CHICAGO – To support and emphasize what medical experts advise is the most important way to combat the spread of COVID-19, U.S. Soccer Wednesday launched the “BEND THE CURVE. STAY AT HOME” campaign.

Infused with a soccer theme, this campaign harnesses the passion, dedication and commitment of the soccer community to help spread awareness of this critical message.

“Our goal with our “BEND THE CURVE. STAY AT HOME” campaign is to reinforce to the soccer community that the single most important message to help us get through these challenging times is to make sure people STAY AT HOME to bend, and eventually, flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases,” U.S. Soccer chief medical officer Dr. George Chiampas said in a statement. “We hope everyone in our U.S. Soccer family will join us in sharing this incredibly important message to help keep each other healthy and save lives during this crisis.”

To energize the “BEND THE CURVE. STAY AT HOME.” campaign, U.S. Soccer will share graphics and video highlights from memorable goals and free kicks on all of its social media accounts. The federation also will partner with key stakeholders across the soccer community, including current and former U.S. players, to amplify the message and deliver the real meaning to the phrase One Nation. One Team.

As part of the “BEND THE CURVE. STAY AT HOME.” initiative, U.S. Soccer is creating opportunities for fans to connect with and celebrate the sport while safely at home. Initial activities include:

* Airing classic senior U.S. national teams and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches on U.S. Soccer channels

* Free professional development lectures from high performance experts

* Skills exercises that can be performed at home

* Trivia quizzes covering U.S. Soccer history

More details will be released as the program continues to develop.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.