MLS clubs stage Twitter contest after matches called off

Coronavirus concerns kept the Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids from playing Major League Soccer matches, but they still found a way to safely compete this weekend thanks to Twitter.

The social media accounts for the teams traded messages late Saturday in a game of Connect Four, which the Whitecaps won after 19 moves.

Videos of the US and Canadian national anthems were tweeted out before the contest began and after the victory, the Whitecaps even sent out a challenge to an English side that won a similar contest earlier on Saturday.

The Whitecaps tweeted a link to English club Hull City's triumphant thread against German side Bayer Leverkusen with a trans-Atlantic challenge: "we got next. #VANvHUL."

Hull needed 41 moves to subdue Leverkusen.

Each thread drew match-hungry supporters with messages of support as the dramas played out online, offering competition while practicing safety in terms of not spreading the deadly virus.

On Thursday, MLS announced a 30-day suspension of its season due to the fears around Covid-19.