Multiple FC Dallas Players Test Positive for COVID-19

Multiple FC Dallas players and at least one coach have tested positive for COVID-19 since the club arrived in Florida ahead of the upcoming “MLS is Back Tournament.”

Though all of the soccer team’s players, coaches and staff members tested negative before leaving Dallas on Saturday, at least nine players have tested positive during the screening process at Walt Disney World resort in Orlando.

Thanks to the positive tests, all members of the club’s traveling party “will remain quarantined in their hotel rooms pending the results of further COVID-19 testing.”

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— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 1, 2020

Reporting with @samstejskal and @jeffrueter: Three more FC Dallas players and one FCD coach tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, per multiple sources.

Nine FCD players have tested positive since arriving in Orlando; 12 total since June 3. https://t.co/dL6SMrJ4bh pic.twitter.com/wGS9XkL3mR

— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) July 2, 2020

As the positive tests show, the immunity of the MLS “bubble” has already been compromised and games have yet to be played.

That will likely happen to the NBA’s “bubble” in Orlando as well as teams start to depart for Florida in the next week, even if all the protocols and rules will be strictly followed by players. Things will be worse if players don’t follow the guidelines — which is exactly what Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard thinks will happen.

“My confidence ain’t great because you’re telling me you’re gonna have 22 teams full of players following all the rules?” Lillard said. “When we have 100 percent freedom, everybody don’t follow all the rules. I don’t have much confidence. But hopefully it’ll be handled to a point where we’re not putting everybody at risk or in a dangerous position.”

The upcoming MLS tournament is set to begin on July 8 while the NBA’s restart is scheduled to begin July 30.

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