Minnesota United's game Wednesday night against Chicago at Allianz Field was postponed because of a suspected additional positive coronavirus test within the team.
Minnesota United match postponed Wednesday after suspected positive COVID-19 test
Additional suspected virus case forced postponement.
October 15, 2020 at 12:02PM
The game was postponed to allow for more testing and evaluation, the team said in a news release sent 75 minutes before the scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff.
Loons players or coaches were informed before that and none traveled to the St. Paul stadium for the game. Employees already there for the game went home.
A new date to play Wednesday's game will be announced later, the team said. So, too, will another date for Sunday's postponed game at FC Dallas.
The Chicago Fire team arrived by chartered flight in Minneapolis about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, rested that afternoon at a hotel and returned home about 7 p.m.
MLS protocols for regular-season games now require teams to fly to and from their destination on game days to minimize the chance of contracting the coronavirus.
The Loons intended to play Wednesday's game after they returned to training Tuesday, when there were no additional positive tests beyond two first-team players who tested positive on Friday.
Testing of players and staff continued daily, including twice Tuesday and again Wednesday.
The team and Major League Soccer on Saturday night postponed Sunday's game at FC Dallas because of those two confirmed positive tests.
The Loons' next scheduled game is Sunday at home against Houston.
MLS on Monday night postponed three Colorado Rapids games in the next 10 days because of the total number of COVID-19 cases among its players and staff.
FC Dallas and Nashville SC both were sent home from the midsummer MLS is Back tournament played in a bubble after each team experienced a viral outbreak.
"We saw what happened in Colorado, we saw when we arrived in the bubble in Orlando with Nashville and Dallas," Loons coach Adrian Heath said Tuesday. "If you're not careful, it can go through the club very, very quickly. ... You're just waiting for every test to come back. Touch wood, we look as though we might have come out the other side. We have to stay vigilant. As Colorado proved, they thought they sorted it out and it came back with a vengeance." □
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