Seattle Sounders Vs Columbus Crew: 3 things we learned – Tantalizing tie
By Paul Taylor
1. COVID-19 starting to impact crowd
As much as it might be a subject people don’t want to discuss or even think about, the potential threat of COVID-19 is very real. And the evidence of its impact up to this point was there for all to see on Saturday.
It all started with the march to the match, which usually attracts thousands of supporters. However, as reported by the Associated Press via ESPN, there were only around 200 fans who made the walk to CenturyLink Field.
As for the game itself, the official figure was 33,080, a significant drop from the 40,126 fans who were at the home opener a week earlier and the lowest such attendance since the Sounders’ first MLS season in 2009. In reality, though, the number of people who actually turned up was a lot less than the announced attendance.
This is entirely understandable, with Washington State effectively being the ground zero for the first confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States. As reported by Jayda Evans of The Seattle Times, Cristian Roldan appreciated why supporters had stayed away:
"“It’s understandable having less people at the game. You want to take the most cautious way of living at this point (and) everybody’s got to be safe out there.”"
This leads to an obvious question: What will take place between now and the Sounders’ next home game on March 21? Recent sporting events around the world have been played in empty stadiums or cancelled altogether. It will be interesting to see what action the Sounders and MLS take in the coming days and weeks. However, we should all prepare ourselves for the likelihood that upcoming games will be impacted to some extent or another.
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What stood out for you most on Saturday against Columbus? What was your main positive and negative for the Seattle Sounders? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.