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MLS confirm clubs can resume first-team training

Major League Soccer confirmed on Thursday that teams can resume full training for the first time since the season was temporarily suspended on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 regular season kicked off on February 29 and two matchdays were completed before the league’s governing body decided to pause the proceedings because of the COVID-19 threat.

After nearly eight weeks, the players were permitted to resume individual training with their respective clubs last month and MLS has now lifted the moratorium on first-team training.

While some of the teams are already doing group sessions, they won’t be permitted to restart normal training until the plan is reviewed and approved by the club’s medical staff and local infectious disease experts, prior to submitting to the MLS.

Each player will face a mandatory physical examination while they must have two COVID-19 PCR tests and one serology test, 72 hours before the regular training. Provided the results of the PCR tests are negative, the player would be allowed to work alongside his teammates.

The MLS is unlikely to carry forward with the usual league schedule and it has been suggested that the season could resume in a tournament-style format this summer. All the matches are likely to be hosted at the Walt Disney World in Orlando over a span of five weeks.

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