CHICAGO – The National Women’s Soccer League announced Thurday an extension to the team training moratorium through and including Friday, May 15.

Given that players probably will need about a month to get back into match fitness, that means the league likely won’t start its season until the middle of June.

All NWSL training facilities remain closed, except for medical treatment that cannot be performed at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All applicable stay at home orders will be adhered to as the 2020 schedule is determined. The league also will include an appropriate preseason training period. All clubs will work with the NWSL medical task force and their team doctors to provide safe guidelines for players returning to market on a case-by-case basis.

“We thank all our players, clubs and fans for complying with the isolation orders, as that is helping us ‘bend the curve’ and achieve our common goal of returning to the field at the earliest opportunity,” a statement from the NWSL said. “The league continue to stay in close communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and everyone’s health and safety remains our top priority.”

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.