How will sport look for 2020?

In age of COVID-19, all fall sports will look different, including soccer

It’s been over six months since we have seen a high school sporting event be played. That wait may be over in a little more than two weeks.

In the age of a COVID-19 pandemic, all of the fall sports will all have a different look. Soccer is no different.

Soccer players have been conditioning since the beginning of July. That conditioning continues — along with non-contact skillwork that began on Aug. 29 — in cohorts of 10. It’s basically been the same players doing both in those small groups to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

“The kids have enjoyed being back for sure. We couldn’t have regular tryouts, we couldn’t really make any cuts,” Staples girls soccer coach Barry Beattie said. “As long as everybody is taking the guidelines seriously and doing what they should be, hopefully, we can get to the games. But it will be very different, that’s for sure.”

Beattie said he had almost 70 kids try out. He said he has enough coaches to monitor the seven cohort groups daily for the Wreckers, a Class LL state tournament semifinalist last season.

The Notre Dame-Fairfield girls only need two cohorts — there are 20 kids on the team — which makes things easier. Notre Dame coach Wayne Mones said nine of those 20 are freshmen.

“They are very excited to be out there playing,” Mones said.

The workouts for each cohort group has been for one hour: 30 minutes each for conditioning and the non-contact skillwork. And that skillwork must be done with everyone in the cohort social-distancing: remaining at least 6 feet apart.

“Now, we can look at kids in groups of 10 rather than 50 and give each player a proper look. It’s not the worst way to do it, to be honest,” Weston boys coach Kevin Fitzsimmons said.

Farmington boys coach Nick Boorman said the program took advantage of the extended conditioning/ tryout period by looking further at their work ethic, decision-making skills and coachability, among other things.

“Due to the pandemic and training restrictions we have found a way for everyone to be a part of the program this year,” Boorman said. “Some players will make the playing roster while others will be on a