.
Teams could begin arriving in Florida on June 24 for the event, which will include three group-stage games for each team that will count in the 2020 standings, then a 16team knockout tournament. The reward for winning the whole thing is a berth in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League, along with financial bonuses as part of a $1.1 million prize pool.
MLS will not be playing the national anthem before games during its resumed season, commissioner Don Garber said. No fans will be present, and teams will not be lining up before the start of games.
On Tuesday, MLS released a statement that supported the players’ right to peacefully protest during the national anthem before games, but the league will not be playing the anthem before games.
“We won’t be playing the anthem,” Garber told reporters in a media call. “There’s not going to be any fans in the stands, so we didn’t see that it would be appropriate. And I feel today no different than I felt then, which is if a player is looking to express their right to kneel during the national anthem, they should have the right to do so. I would hope that they would stand, but if they opt not to, that’s their prerogative, and we will support that.”