After rough start, MLS bubble in Florida seems to be working

Jeff Agoos arrived inside the Major League Soccer bubble in Florida in late June.

About a month into his stay, the number of restful, relaxing moments have been rare.

I dont think Ive actually exhaled since I first arrived, Agoos joked.

Agoos is the senior vice president of competition, operations and medical administration for MLS. Hes been at the point of helping run the MLS is Back tournament inside its contained environment at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Making sure the competition has run smoothly on the field through the group stage, which ended Thursday, and into the knockout rounds that begin this weekend has been a priority.

But the No. 1 task has been keeping the coronavirus out. After the tournament seemed to be on the verge of derailing at the start with virus outbreaks inside the FC Dallas and Nashville camps, the bubble seems to be working.

Outside of those two teams, there have been only two confirmed positive tests one from Sporting Kansas City and one from Columbus soon after teams arrived in Florida.

Once we were able to, I think, get through that, which was a real challenge … we felt like we have a real controlled environment in a centralized location, Agoos said. We have really stringent testing protocols and medical protocols. Were very vigilant about wearing face masks and social distancing. Were trying to try to stay as vigilant as we can on ensuring that were creating the safest environment for our players and our staff.

Over the past six testing periods, the league has not recorded a positive test among the players, coaches and staff. Agoos was quick to credit the players and teams for being diligent about observing the restrictions, and in some ways appearing to learn from the issues that arose with Dallas and Nashville.

I think it was a wake-up call for any team that didnt believe that they could be impacted to see how strong and how widespread it can be and how quickly it can spread, Agoos said. Weve had some cases where weve had a false positive on some teams, so that was obviously a wake-up call. But I think overall our clubs have really done a good job driving home the fact that the virus is going to do what its going to do.

While life in the bubble can be monotonous, the league and the teams have tried to liven it up as best they can with health and safety still being the overriding priority. Philadelphia coach Jim Curtain noted that the simple surprise of minority owner Kevin Durant jumping on a Zoom call with his players was an instant boost.

It can get monotonous, but theres certain nights where we get to go to the restaurants that are here and youd be amazed at how much it means to eat off of a real plate with real silverware, Curtain said. Thats going to sound strange to people, but were mostly eating out of Styrofoam with plastic knives and forks. So these little things are big time.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

The league’s next step after the tournament wraps up on Aug. 11 is unclear. The MLS hopes to have a regular season involving home markets but how extensive that may be has yet to be determined.

The timeline of that, or how many games, or this and that, I have no idea. Theres so much uncertainty about that. But I can tell you that soccer, playing, its our passion, its what we get paid to do, its what we love to do, said Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya.

Agoos believes there are lessons from the bubble that can be applicable in trying to pull off games at home.

I think were all standing shoulder to shoulder with each other and making sure that were going to do the right things, Agoos said. Where we need to step in, or where we can help and provide resources, we certainly will. But its a collaborative effort, its going to take everybody doing the right thing. And again, we cant lower our guard and make sure were fighting this with everything we have.

SPOTLIGHT MATCHUP

While there are several interesting matchups in the round of 16, the marquee match will be Monday night when the reigning MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders face last years Supporters Shield winners LAFC. The game is a rematch of last years Western Conference final, where Seattle upset LAFC 3-1.

Another good matchup comes next Tuesday when Columbus faces Minnesota United. The Crew were the only team in the group stage to post three victories.

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AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson contributed to this report.

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