WASHINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Soccer Association announced on Thursday that it has canceled all soccer friendly matches in March and April for its men's and women's national teams.
The U.S. men had been scheduled to play the Netherlands in Eindhoven on March 26 and Wales four days later in Cardiff, as preparation for their World Cup qualifiers in September.
The U.S. women's team had been slated to face Australia in Sandy, Utah on April 10 and Brazil four days later in San Jose, California, as they get ready for the Olympics this summer.
"With the health of our players, coaches, staff and fans as our main priority, US Soccer has decided it was in the best interest to cancel the majority of our upcoming domestic and international camps at all levels, including our senior men's and women's national team games in March and April, due to the outbreak of COVID-19," said U.S. Soccer Chief Medical Officer George Chiampas.
"We have been in communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local departments of public health, and after those conversations and continuously monitoring the situation, we strongly believe this is the best decision considering the ongoing worldwide health situation," Chiampas said.
