San Jose Earthquakes Arrive to Orlando for the MLS is Back Tournament

The first team to arrive at Orlando’s Epcot Wide World of Sports complex are the MLS Western Conference San Jose Earthquakes.  The team arrived on Wednesday evening to start training ahead of the MLS is Back Tournament that is scheduled to kick off in July 8.

In the start of the MLS 2020 Season that ended abruptly after two game days due to the Coronavirus lockdown, San Jose had a rocky start of the season with a 2-2 tie against Toronto FC at home, followed by a painful 2-5 defeat at home also to Minnesota United FC.

Coming out of lockdown, San Jose Earthquakes were the only club in Major League Soccer that wasn’t cleared to resume training at the full group structure in local facilities.  The Quakes were also the last MLS team to get permission for individual ball skill training sessions.  So as many expected, manager Matias Almeyda and the rest of the team made a decision to jump at the opportunity and be one of the first teams to touch down in Orlando and start preparing for the tournament.

So after sort of a mini-break, players and staff to spend some time with their family before leaving to Florida to the MLS is Back Tournament for at least a month, and if advancing through the tournament hopefully longer.

Midfielder Jackson Yueill talked to the press before leaving to Orlando: “I think everyone worked really hard to stay fit and be ready for something like this,” Yueill said.  “And so I think we’re going there, were going to play our style and really, really try to get after teams.”

When asked about the preparation of San Jose Earthquakes compared to other MLS teams, and the abrupt, but disappointing start of the 2020 season, the midfielder added: “You know from the tournament, we have to be ready from the first whistle.  And so we’re going to work hard, and get some things right that they weren’t going right in other games.”

For now, none of the Quakes have been tested positive for coronavirus throughout the pandemic, and hopefully the rigorous testing and preventive measures that are taking place in the Disney-owned complex in Orlando will not find any of the Quakes positive for the virus.

There are increasing concerns about the situation on the ground in Orlando, as Orange County, Florida is now seeing a spike of COVID-19 active cases.  This already had an effect on soccer, with NWSL’s local franchise Orlando Pride withdrawing from the league’s tournament due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases in the team.  So the longer the San Jose Earthquakes spend in the area, the riskier it becomes.