Telegraph photo by TOM KING Nashua Eagles' Hugh Townsend heads the ball away from Astoria's Matheus Jaimes, left, and Aldair Bernales during a game last summer in Manchester. Like most summer sports, things are still up in the air for a UPSL season.

NASHUA – Will the Nashua Eagles be able to fly this summer?

Like most local summer baseball teams, the local semi-pro soccer entry is in a holding pattern due to the pandemic.

But it’s better than having its season already cancelled. Formally known as the Eagles of the International Soccer Club of Nashua, the third year franchise plays in the United Premier Soccer League, which has introduced several scenarios for a start to a season, the latest of which would be June 20-21, looking for teams to be able to play a minimum of 10 regular season games.

“The league is doing one of those waiting games,” Eagles co-owner and team president Jared Barbosa said. “There’s a couple of different scenarios, and each time the governor of either New Hampshire or Massachusetts says there’s a closing of this, we move on to the next phase. It’s an ambiguous, uncertain situation right now. We’re just kind of waiting it out.”

Barbosa says he knows of some teams that have unofficially hinted they won’t be able to play this summer. However, the Eagles, who are hoping possibly against hope to call Rivier University’s Merrill Field as their home, aren’t at that point yet.

“We’re just trying to see and wait it out, essentially,” Barbosa said. “We do meet as a division. But it’s still a question mark (as to whether there are enough teams.).”

The Eagles play in the UPSL’s Northeast Conference Patriot Divison that also has nine other teams: The Boston Scorpions, Brockton FC United, Danbury (Conn.) Patriots, Jaguars United, Lincoln (R.I.) Club Futebol, Mass United, New Hampshire Bobcats, and Unations FC.

So you are talking about four states – New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

“There are teams that are running into issues, players in particular,” Barbosa said. “You might have a team owner or general manager who wants to do it, but the players are a little reluctant because of the virus. It’s really a bizarre situation to say the least.”

Barbosa says the players on the Eagles roster are ready to play, but the problem eventually could be “logistics.” In other words, where to play. Last year, with Rivier’s new facility under construction, they had to play the bulk of their home games in their second season at Manchester Memorial High School after using Rivier in 2018. Barbosa made it clear then the Eagles are a Nashua team.

If Rivier, closed right now for the most part, won’t allow them to use Merrill Field, the Eagles may not get their 2020 season off the ground if the UPSL does play.

“Is Riv going to open up for the public?” Barbosa said. “As of right now, essentially it’s Riv or bust, and we wait until the following season.”

And Barbosa feels there are teams in the same boat.

“You just look at the trends,” he said. “The thing is the majority of the teams are based out of Mass. So there’s going to be some struggles for the teams to secure fields. Some of them play on college campuses. Some use high school fields. And again, what’s uncertain, is are these organizations going to be completely open like ‘Yup, come on in, community, use our fields.’ They’re all in different situations.”

Barbosa said there is concern in every league meeting because the start dates keep getting pushed back. The league on its website has scenarios that have seaons beginning May 23-24 (about 10 days later than usual), or May 30-31, or June 6-7 with national finals Sept. 4-5. Barbosa says there’s another proposal that begins in late June. The later the season goes, there could be a conflict for some players who still play for their college teams – if there’s even an NCAA season in the fall. But the number of college players on each team varies.

“I think there’s two more time frames within the summer to try to get it in,” Barbosa said. “I think what they’re doing is looking at the landscape. Certain states are opening up, and some aren’t. Some states have a really big issue, and some don’t. They’re waiting and seeing what ends up happening.”

Barbosa appreciates the fact the UPSL is still trying to get a season in. And his Patriot division meets constantly.

“We’re keeping each other posted,” he said, “as to what each team’s circumstances are.”

A no-go would be another stroke of bad luck for the franchise, but again, if no fans were to be allowed in, there may not be a difference. Last year Nashua went 6-5-1, playing in relative anonymity. But eventually, Barbosa said, the Eagles will have better luck.

“Our mindset isn’t ‘It’s not going to happen again, maybe we should call it quits’,” he said. “That’s not the mindset we want to go in with. Our mindset is it’s going to come, it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be fun, and it’s going to be worth it.”

Whether it’s in 2020 or 2021.