The United Soccer League is temporarily suspending the USL Championship season due to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.
The USL did not specify a restart date, but said in a statement Thursday the 2020 season will be suspended for a minimum of 30 days.
Following in the footsteps of the National Basketball Association and Major League Soccer, the USL held a league-wide owners’ vote Thursday morning to determine what the best action to take was concerning the spreading coronavirus.
“It was very clear from our owners that the health and safety of players, fans and staff was their top priority,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said in the statement.
Papadakis added the league consulted with local, state and national health authorities, the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Two USL Championship clubs had already postponed games prior to Thursday’s league-wide announcement. San Diego Loyal SC pushed a game set for this Saturday to July 29, and Hartford Athletic postponed March 21 and April 4 home matches.
San Diego and the Tacoma Defiance played a game closed to the public Wednesday evening, during which San Diego won 2-1. San Diego and Tacoma are the only teams in the Championship that have played two games this season.
The start of preseason activities and the regular season for the third-tier League One will be delayed for a minimum of two weeks, USL announced.
Owners of clubs playing in the third-tier USL League One will vote Thursday on whether to suspend its season, which is scheduled to begin March 21. The USL did not release any information on fourth-tier USL League Two, which begins its season May 8.
It’s unclear what impact the USL postponements will have on the league’s national TV schedule with ESPN. Over the next 30 days, three Championship games are set to air on linear ESPN networks — Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh March 27 on ESPN Deportes; North Carolina FC vs. Charlotte April 3 on ESPN Deportes; and Louisville vs. Birmingham April 11 on ESPNews.