Nothing is set other than there will be 3 MLS games on Canadian soil within the next week. Toronto FC hosts Orlando City on Saturday and the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday at BMO Field. CF Montréal welcomes FC Cincinnati at Saputo Stadium on Saturday.
The Vancouver Whitecaps are at "home" at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on Saturday (LA Galaxy) and Tuesday (Houston Dynamo). This may be about Ontario and Quebec more than British Columbia.
Attendance will be limited in Canada. The Reds get 7,000 fans for Saturday and 15,000 for Wednesday. CF Montréal will have 5,000 fans, an increase of 1,500 fans from what the Montréal Canadiens could have at the Bell Centre during the Stanley Cup final. This is about outdoors vs. indoors.
The Canadian teams are having a terrible 2021 season being away from home: CF Montréal (5-3-4) is having a decent season while Toronto FC (2-8-2) is last among the 27 MLS teams. The Whitecaps (2-7-3) are #25 in the league.
The Major League Soccer announcement only covers those dates. Assumptions are just that. Might this help the Toronto Blue Jays get to Rogers Centre faster? Speculation. Hopefully.
2021 MLS preview
Canadian MLS teams start an extended U.S. road trip
2020 MLS regular season returns with all-Canadian games
What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020
The Canadian teams did get to play each other on Canadian soil from August 18-September 16 last season: 3 home and 3 road games.
Toronto FC has been in Orlando in 2021 after spending 2020 in East Hartford, CT. CF Montréal has been in Fort Lauderdale in 2021 and Harrison, NJ in 2020. Vancouver has been in Sandy, Utah in 2021 and Portland, OR in 2020.
Like the Beach Boys version of Sloop John B says, "well I feel so broke up, I wanna go home."
These will be the first American MLS teams on Canadian soil since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage
The MLS games are available on TSN and TVA Sports in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States. As for U.S. national television, English and Spanish television say "no" and "no."
logo credits: CF Montréal; Toronto FC; Vancouver Whitecaps FC/MLS
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