Soccer Watch
By Nick Barbaro, Fri., May 22, 2020
The German Bundesliga lurched into action last weekend, with no fans, no group goal celebrations, no handshakes, and noticeably less hard tackling and other physical play. It'll be interesting to see how this all develops. Fox Sports will show seven more Bundesliga games this weekend, starting with the Berlin derby, Union-Hertha, 1:30pm, Friday.
Costa Rica this week became the first Western hemisphere country to resume play; ESPN Deportes will air their games on Wednesday evenings. Other places are moving slowly: The MLS moratorium for small group and team training sessions is extended until June 1, and not all teams are even cleared for individuals to train. In England, small group training resumed Tuesday, the same day the Premier League confirmed six positive tests for the coronavirus at three clubs; there's no solid plan for a restart, but hopes are for mid-June. Scotland canceled the rest of their season on Wednesday, but 18 other European countries have dates to resume. And in South Korea, FC Seoul's publicity stunt – putting mannequins in the stands as virtual fans – backfired when viewers recognized them as sex dolls, including logos and holding signs with the manufacturer's name on them.
