Canadian Crossing

Toronto, Montreal make 2020 MLS playoffs

We paid way more attention to the 2020 MLS season from the start and stop in March, the mess in Orlando, the all-Canadian games with actual fans in Montréal, and more games in the United States on not-so-home turf. That was the 2020 MLS regular season.

The Montréal Impact got a thrilling comeback victory on Decision Day to earn a playoff spot. Toronto FC lost on Decision Day, ending the Reds chance at the Supporters Shield. Vancouver was eliminated from contention on Wednesday.

Going into the final game against DC United, Montréal had lost 3 in a row and 5 of 6. The team had only won 2 of its last 12 matches before Sunday.

Montréal finished with a 8-13-2 record with 26 points / 1.13 points per game. Montréal finished 3-6-1 at home and 3-5-1 road games (not counting the Orlando tournament).

MLS has expanded the Eastern playoffs for a play-in round. The #9 Impact will take on the #8 seed New England Revolution on November 20 in Foxborough, MA at 6:30 pm on TSN and TVA Sports in Canada as well as Fox Sports 1 and FOX Deportes in the United States. The U.S. audience can watch a Montréal playoff game without having to worry how to work the SAP magic on their TV.

While we are intrigued that the Impact are in the 2020 MLS playoffs, a 8-13-2 team shouldn't get rewarded with playoff soccer.

Toronto FC lost 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday so the Reds are in second place. Toronto will play Nashville SC if that team beats Inter Miami CF tomorrow. Otherwise, the Reds will play the Montréal vs. New England winner. The Philadelphia Union will take on the other Eastern play-in team.

The Reds finished 13-5-5 with 44 points / 1.91 points per game. Toronto had a 7-2-1 home record and went 5-3-2 on the road (not counting the Orlando tournament).

Toronto hosts its opponent November 24 at 6 pm on TSN and TVA Sports in Canada as well as Fox Sports 1 and FOX Deportes in the United States.  

The Vancouver Whitecaps have now gone 3 seasons without a playoff appearance. The Whitecaps played a full 23 games unlike some teams in the Western Conference, so while the Colorado Rapids had fewer points, that team didn't play a full season. The MLS is determining playoff spots based on points per game.

The Whitecaps finished 9-14-0 with 27 points / 1.17 points per game. Vancouver went 6-4-0 at home and 2-8-0 on the road. Vancouver managed to be the only MLS team this season without a tie; a few losses that would have been ties would have helped the Whitecaps. Vancouver had a better record than Montréal but was in the wrong conference.

The Whitecaps struggled mightily against their Cascadia rivals, scoring a single goal in an 0-5 run against Portland and Seattle. Didn't help that one of Vancouver's "home" games was against Portland in the Timbers home stadium.

Canadian MLS teams start an extended U.S. road trip

2020 MLS regular season returns with all-Canadian games

All 3 Canadian MLS teams advance to Round of 16 in Orlando

Sadly to no one's surprise, the Canadian MLS teams avoiding television in the United States after the Orlando tournament. We knew U.S. cameras wouldn't show any of the all-Canadian games. Toronto FC is one of the top teams in MLS and on U.S. soil since September and yet, no U.S. television. Would have settled for a TUDN or UniMás telecast but didn't even get that.

All the MLS playoff games involving Canadian teams will be on ESPN or Fox Sports 1.

MLS 2020 Orlando tournament preview

NHL, MLB, MLS latest sports leagues to suspend their regular season

2020 MLS preview

The Toronto home games will take place at the Reds temporary home: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. Unless the Montréal Impact plays #10 Inter Miami CF, the team is done with home games at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The Vancouver Whitecaps finished their "home" season at Providence Park in Portland, OR.

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

We will have a 2020 MLS playoffs preview next week. The 2020 MLS Cup will be on Saturday, December 12 at 8 pm on FOX, UniMás, TSN, and TVA Sports.

