Home momentum on standby for Minnesota United

On the same day MLS announced it had suspended its season for 30 days, Minnesota United veteran midfielder Ethan Finlay posted a social media video Thursday that showed wild turkeys on his doorstep, in downtown Minneapolis.

These are strange days indeed.

Directly off their second 2-0 road start in as many years, the Loons returned from San Jose last weekend for Sunday's home opener and a four-game homestand scheduled to finish before they played a single game at Allianz Field a year ago.

They did so seeking to distance themselves from foes in a competitive Western Conference, with four consecutive games at a home where the Loons went 10-1-6 last season. It's a home that coach Adrian Heath calls both a "fortress" and "formidable."

"It sets us up nicely," Heath said before MLS suspended its season.

Now it's all on hold for at least those 30 days because of the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments as well as the PGA Tour and next month's Masters golf tournament.

In a video message to supporters and partners posted on the team's social media sites on Friday, Minnesota United CEO Chris Wright said: "To everyone involved in our family, this is a really challenging time. These times are unprecedented."

The league placed a moratorium on its teams' training until Sunday while each team worked to resolve the countless issues such a suspension creates in both business and soccer operations.

Midfielder Hassani Dotson returned to Minnesota on Friday from the U.S. men's Under-23 team after CONCACAF suspended regional Olympic qualifying play in Mexico that was scheduled to start March 20 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and end April 1.

"It's a time of great risk for our fans, for our sponsors, for our suite holders, for our staff, for our players, for our coaching staff," Wright said. "We all share in some level of responsibility over what happens over the next 30 days as we take a look at this situation and decide how we will launch our second season inside of Allianz Field."

The 30-day suspension also affects everyone from Allianz Field gameday workers to St. Paul Midway area business owners. Both groups depend on income from a 17-game, regular-season home schedule now in limbo depending upon just how long the health crisis and the league's suspension actually lasts.

Wes Burdine, owner of the Black Hart of St. Paul bar, on Thursday called MLS' suspension a "good decision" but acknowledged the 30-day suspension and the four scheduled home games lost for now will be a "pretty big hit."

"So the message today is let's stay together, let's communicate with each other, let's have each other's back," Wright said. "Let's make sure that we all understand we're part of a big club. That we're part of this incredible global brand that is soccer/football worldwide … We look forward to welcoming everybody back to Allianz Field when our season begins.