LOS ANGELES _ MLS is suspending its season indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the league announced Thursday.
The Los Angeles Galaxy were scheduled to leave Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon ahead of Saturday's game with Inter in Miami in Ft. Lauderdale. Their flight was canceled.
LAFC did not have an MLS game this weekend, although it was scheduled to play Mexico's Cruz Azul on Thursday in a CONCACAF Champions League game at Banc of California Stadium.
No decision had been made as of early Thursday regarding the status of that match.
It is believed the league is targeting a 30-day suspension.
"Our clubs were united today in the decision to temporarily suspend our season _ based on the advice and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and other public health authorities, and in the best interest of our fans, players, officials and employees," MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "We'd like to thank our fans for their continued support during this challenging time."
Earlier this week the Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes, following directives from local health officials to prohibit large public gatherings, postponed MLS home games scheduled for next weekend.
MLS officials had been debated all week whether to continue playing games in cities where public gatherings were allowed or whether, out of an abundance of caution, to cancel or postpone them.
During a teleconference with league owners Thursday morning the decision was made to postpone games. The 34-game MLS season is just two weeks old and the feeling among owners is that it is early enough in the season to reschedule the games.
On Wednesday the league announced several measures limiting players' access to the media and fans and ordered teams to use charter flights were traveling.
MLS is the only major professional sports league in the U.S. whose teams still fly commercial.
Internationally, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation have postponed World Cup qualifiers in March and June while in Italy Juventus confirmed that defender Daniele Rugani has tested positive for the virus and will go into isolation. All sporting events, including Serie A matches, have been canceled in Italy until at least April 3.
The next two rounds of matches in Spain's La Liga will be played in empty stadiums while first- and second-division matches in France will be played behind closed doors through at least April 15. The German Bundesliga is playing select games in empty stadiums while others in little-affected areas will proceed as normal.
In England, Wednesday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Manchester City was postponed as a "precautionary measure" after several Arsenal players went into self-isolation. The players' action came after Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Greek club Olympiacos, tested positive for the virus.
