Does soccer event mean we’ve kicked COVID-19?

As Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego pleads with the public to wear masks, her city this weekend will welcome 500 youth soccer teams – 460 of them from out of state – for the Desert Super Cup Thanksgiving Tournament.

Because COVID-19 ... is no longer a problem?

While public health officials advise us to cancel Thanksgiving, Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale are not only tolerating a superspreader event, the cities are hosting the darn thing.

Unless, that is, the cities’ leaders have the good sense to put a stop to it.

Phoenix confirms that tournament organizers have reserved fields for 500 teams at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex and the Reach 11 Soccer Complex for the Nov. 27-29 event. Teams will also play at the Red Mountain Complex and Quail Run Complex in Mesa and the Scottsdale Sports Complex in Scottsdale.

“The Desert Super Cup Thanksgiving tournament will be the MUST ATTEND event this fall for competitive youth soccer teams across North America!” according to a website, set up by Rated Sports Gorup, the Ventura, Calif., company that organized the annual tournament. “All games will be played on pristine grass fields at some the best complexes in the U.S.”

Surrounded by hospital ICUs that haven’t been this busy since August, what with a highly contagious disease running amok right now.

The Phoenix fields were booked in September, and no one in the city’s parks department thought to mention it to the mayor, the city council or anyone who might have had the good sense to question whether hosting a gigantic soccer tournament in the midst of a pandemic is a smart idea.

“They’ve been planning this at least since September when the numbers were much lower,” City Manager Ed Zuercher told me. “The fields are available for people to sign up to use and they did that.”

Don’t look for Gallego to be cheering from the sideline. She’s one of a handful of Democratic mayors who have repeatedly called on Gov. Doug Ducey to do more to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Now, her own city is hosting a COVID-collection event. She doesn’t sound too happy about it.

“I am gravely concerned about COVID-19 in our community with infections now at the second highest daily number ever,” she said in a statement. “It is clear the status quo is not working. We all need to be aware that the public health situation has changed dramatically in the last few weeks.

“At the next council meeting on Dec. 2, we will discuss and act on urgent needs related to COVID-19, including more funds for testing, increased