Conmebol has announced their upcoming World Cup qualifiers have been postponed due to a variety of concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting several MLS players that were slated to participate.
The South American federation confirmed the news in a Saturday tweet from its official Twitter account, citing "the impossibility of having all the South American players in a timely manner".
Conmebol originally had a double header of qualifiers scheduled for March 25-26 and March 30 for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The news of the postponement means that any MLS players scheduled to take part in the qualifiers will now be available to remain with their clubs through the league's preseason.
LAFC star Diego Rossi is one MLS player impacted by the news, as the 2020 MLS Golden Boot winner was named to Uruguay's roster for the qualifiers, along with former teammate Brian Rodriguez, who is currently on loan with Spanish side Almería. Seattle Sounders forward Raul Ruidiaz has also been training with Peru ahead of the qualifiers but should now be able to join the club for preseason sooner than expected.
