MLS

Atlanta United added free agent midfielder Jürgen Damm Wednesday, but he won't join the Five Stripes until August, after MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando.

The two Atlanta United players who tested positive for COVID-19 are doing well and both asymptomatic, according to team president Darren Eales. Meeting with the media on Monday, Eales did not go into many specifics -- including the names of the players who tested positive -- but said the situation shows precautions are working, because without regular testing, the two players might have never known they caught the virus.

Atlanta United officials say the second player in two days has tested positive for COVID-19.

A First Team Atlanta United player tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Thursday. The positive result was confirmed following mandatory club testing.  

Atlanta United technical director Carlos Bocanegra is ready to see his team back on the field at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando. What life away from the pitch will look like in Florida, however, is more up in the air.

All 26 teams will participate in a World Cup-style tournament starting July 8 at in Orlando, culminating in a championship on Aug. 11.

Major League Soccer lifted its league-wide team training moratorium implemented on March amid coronavirus concerns.

The MLS Players Association and Major League Soccer have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement that will run into the 2025 season, avoiding a lockout as Atlanta United's first team players initially skipped voluntary small group training sessions that were set to start this week.

MLS announced Thursday it is allowing teams to ramp up training to outdoor, voluntary small group training sessions. The moratorium on full team training remains in place through Monday at this time.

If Major League Soccer resumes its season, it surely will be without fans in the stands.

Major League Soccer is looking at the possibility of resuming the season this summer with all teams playing in Orlando, Florida. Atlanta United players say safety is key.

Atlanta United President Darren Eales said on a media conference call Thursday that one "key gateway" to returning to full training and matches is coronavirus test access.

Atlanta United will return to individual workouts Wednesday and and Friday, with three separate sessions each day. The MLS's league-wide moratorium on small group and full team training remains in place to at least Friday, May 15.

Major League Soccer announced Friday that as of Wednesday, May 6, players may start training on outdoor team facility fields for voluntary individual workouts, in compliance with health and safety protocols created in consultation with medical and infectious disease experts.

With events cancelled for the time being, Mercedes-Benz Stadium's kitchens are being used to make food to help feed those in need around the metro Atlanta area.

Major League Soccer announced Tuesday that it does not plan to resume play in mid-May, despite its original plans to do so.