Is soccer dangerous to play during the pandemic? Jury’s out, but I’m guessing “guilty.”
Dallas FC and Nashville SC both had players infected prior to traveling to the tournament in Orlando. Dallas didn’t even make the trip, and Nashville just withdrew after it spread amongst players and staff, presumably at the hotel.
Holding this tournament in Orlando, given Florida’s uncontrolled outbreak, seems nuts even by the marginal standards of sports.
Nashville SC withdraws from MLS tournament because of virus – The Washington Post:
A National Women’s Soccer League team, the Orlando Pride, withdrew from a tournament in Salt Lake City before even boarding its charter because of several positive tests at home. The NWSL, with eight participating teams, has not reported any outbreaks in Utah.
Notably, we’ve not seen any transmission from the NWSL games in Utah (yet?). Does that mean nobody had it so it didn’t spread, or does somebody have it and soccer doesn’t transmit it well because it’s outdoors and the contact between players is somewhat limited? This is difficult to know, but making a wall to stop a free kick or crowding the box on corners are both instances where a large number of players get grouped into a small space. They’re a small part of the game with limited exposure time, but you can certainly see how the virus could spread in those situations.
What we can be sure of: Tennis and golf should be quite low-risk while football and basketball are impossible in the present environment.