Positive tests delay MLS match

The MLS is Back Tournament match between FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps set for Thursday has been postponed because of positive tests for the coronavirus.

The group-stage game will be rescheduled, the league said Saturday.

FC Dallas announced last week that six players had tested positive for the virus upon arrival in Florida for the tournament. The team was quarantined.

Two Whitecaps players tested positive, forcing the team to remain in Canada, the league said. Additional tests on the players were negative, but the team had to push back travel until Monday.

The MLS is Back Tournament is set to open Wednesday with a match between Orlando City and expansion Inter Miami.

The league’s 26 teams will be sequestered in hotels for the duration of the monthlong tournament played without fans at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World.

MLS shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic March 12 after teams had each played two games.

The league said Saturday that 1,191 players, coaches, referees, team staff members and other connected to the tournament were tested Friday and Saturday in Florida. Two players were positive, but further details about the positive tests, including the teams impacted, were not disclosed.

FC Dallas previously announced that all players and staff tested negative for the coronavirus before leaving for the tournament on last Saturday. Upon arrival, two players tested positive. Subsequent tests found four more players infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.