To our readers: Thank you for taking part in our Mailbag Monday this week. Star Tribune beat writers received questions about the teams and leagues we cover, and each writer selected a couple of questions to answer.
This week’s Minnesota United mailbag is a mixed bag, with one question from a Twitter follower and two of my own to my followers. They come after MLS on Tuesday announced it’s “extremely unlikely” games will resume in mid-May – its original target date – but still hope to play as many of its 34-game regular season as possible.
Mailbag in reserve
My questions to my Twitter followers:
Q. When do you think MLS and the Loons will play again?
I think there is a chance they go to a 24-game season, home and away against each team in conference, then playoffs a few weeks later than originally planned. Assuming mid-July start or August start. -- @alfvebe
Wild guess...July? We might have widespread testing by then. -- @csmoney1980
Q. When will you be comfortable being part of a stadium crowd again?
When we'll feel comfortable and when we're allowed to go back are probably two different things. I can't say when we'll feel comfortable again. We bought tickets for our 5-year-old this year and I can't begin to guess how he is going to react to large crowds again. -- @dan0play
When the MN Department of Health give us the (thumbs up emoji) -- @JCAnton0710
When there’s a vaccine. -- @anthony_xvx
Probably after me and my family have already had the virus... -- @auggies8
Honestly for me comfort will only come when a reliable vaccine exists. --@dillonJyoung
For an answer to that question you may want to poll some players. And definitely ask Adrian Heath that question. -- @Zero_Dice
The minute the doors open, I’m in. -- @ScaryG513
Three things: 1. An effective treatment that doesn’t require hospitalization. This could be a vaccine, drug cocktail, etc. 2. Fast and available testing to determine if someone has it. 3. The ability for people who do have it to quarantine: this means a payment to quarantine. -- @collinsolberg
From a follower
Q. What sort of relief will they give season-ticket holders? Will they be able to get refunded? -- @AdamTweet96
A. So many, many things must be worked out before everything comes back online and there’s no telling how it all will play out. Minnesota United management last month moved season-ticket holders' April 1 payment to be spread among the season’s final three payments, starting May 1. They’ll have to refund for games not played eventually, but when does that come, how soon does it come? Probably not until the league determines when – if? -- the season resumes and how many or few games they still can play this year.
- New Loons soccer boss El-Ahmad ready to leave Barnsley FC on Dec. 15 • Loons
- Minnesotan, first MLS employee, now No. 2 in command • Loons
- New Loons defender Kemar Lawrence felt iced out by Toronto • Loons
- Ticket sales show Loons fans' excitement • Loons
- Jon Marthaler's soccer game of the weekend • Loons