FC Dallas sees 9 players test positive for COVID-19 ahead of MLS tournament: report

At least nine players with FC Dallas have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the entire MLS team to isolate less than a week before a league tournament.

The club issued a statement Wednesday, initially saying that six players tested positive after arriving in Florida for the MLS Is Back tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World beginning on July 8.

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“In consultation with MLS medical officials, FC Dallas took proactive steps to isolate the newly affected players as well as all FC Dallas players and staff in Orlando out of an abundance of caution. All members of the club delegation are following MLS health and safety protocols and will remain quarantined in their hotel rooms pending the results of further COVID-19 testing,” the statement read.

The team said that no player tested positive before leaving on Saturday. Upon arrival, two players tested positive. Four more positive tests were uncovered in subsequent testing.

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But now, ESPN reported that an additional three more players and one staff member have also tested positive.

FC Dallas is scheduled to open the tournament with a group stage match against the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 9 but with so many of its players getting sick, it raises concerns about how the tournament will proceed.

ESPN reported that while the league hasn’t discussed canceling the tournament, officials are considering delaying Dallas’ first game and other scheduling modifications.

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The league said that no other team has been in contact with the FC Dallas delegation since its arrival. All of the league’s 26 teams are sequestered in hotels in advance of the month-long tournament and are tested every two days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.