Soccer is likely taking a back seat to lots of other things in our daily news consumption recently, but things are still sort of happening out there. Let’s get to it, plus some links:

USL Announces Return to Play

The USL announced yesterday that the Championship would return to play on July 11 following a vote of its Board of Governors. Some reports stated that 1/3 of the votes cast were against the idea, but since it was a simple majority vote, those in favor of playing won out. The league has not released any details about the playing format, scheduling or broadcasting, but that should be forthcoming.

Jeff Rueter tweeted yesterday that the hub format that MLS and NWSL are planning to use is not something that will happen for the USL Championship. That makes sense, since it’s one thing to have a single-site tournament with nine teams and quite another to do it with 35.

Also remaining up in the air is whether fans will be permitted to attend any matches. We’ve all probably seen how that’s going in Germany – okay. My guess is whether fans will be able to go to matches will depend on whether the state or local government and health departments allow large gatherings of people. I kind of doubt that will be approved in Kentucky as early as July 11, but maybe later on in the fall.

This IS good news, no matter how things shake out from a scheduling or attendance standpoint. Here’s hoping everyone involved stays safe and healthy, and YAY FOR USL SOCCER!

Links:

• George Davis IV joined a consortium of players that discussed the Black Lives Matter movement with BGN Written.
• Paco Craig’s fraught journey to playing League football in England
• Charlotte Independence defender Hugh Roberts writes about his campaign for justice for USLChampionship.com.
• Louisville City is reaching out to community and civic leaders to join the conversation about how to support the black community