As life without soccer drags on, here are the latest targeted return dates

The days and weeks are starting to blur together at this point, but in case you were wondering, we are nearing three weeks since most of the world’s sports leagues shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Chicago Fire FC head coach Raphael Wicky summed up how his team is feeling in a social media video post this week:

“We miss practicing, We miss being together as a team, and we miss playing in front of you,” he said.

The hardest part of this, for me, is that we don’t actually know when anything will return to normal. I realize this is a small sacrifice to help our doctors and nurses keep people alive, but I wish there was a way we could return to normal life for a few hours, just to recharge our batteries for another stretch of this. Just one game to watch, one beer at a bar, one meal at a restaurant, one visit with friends. Something. But, we can’t have any of that. And we don’t know when we’ll be able to again.

There are targeted return dates, which will probably need to be changed. But, at least they provide a glimmer of hope:

• MLS training is currently suspended through April 3. The league is hoping to resume play May 10
• NWSL has suspended its preseason
• USL has suspended training through April 5
• The NPSL has canceled the season
• A report claims the Premier League could finish the season in July

“We’re all in the same boat, and everyone’s part is very important to beat that virus,” Wicky said in his video.

Wicky’s right. We’re all on the same team with this. I don’t know when things will return to normal, but they will. They always do. And when that happens, hopefully we’ll all stop and appreciate it.