USL clubs may start training next week, but Orange County SC’s status unclear

USL announced a minor but significant shift on Wednesday, as they will allow teams in the Championship and League One to voluntarily train in non-contact settings of four people or less on outdoor training fields beginning Monday.

Much like a similar order given by MLS that officially allowed teams to begin individual training on Wednesday, the USL training guidelines and timeline are totally contingent on local health guidelines for all of the teams in the leagues. In other words, if shutdown orders remain in place, that team can’t train.

This has been the case for the MLS teams in California — Los Angeles Football Club, LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes — none of which could train on Wednesday, and that means the status for Orange County SC in light of this update from the league may not lead to immediate changes, either.

When asked about the situation for the club on Wednesday afternoon, an Orange County SC spokesperson said, “Right now, we are waiting on guidance from the state and local authorities as to when we can safely resume training.” The spokesperson clarified the club will need to get clearance from the state of California, Orange County and the City of Irvine in order to proceed with small group training.

So that means OCSC could get the green light by Monday, or perhaps at some point after that, it’s up in the air right now. That being said, with California planning to begin the reopening process Friday, there’s some hope sports teams, including Orange County SC, will be able to jump into action before long. But we’ll keep you posted on the details as we learn about them.

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