Atlanta United coach Frank de Boer criticizes 9 a.m. MLS kickoffs

Atlanta United head coach Frank de Boer has hit out at the 9 a.m. ET kickoffs for the Major League Soccer "MLS is Back" tournament held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic.

Per ESPN's Tom Marshall, De Boer spoke about the issue following his side's 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati on Thursday morning:

"I also wanted to say that if you see this game at 9 o'clock, I think, for everyone, it is not worth it, to play in these kinds of conditions. You saw the tempo was really, really slow. Even though it was 11 against 10 it was really slow.

"There's no benefit for the supporters that watch it and also for the players because circumstances were really tough today. We have to really think if it is good when we play in these certain times with this heat."

MLS suspended play in March after two matchdays due to the uncontrolled virus outbreak. The tournament is replacing scheduled fixtures, but the league hopes to return to in-market games in August or September.

Atlanta fell to New York Red Bulls 1-0 in their first match of the competition, and they must defeat Columbus next Tuesday to have a chance of qualifying for the MLS tournament round of 16 phase.