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
2020	November 24	TBD @ Toronto	TBD	TBD
2020	November 20	Montréal @ New England	TBD	TBD
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

photo credit: Major League Soccer

How did the Canadian Premier League complete a 2020 season and not the CFL?

Forge FC dominated the 2020 Canadian Premier League soccer championship with a solid 2-0 win over HFX Wanderers. The late goal was a fluke but did bring insurance. The Canadian Premier League championship game in Charlottetown was even on Fox Sports 2 in the United States, simulcasting the One network coverage. Recognized Andi Petrillo as part of the studio coverage.

Hamilton won't likely have a parade for the winning Forge FC team. Halifax isn't likely to have welcomed the Wanderers with thousands waiting for the plane to land.

Like the other sports, the Canadian Premier League set up a bubble, branded as The Island Games at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown over a 5-week stretch from mid-August to mid-September.

Rise Above#CanPL l @ForgeFCHamilton pic.twitter.com/Z5nuequsAa

— CanPL (@CPLsoccer) September 19, 2020

The NFL is off and playing, though the league blew off the preseason. College football has been hit and miss, mostly miss so far. The CFL is on the sidelines, choosing not to play.

A 5-week season isn't a whole lot. MLS has been piecemeal and the Canadian teams are wandering nomads in the U.S. desert. The NHL and NBA bubbles have been stellar. MLB had a lot of troubles early with COVID-19 cases but played a lot of doubleheaders.

Canadians wanting football are stuck watching the NFL on TV

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MLS had to draw a schedule with pencil in the Orlando tournament as 2 teams didn't even play in Orlando. MLB had teams sitting out for a week in a 60-game season. If we make it to the next 5 years and look back on 2020, the details of how these leagues played in a pandemic will be forgotten. They played somewhat safely or completely safely. That is the lasting memory.

The CFL fumbled and stumbled. We offered up a bubble concept with teams playing in Moncton, Saint John, and Halifax. We didn't consider the University of Prince Edward Island campus. The CFL could have built up strong favour playing in a part of Canada where the league wants to grow the game.

If CFL plays in 2020, have all the games in the Maritimes

2020 Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax: What would have been

We even offered up a 9-week season: every team plays each other once. The CFL attempt worked on a 6-game schedule and couldn't even pull that off.

Money was the reason we heard. The CFL might have had that money if they played a season first. Does the CPL have so much more money than the CFL?

Hamilton winning the CPL title can't compete with the Tiger-Cats winning the Grey Cup. The other 8 CFL teams won a Grey Cup in the 2010s: Hamilton lost to Winnipeg in the 2019 Grey Cup. That was the last CFL game until 2021, hopefully.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Football and soccer are different beasts in terms of turnaround and trying to get games played in a short window. Canada had the advantage of being in much better shape with COVID-19, especially Atlantic Canada.

The CPL has 8 teams vs. 9 for the CFL. The format was for all the teams to play each other in the beginning, just like my idea.

The NFL and CPL are not the CFL. They rolled up sleeves and made a 2020 season happen. The CFL will be in trouble even with playing a 2021 season. They will have to recover fan interest when fans may not be able to be in a stadium, even at half capacity. 750 fans watched the Montréal Impact in person. The NFL will conduct a grand experiment with fans at certain stadiums this fall. If there is a Michigan-Ohio State game this fall, how many fans will be in Columbus, Ohio?

The Stanley Cup, NBA Finals trophy, World Series trophy, and likely the Super Bowl championship will be awarded. The Grey Cup will collect dust. If the Canadian Premier League could figure out how to make a 2020 season work, the Canadian Football League should have tried harder to be more creative to get a 2020 season on the books.

photo credit: Canadian Premier League
Twitter capture: @CPLsoccer

Canadian MLS teams start an extended U.S. road trip

Editor's note: MLS has announced the remaining schedules for Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver teams. The teams keep their U.S. home stadiums as noted in the article. The regular season finishes up on November 8.

