Fire coach Raphael Wicky said Sunday that he and his players need frequent reminders to be smart about the pandemic.
They got another one Wednesday.
The Fire’s match at Minnesota United was officially postponed just over an hour before kickoff due to a suspected COVID-19 case for MNUFC. Minnesota’s game last Sunday against FC Dallas was postponed due to two MNUFC players testing positive Saturday, raising some questions over whether Wednesday’s match with the Fire would be played.
But following Saturday’s tests, MNUFC didn’t have positives through Tuesday and indications pointed toward the scheduled kickoff. On Wednesday, the Fire even proceeded to the Twin Cities for the match, adhering to new protocols for same-day travel.
“If you’re not careful, it can go through the club very, very quickly,” Minnesota coach Adrian Heath said Tuesday, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Obviously there was a concern because you look at what has gone on in Colorado and then you are waiting for every test to come back and listening to how everybody is. I think the most important thing is that as I say, touch wood, we look as though we might have come out the other side.”
In a brief statement, MLS said the “match was postponed to allow for further testing and evaluation.” A new date and time for the match was not announced.
Wednesday’s news is the latest pandemic-caused interruption to the MLS season. The Colorado Rapids haven’t played since Sept. 23 and it’s unclear when they’ll contest their next match. Earlier this summer, Nashville SC and FC Dallas had to withdraw from the MLS is Back tournament due to outbreaks, forcing the Fire to switch groups just before the event began.
The Fire announced a positive test of their own in August but did not see their next scheduled match postponed.
Those examples are just a handful of many cues to think about COVID-19 and how to approach it safely.
“All of us need the reminder,” Wicky said Sunday. “We’re trying to do that. So far, we were very disciplined and we’re lucky, but it’s something we have to get used to. It’s not, OK, we have to do it for two more weeks, for three more weeks. Right now, it’s the normal life and we have to be disciplined and take this virus [seriously].”
Fire defender Boris Sekulic said the topic is discussed with the coaching staff and the club’s medical team. It’s not hard to decipher the message.
“We need all players,” Sekulic said. “We were lucky that we didn’t have some big problems in our team, and I hope that it will stay like this until the end.”
The Fire’s next match is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field against Sporting Kansas City.
