FC Dallas Sees Spikes in COVID Cases upon Orlando Arrival.

This week was supposed to be a time of positivity and progression for Major League Soccer. Starting Wednesday, teams from around the nation made their way to the “Most Magical Place on Earth” for the congregation of the anticipated MLS is Back Tournament.

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However, this moment of hopefulness quickly turned into a sense of fear and trepidation.

According to league officials, FC Dallas has seen nine positive cases of the coronavirus among players upon their arrival to Orlando Saturday afternoon. One coach also tested positive.

Spoke to an MLS player in the bubble after 6 FC Dallas players tested positive for Covid here in Orlando.

“We were already concerned coming into this bubble environment. Now 6 positive tests within the first few days here? This just adds anxiety to an already tough situation.”

— Stefano Fusaro (@FusaroESPN) July 1, 2020

The truly scary thing is that the entire FC Dallas team tested negative for the virus prior to their departure. This means that in a span of just a few days, nine different members of an organization contracted COVID-19 during either travel or during their brief stay in Florida. Florida has seen a grotesque rise in cases over the last few weeks.

Reporting with @samstejskal and @jeffrueter: Three more FC Dallas players and one FCD coach tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, per multiple sources.

Nine FCD players have tested positive since arriving in Orlando; 12 total since June 3. https://t.co/dL6SMrJ4bh pic.twitter.com/wGS9XkL3mR

— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) July 2, 2020

The players, who have not been identified, are self-isolating at the team’s designated hotel in the Walt Disney World Resort.

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— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 1, 2020

While this may seem like a good time to hit the panic button, out of the 392 people who have been tested since teams began arriving in Florida, members of FC Dallas are the only people who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the MLS.

The rest of the FC Dallas squad are currently quarantining in their hotel rooms, pending the results of additional tests.

The MLS,  in conjunction with the CDC and other local health officials, will continue to monitor the situation with the hopes of returning to play on-time (July 8) while keeping everyone involved as safe as possible.

Other teams like the NYC FC have decided to hold team training in their home states.