Last Week around the Leagues
by Fran Stuchbury
July 7, 2020 - International League (IL1)
This past week the Minor League Baseball season was canceled after Major League Baseball said it wouldn't provide players this year, Major League Lacrosse announced an nine-day season to decide a champion for its 20th campaign, and Major League Soccer announced that FC Dallas have been withdrawn from the MLS is Back Tournament due to 10 players and one member of the technical staff confirmed positive for COVID-19. Highlights from this week are from the International League, Midwest League, California League, Southern League, Major League Lacrosse, Premier Lacrosse league, National Lacrosse League, Major League Soccer, United Soccer League Championship, Women's National Basketball Association and Major League Rugby.
BASEBALL
Major League Baseball (MLB) has informed Minor League Baseball (MiLB) that it will not be providing its affiliated Minor League teams with players for the 2020 season. As a result, there will not be a Minor League Baseball season in 2020. Minor League Baseball, which began as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, was founded on Sept. 5, 1901.
International League
Durham Bulls season cancellation puts businesses, employees in a tight spot
Midwest League
Minor League baseball canceled; what's next for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers?
California League
San Jose Giants Chief Operating Officer Ben Taylor reacts to the announcement that Minor League Baseball will not be played in 2020. San Jose is the San Francisco Giants Single-A affiliate.
Southern League
The President of Minor League Baseball announced that the 2020 has been canceled. That means the Rocket City Trash Pandas will make their official debut in 2021
LACROSSE
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) announced the updated 2020 regular season schedule. This season, beginning July 18th, will be played entirely in the city of Annapolis, Maryland. The season will be one-week long and will host all six MLL teams. The week will conclude with a final-four playoff, crowning the 2020 MLL champion the weekend of July 25-26. The Major League Lacrosse season will air on ESPN Networks and ESPN+.
Major League Lacrosse Announces 8-Day 2020 Season in Annapolis to Decide Championship. See the details about the return of Major League Lacrosse
MLL Commissioner Sandy Brown joins Lax Sports Network to talk about the MLL playing 8-Day 20th Anniversary Season
Premier Lacrosse League
Premier Lacrosse League Announces Rosters For 2020 Championship Series
National Lacrosse League
The NLL has announced its award winners for the shortened season
SOCCER
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer announced that FC Dallas have been withdrawn from the MLS is Back Tournament due to 10 players and one member of the technical staff confirmed positive for COVID-19. Each of these positive tests either occurred upon the club's arrival or within a few days of arrival.
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber joins SportsCenter on ESPN the decision to send FC Dallas home ahead of the MLS is Back Tournament. Garber expresses the league's emphasis on the safety of players and personnel and the effectiveness of the protocol inside their bubble in Orlando, Florida. He also says the tournament will go on as planned, beginning with the first-ever meeting between Orlando City and Inter Miami on Wednesday, July 8 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
National Women's Soccer League
NWSL Challenge Cup opener between North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns FC averaged a 0.37 rating and 572,000 viewers on CBS, marking the largest audience in the history of the league.
United Soccer League Championship
The Las Vegas Lights FC announced the hiring of one of the most successful coaches in American soccer with Frank Yallop being named Head Coach for the remainder of the 2020 season. At Yallop's choice, he will not be pursuing the permanent position once the season concludes.
Frank Yallop is the new head coach for the Las Vegas Lights FC.
The United Soccer League announced the revised schedule for the 2020 USL Championship season. The league's clubs are set to play 263 games over 13 weeks to decide which 16 teams will advance to the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs, which will open in the second weekend of October.
United Soccer League One
USL League One announced a revised regular season and playoff structure for the 2020 season has been approved by the league's Board of Governors. The new format for the league's second season will see each of League One's teams play 20 games across 15 weeks in the regular season to determine the sides that will meet in the 2020 League One Final.
Major Arena Soccer League
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we report the sad news that Fury Midfielder Joseph Cairel passed away. On June 26, 2020, his 29th birthday, the unthinkable happened. Joseph was taken from this world way too soon in a boating accident. There are no words to explain the loss his family is going through at this time. They are not the type to ask for help, but in this time of need they are asking for help to lay their son and brother to rest. Nothing can prepare you for the road that they are now walking down.
The Major Arena Soccer League's (MASL) Board of Directors voted to officially conclude the 2019-2020 season and recognize the Monterrey Flash and Florida Tropics respectively as Western and Eastern Conference Regular Season Champions. The 2019-2020 season was cut short on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Prior to that, the Flash and Tropics had dominated their schedules and raced to the top of their conference tables.
BASKETBALL
Women's National Basketball Association
After more than two decades behind bars, Jonathan Irons is a free man thanks to the help of WNBA star Maya Moore.
NBA G League
The NBA G League recognized the Wisconsin Herd and Salt Lake City Stars for finishing the 2019-20 season with the best records in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, respectively. The Herd finished with the NBA G League's best record at 33-10 under head coach Chase Buford. Led by head coach Martin Schiller, the Stars finished with a 30-12 record.
Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced that the Greensboro Swarm, the team's G League affiliate, will not extend the contract of Head Coach Joe Wolf. Wolf, who served as the second coach in Swarm history, was hired on September 10, 2018.
HOCKEY
ECHL
The Tulsa Oilers, proud member of the ECHL, announced a three-year affiliation agreement with the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League and the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League.
OTHER SPORTS
Major League Rugby
The Austin Gilgronis are excited to announce the hiring of Head Coach Sam Harris and Assistant Coach Mark Gerrard to pursue the AG's next championship title; carrying the momentum the club's 2020 MLR Virtual Championship into the 2021 campaign.
Rugby United New York's top tries from the 2020 season.
World TeamTennis
World TeamTennis will produce the world's most star-studded and most anticipated professional tennis event since tennis' worldwide shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic when its players - including the Philadelphia Freedoms' WTA No. 4-ranked Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion - embark on WTT's 45th season. WTT has aligned with CBS Sports, Tennis Channel, ESPN+ and Facebook Watch to showcase its fast-paced, furiously competitive and entertaining brand of tennis to its media partners' domestic and international audiences from beginning to end.
Did we miss anything newsworthy or downright fun? Have a nomination for next week's column? Contact us today and let us know.
International League Stories from July 7, 2020
- Last Week around the Leagues - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
