One of the two Atlanta United players who tested positive for COVID-19 has returned to training, manager Frank de Boer said Friday.
The second player hasn't returned and may not travel with the rest of the team when it leaves Saturday for Orlando, Fla., to compete in the MLS tournament.
To return to training, players must test negative twice. De Boer said he hopes that player will be able to eventually join the team while it is in Orlando.
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Both players were asymptomatic when the team announced the positive results two weeks ago. The players’ names weren’t revealed. The team hasn’t announced if any more players or personnel have tested positive since.
Atlanta United’s first game in the tournament will be July 11 against New York Red Bulls.
MLS announced Thursday that during July 1-2, six individuals out of 855 players, coaches, referees, club staff, league staff and other individuals tested positive for COVID-19. Four of those who tested positive are players.
“Everybody has worries,” de Boer said about being in the bubble in Orlando. “Some guys will have more worries than others. We don’t underestimate what the coronavirus can do. We have to be really disciplined. Try to avoid the people at Disney. Stay 6-10 feet away from them.”
De Boer said other than Josef Martinez, who is expected to miss the season with a right knee injury, and the unnamed player, the rest of the team is healthy and will travel to Florida. Ezequiel Barco (soft tissue) and Matheus Rossetto (groin) were dealing with minor injuries but have recovered.
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