Major League Soccer has postponed five games that were due to kick off on Wednesday in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot and injured by police on Sunday in front of his children with protests since breaking out in Wisconsin and across the country.
While MLS matches had gone ahead this week, players and fans had called on the league to take a stand and cancel games in a show of support for the black community.
Though Orlando City's match against Nashville did go ahead on Wednesday evening, MLS ultimately decided to call off the remaining five games that were set to take place.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 27, 2020
"The entire Major League Soccer family is deeply saddened and horrified by the senseless shooting of Jacob Blake and events in Kenosha," an MLS statement read. "We continue to stand with the black community throughout our country - including our players and employees - and share in their pain, anger and frustration.
"The entire Major League Soccer family unequivocally condemns racism and has always stood for equality, but we need to do more to take tangible steps to impact change. We will continue to work with our players, our clubs and the broader soccer community to harness our collective power to fight for equality and social justice."
— LAFC (@LAFC) August 27, 2020
Fomer MLS player Matthew Watson posted in a Twitter thread that he was mentally unable to play Wednesday night for his current side, the Indy Eleven of the second-tier United Soccer League.
"I just emotionally could not find the strength to hold back the pain inside me after witnessing so many black people gunned down like animals," he wrote.
Tonight I found myself unable to take the field with my teammates. I did not refuse to play, I just emotionally could not find the strength to hold back the pain inside me after witnessing so many black people gunned down like animals.
— Matthew Watson (@mattwatson8) August 27, 2020
While U.S. President Donald Trump has condemned the resulting protests, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has called on the country to come together peacefully to instigate change.
"Once again, a Black man — Jacob Blake — was shot by the police. In front of his children. It makes me sick," Biden tweeted. "Is this the country we want to be? Needless violence won’t heal us. We need to end the violence — and peacefully come together to demand justice."
In an article of the official MLS website, the league called on fans to make their voices heard.
"The fight must continue against racism, racial injustice, bigotry, hate and the use of violence by police against the Black community," the article read. "Real change needs to happen: The shooting of Jacob Blake and the murders during the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin are the latest incident and it has to stop.
"Everyone in the MLS family is united on this. Make your voice heard. We fully support our players in the ongoing struggle."
