The 2020 Major League Soccer (MLS) season had the Canadian teams start out "normal" before the COVID-19 pandemic. Each Canadian MLS team had a home game before the shutdown and then 3 home games on Canadian soil in September. Otherwise, they were wandering nomads in the U.S. desert.
Vancouver even had to play Portland in a "home game" in Portland.
2021 still has the Canadian teams in the United States. Toronto FC will start the 2021 season playing home matches in Orlando.
The Reds were in East Hartford, Connecticut as their U.S. base following the brief trip on Canadian soil. Like the Toronto Blue Jays, the logic of playing in Florida in the spring makes a lot of sense. The team might be back in East Hartford, Connecticut later in the season if not BMO Field in Toronto.
CF Montréal is playing at the Inter Miami CF stadium in Fort Lauderdale after playing in Harrison, NJ last season. Montréal got a home game at Olympic Stadium before the pandemic and 3 at Stade Saputo in the late summer.
Vancouver will establish a base at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah outside Salt Lake City as a base until the team can get back to BC Place.
The Montréal Impact have rebranded as Club de Foot Montréal, or CF Montréal. CF Montréal has a new logo as well as part of the rebranding.
Wilfried Nancy, an assistant coach with the team since 2016, takes over for Thierry Henry, who left after a single season. Henry was mentioned in the rumour mills to leave to coach Bournemouth.
While that team decided to retain its interim manager, Henry then left CF Montréal for family reasons.
Henry's single season for Montréal led to a 8-13-2 record and a playoff game, the first for the team since 2016.
Toronto FC, Montreal Impact gone from 2020 MLS Playoffs
Chris Armas is the new Toronto FC coach. Armas replaces Greg Vanney, who resigned. Vanney is now the coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Armas was the New York Red Bulls head coach for slightly over 2 years from 2018-2020.
Vanney took over Toronto FC in August 2014, the team's 9th coach in 8 years. He provided a much needed stability and brought success to the team. Vanney finished his Toronto career with a regular-season record of 87-68-48. The team went to 3 MLS Cups in his tenure: 2016, 2017, and 2019 winning the title in 2017.
The Reds qualified for the playoffs under Vanney in all but one of his 6 full seasons.
2017 was a stellar year for Vanney: MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, and the Canadian Championship.
This makes Marc Dos Santos the longest running coach of a Canadian MLS team. Santos has been in charge of the Vancouver Whitecaps since November 7, 2018. The Whitecaps haven't made the MLS playoffs since 2017.
2020 MLS playoffs preview
Toronto, Montreal make 2020 MLS playoffs
2020 MLS preview
Montréal "hosts" Toronto to start the MLS season on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. Vancouver hosts Portland in Utah on Sunday. The Toronto "home" opener in Orlando will be next Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage
The only U.S. TV appearances for the Canadian MLS teams in 2020 came as a result of the Orlando tournament. The COVID-19 pandemic took out the spring TV schedule for CTV in 2020.
None of the English and Spanish channels in the U.S. have any telecasts with Canadian teams, again. Ugh.
TSN will carry Toronto FC and Vancouver FC matches as well as select CF Montréal contests. TVA Sports will carry all CF Montréal matches en Francaise.
CTV will simulcast the TSN feed on Saturday telecasts this spring:
April 17 Toronto FC @ CF Montréal, 2 pm
April 24 Vancouver FC @ Toronto, 3 pm
May 1 Columbus @ CF Montréal, 3 pm
May 8 CF Montréal @ Vancouver FC, 3 pm
May 15 Toronto FC @ New York City FC, 1 pm
May 22 Cincinnati @ CF Montréal, 1 pm
May 29 Toronto FC @ Columbus, 3 pm
All games are available on ESPN+. Once (if) the CFL resumes, ESPN+ is a better acquisition for your humble narrator.
MLS Canadian teams playoffs results
| Year | Date | Teams | Winner | Score |
| 2020 | November 24 | Nashville @ Toronto | Nashville | 1-0 (ET) |
| 2020 | November 20 | Montréal @ New England | New England | 2-1 |
| 2019 | November 10 | Toronto @ Seattle | Seattle | 3-1 |
| 2019 | October 30 | Toronto @ Atlanta | Toronto | 2-1 |
| 2019 | October 23 | Toronto @ New York City FC | Toronto | 2-1 |
| 2019 | October 19 | D.C. United @ Toronto | Toronto | 5-1 (ET) |
| 2017 | December 9 | Seattle @ Toronto | Toronto | 2-0 |
| 2017 | November 29 | Columbus @ Toronto | Toronto | 1-0 |
| 2017 | November 21 | Toronto @ Columbus | Tie | 0-0 |
| 2017 | November 5 | New York Red Bulls @ Toronto | NY Red Bulls | 1-0 |
| 2017 | November 2 | Vancouver @ Seattle | Seattle | 2-0 |
| 2017 | October 30 | Toronto @ New York Red Bulls | Toronto | 2-1 |
| 2017 | October 29 | Seattle @ Vancouver | Tie | 0-0 |
| 2017 | October 25 | San Jose @ Vancouver | Vancouver | 5-0 |
| 2016 | December 10 | Seattle @ Toronto FC | Seattle | 0-0 (5-4 PK) |
| 2016 | November 30 | Montréal @ Toronto FC | Toronto FC | 5-2 (ET) |
| 2016 | November 22 | Toronto FC @ Montréal | Montréal | 3-2 |
| 2016 | November 6 | Montréal @ New York Red Bulls | Montréal | 2-1 |
| 2016 | November 6 | Toronto FC @ NYCFC | Toronto FC | 5-0 |
| 2016 | October 30 | NYCFC @ Toronto FC | Toronto FC | 2-0 |
| 2016 | October 30 | New York Red Bulls @ Montréal | Montréal | 1-0 |
| 2016 | October 27 | Montréal @ D.C. United | Montréal | 4-2 |
| 2016 | October 26 | Philadelphia @ Toronto FC | Toronto FC | 3-1 |
| 2015 | November 8 | Portland @ Vancouver | Portland | 2-0 |
| 2015 | November 8 | Montréal @ Columbus | Columbus | 3-1 (ET) |
| 2015 | November 1 | Vancouver @ Portland | Tie | 0-0 |
| 2015 | November 1 | Columbus @ Montréal | Montréal | 2-1 |
| 2015 | October 29 | Toronto FC @ Montréal | Montréal | 3-0 |
| 2014 | October 29 | Vancouver @ Dallas | Dallas | 2-1 |
| 2013 | October 31 | Montréal @ Houston | Houston | 3-0 |
| 2012 | November 1 | Vancouver @ LA Galaxy | LA Galaxy | 2-1 |
logo credits: MLS
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