Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a community soccer organization in the United States: the case of Asheville City Soccer Club

The impact of and response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic varied among sports organizations around the world. At the top tier of the American soccer pyramid, Major League Soccer (MLS) played two fixtures before the league office suspended the season and announced an action plan that included teams continuing play later in the year. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) delayed the start of its season and later released plans to become the first professional team sports league in the United States to resume play. The pandemic impacted lower-tier soccer leagues and teams differently. Initially, leagues such as the fourth-tier men’s United Soccer League Two (USL 2) and the fourth-tier Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) publicized plans to delay the start of the 2020 season. However, some teams in these leagues immediately withdrew from competition due to unique structural conditions. This article examines the case of one of these organizations.