NWSL delays start of 2020 season

The National Women’s Soccer League announced that the start of the 2020 season will be delayed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Utah Royals were set to take on the Portland Thorns in Oregon on Apirl 18th, but that game will no longer take place at that time. The league did not give a timeframe as to when the season will start. They did state that training will continue to be suspended through April 5th. NWSL teams training for less than one full week before the NWSL halted training as the Coronavirus pandemic grew. Many Utah Royals FC players are in Utah, having rejoined the team for the start of preseason. Others, notably those who recently had national team duty, had not yet returned to Salt Lake City.

All professional and college sports have been halted in the US during this time and it’s unclear when teams will resume play. Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League have both also announced suspensions of their leagues. Unlike MLS and USL, the NWSL had not yet begun their season. Real Salt Lake of MLS had played two games, and Real Monarchs of the USL had played one game before their leagues were suspended.

You can read the NWSL’s full announcement here: