Crew now has eight confirmed COVID-19 cases
An eighth Crew player has been confirmed positive for COVID-19, and the club is awaiting the results of a followup test after a ninth player received an inconclusive result, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
An inconclusive result means that the sample taken from an unidentified player was run twice, one of which came back positive and the other returned a negative result. The player was then retested.
The new confirmed positive follows the Crew’s win against Nashville SC on Sunday to advance to the MLS Eastern Conference final this Sunday.
The Crew first announced four confirmed positive cases on Nov. 25.
It was not immediately known if the player who tested positive played against Nashville or dressed for the game.
However, the seven players listed on the injury report as “not medically cleared to play” matched the number of players who had tested positive for COVID-19.
The Crew conducted a round of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on Sunday after the game and on Monday when the club had a regeneration training session. The team had a scheduled off day Tuesday.
Beginning with a Nov. 22 positive test, seven players had confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week and were unavailable to play against Nashville. After two consecutive rounds of negative results on Friday and Saturday before the game, Major League Soccer allowed the game to be played as scheduled.
There was one player who tested positive for the virus on Saturday, but that player was a presumed positive as a close contact and was isolated from group training and not permitted inside the locker room or gym, club spokesman Tim Miller said Saturday.
Crew coach Caleb Porter said Saturday before the seventh case of COVID-19 was announced that the club’s and league’s doctors and medical experts believed the game was safe to play and not a risk of further transmission.
“We feel like this virus is contained within our team and we feel that way based on — not my opinion — based on the experts and the doctors and the league advice,” Porter said.
Another confirmed case of COVID-19 raises questions about the league's decision to play the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Crew and Nashville as scheduled.
Everyone who played in Sunday's game tested negative for the virus the day before.
The days ahead will determine if any potential transmission happened during the game.
The Crew is scheduled to play New England Revolution at 3 p.m. Sunday for a spot in the MLS Cup. jmyers@dispatch.com @_jcmyers