“We don’t just throw the players back in camp right away. There are several steps they have to go through, several screenings, an EKG, and we monitor their progress before they get into normal training or any training to begin with. So it will be the same thing for Alex. If it was just COVID, I think Alex was going to be good to get back into camp but because of all the protocols, returning-to-play protocol is what kept Alex out of this camp.”
— U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski on the decision to exclude star Alex Morgan from the camp that opens Saturday in Orlando. Morgan tested positive for COVID-19 over the holidays while visiting family in California after her return from England’s Tottenham, an incident Andonovski said U.S. Soccer’s medical staff will look into and correct “if there’s anything that needs to be corrected going forward.” The team’s return-to-play protocols require follow-up testing to ensure players aren’t affected by long-term health issues such as myocarditis. (Goal.com)
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