By Michael Lewis
FrontRowSoccer.com Editor
The National Premier Soccer League has become the first American national soccer league to cancel its 2020 season due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The coast-to-coast league pulled the plug on its season on Wednesday, according to a reliable source.
Protagonist Soccer, which reports on lower division soccer, had a league source confirm the story on Twitter about a half hour later, reporting that an official announcement was expected on Thursday.
No other details were available.
The NPSL houses 94 teams in 14 conferences in four regions of the country.
On March 12, the NPSL suspended play in its West Region for the remainder of the month due to the Coronavirus outbreak.The league had hoped to resume on April 4.
Most of the rest of the league has been slated to kick off in May. The regular season runs through July, followed by the playoffs and then a championship game in early August.
“The situation is fluid, and the league is monitoring the situation daily,” a league statement said on March 12. “The NPSL will revisit the length of the suspension a week prior to April 4. We will communicate any change in status of the 2020 season.”
The Cosmos and Brooklyn Italians most recently competed in the league with the former losing to Miami FC in the championship game last August. Kingston Stockade FC and Motown FC also are members of the league.
