FC Dallas head coach Luchi Gonzalez says his squad is staying upbeat in the face of the positive COVID-19 tests that have impacted the club.
Gonzalez made his regular weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas from his hotel room in Orlando, where he is in quarantine and maintaining an optimistic attitude.
āObviously the news is out there. Weāve got nothing to hide. I wonāt get into names or details of the numbers. But weāve got some challenges here,ā Gonzalez said. āSo itās been a challenge ā itās been disappointing. But at the same time itās also been inspiring because our group has shown a lot of strength and the attitudes and the mentalities of our players and our staff has been amazing.
āWeāre just trying to react to the next moment and believe that weāre going to push through and be better after this. But yeah, weāve got some challenges and the world has got challenges. But weāre going to not play victims to this and not make excuses. Weāre going to keep finding solutions and learn from it and get guys recovered and healthy, which is No. 1.ā
On July 1, the club and the league disclosed that six FC Dallas players had tested positive for COVID-19, including two immediately upon arrival at the hotel. Those six players were moved to an isolation area and the rest of the FC Dallas delegation is quarantining in their hotel rooms, following MLS health and safety protocols.
āItās been a tough few days. I havenāt left my room. Iāve been inside this hotel room for almost three days and itās a lot of isolation and you get to reflect and the first thing is to own it ā to own this moment,ā said Gonzalez, who confirmed to the radio show hosts that he has not tested positive.
āWeāre excited to be a part of this event and in a strange way we still are. We have the belief weāre going to get through this. Obviously, the secondary thought is the actual competition and the primary is the recovery of our people and their families. But it is frustrating. At the same time you canāt control whatās already happened. Weāve just got to keep learning and doing the best we can to be better in whatās in front of us.ā
Gonzalez mentioned that the squad continues to stay in touch via Zoom calls and āthe attitudes and some of the feedback theyāre giving each other is amazing.ā
With the club and league focused on the health and recovery of the squad, the impact of the positive test results on the competition is still to be determined. FC Dallas are currently scheduled to play their Group B opener against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Thursday, July 9.
āThe match is secondary. I donāt know if itāll maintain its current fixture date. I donāt know if itāll get postponed. I donāt know if weāll continue in the event,ā Gonzalez said. āWeāre going to work together with the league to do whatās best for the playersā safety and health. So No. 1 priority right now at FC Dallas is to get these guys recovered and get everybody healthy and back with their families eventually. If that means that somehow we can compete, Iām open to listening to how, but it needs to be with the No. 1 priority of getting our guys recovered.
āRight now we have a roster that can still mathematically compete. But again, there are tests every day and weāre going to see if there are more positives. I donāt know what tomorrow brings or the day after. All I know is that today the event is still on. Like I told you, this is not my concern No. 1. Itās the playersā safety and wellbeing which I know the league is also supporting us in.ā