SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced that a member of the club’s First Team roster has a confirmed case of COVID-19. All other Sounders FC players and members of the club’s technical and support staffs have returned multiple negative test results and do not have symptoms.
Upon receiving an initial positive test result, the player immediately self-isolated and was placed into the necessary medical protocol. The individual is to remain in isolation until medically cleared and is being monitored daily by the club's medical staff. Because this player was not a close contact of other members of Seattle’s roster or technical staff, Sounders FC’s medical staff has determined that risk to the overall team has been managed. It has also been conclusively determined that this latest positive test is unrelated to the club’s November 13 announcement. Since that time, Sounders FC has implemented the appropriate contact tracing procedures, adopted a daily testing regiment, while also altering training sessions under the direct supervision of team medical personnel and in compliance with MLS protocol.
The standard MLS testing protocol requires all MLS players to undergo Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests every other day, including the day before each match. The confirmation of a positive COVID-19 case occurs when an individual receives two consecutive positive test results. Since Sounders FC’s announcement on November 13, the club has been testing its personnel daily.
Having claimed the Western Conference’s second seed, Sounders FC faces seventh seed LAFC on Tuesday, November 24 (7:30 p.m. PT / ESPN, ESPN Deportes, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM) in the final match of opening round postseason action. With a win, Seattle would advance to the Western Conference Semifinal, where the Rave Green would host FC Dallas, who prevailed over the Portland Timbers in a dramatic shootout on Sunday evening.
