Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images U.S. Soccer has cancelled all men's and women's games scheduled for March and April because of the "ongoing uncertainty" surrounding the coronavirus outbreak:
U.S. Soccer @ussoccerDue to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, U.S. Soccer has canceled the upcoming #USMNT & #USWNT games in March & April, and the majority of #USYNT and Extended National Team matches and camps that were planned through the end of April.
The U.S. men's national team were scheduled to play international friendlies against the Netherlands on March 26 in Eindhoven and against Wales four days later at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Meanwhile, the U.S. women's national team were due to play friendlies against Australia on April 10 in Utah and Brazil on April 14 in California.
George Chiampas,U.S. Soccer's chief medical officer, explained the decision in a statement:
"With the health of our players, coaches, staff and fans as our main priority, U.S. Soccer has decided it was in the best interest to cancel the majority of our upcoming domestic and international camps at all levels, including our senior Men's and Women's National Team games in March and April, due to the outbreak of COVID-19. "We have been in communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local departments of public health, and after those conversations and continuously monitoring the situation, we strongly believe this is the best decision considering the ongoing worldwide health situation."There is also some doubt over the under-23 men's national team's involvement in CONCACAF's Olympic qualifying tournament in Mexico, which is due to start on March 20, and the 2020 Women's Under-17 Championship, which begins in April.
The statement added that U.S. Soccer is keeping in touch with CONCACAF about the status of both competitions as well as May's 2020 Futsal Championship.
The news follows the decision to suspend the NBA season until further notice, while Major League Soccer has also been postponed for 30 days because of the pandemic:
Major League Soccer @MLSMajor League Soccer Suspends Season for 30 Days https://t.co/P0HEPmsnkx
Leagues in Italy and Spain have also been postponed, while UEFA Champions League games between Manchester City and Real Madrid and Juventus against Lyon have also been called off.
The USMNT's next scheduled game is against Honduras in the CONCACAF Nations League finals on June 4 at the BBVA Stadium in Houston, Texas.
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