The Chicago Fire’s return to Soldier Field will have to wait a little longer.
Major League Soccer on Thursday announced the suspension of play for 30 days because of concerns regarding the outbreak of the new coronavirus. The Fire were set to play Orlando City on the road Saturday before returning to Chicago for their March 21 home opener against Atlanta United.
“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, Public Health Agency of Canada, 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.”
The Fire in a statement said they will work fans to address ticketing issues that might arise from the games impacted by MLS’ decision.
“We all share in the health and well-being of our community,” Fire President Nelson Rodriguez said in a statement. “We will continue regular dialogue with all city, state, national and league authorities on issues relating to COVID-19 and will provide fans and partners updates accordingly.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday canceled the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parades to help prevent the virus spreading.
“Like cities across the nation, we concluded that having a parade at this time posed an unnecessary risk to the public’s health,” she said Wednesday.
The World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak a pandemic with China, Italy and Iran seeing the largest number of infections and deaths. More than 20 reportedly have been infected in Illinois.
The postponement is a letdown for the Fire, who last year agreed to pay the Village of Bridgeview $65.5 million to amend their lease at SeatGeek Stadium. The match has been heavily promoted through TV spots, social posts and video series since the club formally announced Oct. 8 its return to Soldier Field.
The Fire said they had eclipsed more than 30,000 tickets sold for the game, which for months has been billed as an opportunity to reintroduce themselves to the city.
The Fire are hardly alone in the sports world in being affected by the pandemic. The NBA on Wednesday announced the suspension of play, while Thursday saw the suspensions of the NHL and MLB seasons and the cancellation of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.