Seven Former Cal Stars to Play in MLS Tournament Starting Wednesday

The soccer event has already been affected by positive tests for COVID-19

Seven former Cal soccer players will participate in the MLS Is Back Tournament, which starts Wednesday night in Orlando, Fla., but the event is not without its problems regarding the coronavirus.

FC Dallas had 10 players test positive for COVID-19 and has already withdrawn from Major Soccer League’s round-robin tournament, which will be held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Nashville FC is in a state of limbo because five of its players tested positive for the virus. Nashville was scheduled to participate in one of the two games on opening night (Wednesday, July 8) but its game was postponed.

Drake Callender, Cal’s goaltender in 2019, is a member of Miami CF, which will play in Wednesday’s only opening-night game against Orlando City at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

Two former Golden Bears will be in uniform when goaltender Stefan Frei and the Seattle Sounders face the San Jose Earthquakes and defender Nick Lima on July 10.

Former Cal midfielder Hector Jimenez is a member of the Columbus Crew squad that will play its first game July 11, and ex-Cal defender Steve Birnbaum is on the roster of D.C. United, which opens play on July 12.

On July 13, the Houston Dynamo and former Cal defender Sam Junqua play their first game of the event, and former Golden Bears goalie David Bingham plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy, which opens its play the same day.

The championship game will be played August 11, and league play will begin soon thereafter, although a schedule has not been announced.

Games will be televised by ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, FS1 and Univision.

Jimenez, Bingham and Birnbaum were members of Cal's 2010 squad that reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, and Birnbaum and Lima played on Cal's 2013 team that was ranked No. 1 for several weeks and also reached the quarterfinals of the national tournament.

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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