Major League Soccer (MLS) has released 3 more games in piecemeal fashion. The Canadian teams are on an extended road trip into the United States.

Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver have 3 U.S. opponents, 2 road games and a designated home game. The Reds and Impact actually get a neutral field while the Whitecaps play a "home" game at the field of the opponent.

The Impact will play Philadelphia at the home of the Red Bulls in Harrison, NJ. The Reds get an actual neutral field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

We have found that offensive when the Toronto Blue Jays were stuck with that scenario while the team got Sahlen Field in Buffalo ready. Very difficult to imagine MLS couldn't find a neutral field on the West Coast of the United States.

The Canadian teams have an imbalance on U.S. soil even with a neutral field. The Canadian teams are living in suitcases; going back to Canada means a 14-day quarantine.

The eastern Canadian teams also have a much better travel schedule in playing 3 games in 8 days (7 days for Montréal) compared to Vancouver's flying schedule.

TSN and TVA Sports will have their usual coverage. ESPN+ will have the games in the United States.

Date	Road	Home	Time
September 19	Toronto	D.C. United	7:30p
September 19	Vancouver	Real Salt Lake	9:30p
September 20	Philadelphia	Montréal*	7:30p
September 23	Toronto	New York City FC	7p
September 23	Montréal	New England	7:30p
September 23	Vancouver	LAFC	10:30p
September 27	Montréal	NY Red Bulls	7p
September 27	Columbus	Toronto+	7:30p
September 27	Portland	Vancouver#	10p

* Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ; + Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT;
# Providence Park, Portland

2020 MLS regular season returns with all-Canadian games

All 3 Canadian MLS teams advance to Round of 16 in Orlando

MLS 2020 Orlando tournament preview

What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020

Toronto FC had a tremendous unbeaten run of 18 games, a game short of the MLS record of 19 last done a decade ago. The Reds pulled off 3 straight shutouts on Canadian soil until the Impact posted a 1-0 victory.

Toronto was set to tie the game on a penalty kick when Alejandro Pozuelo was ready to kick, but passed the ball to Pablo Piatti. Piatti scored on Impact goalkeeper Clement Diop, but the goal didn't count. The play looked cool but apparently was too cute for the rules.

2020 MLS preview

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

Having 250 people in a 20,081 seat Stade Saputo won't make too much noise but a lot more noise than having 0 fans. The Montréal Impact took advantage of Quebec's guidelines since 250 is the maximum allowed.

The 750 tickets sold represent the only fans who have been able to see a major league sport on Canadian soil since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic shut everything down.

The Impact gave club members first access to tickets that started at $49.

British Columbia and Alberta getting the smoke from U.S. West Coast wildfires

Toronto FC will take on either Hamilton Forge FC or Halifax HFX Wanderers for the Canadian Championship. The Canadian Premier League entry will be determined tomorrow. Americans can watch that match on Fox Sports 2 at 1:30 pm Eastern from Charlottetown, PEI.

The Reds finished 4-2 against the other Canadian teams. Montréal (3-3) had a chance to advance with a second win over Vancouver (2-4) but lost 3-1 on Wednesday.

Toronto FC posted 3 straight shutout wins to start the round-robin, 2 against Vancouver and 1 against Montréal. The Impact posted a shutout win against both Vancouver and Toronto.

The 2020 Canadian Championship winner gets the Voyageurs Cup and qualifies for the next edition of the Concacaf Champions League.

We noted earlier this week about the impact of the smoke on the Montréal Impact series at BC Place against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The hydration breaks were definitely helpful.

photo credit: TSN/MLS

2020 MLS regular season returns with all-Canadian games

The MLS eventually figured out how to get the Canadian teams on the pitch in the return to playing outside the bubble in Orlando.

The league released a return to play schedule for the American teams but left the Canadian teams out in the moment. The plan was for the Canadian teams to play each other in the short term.

The idea of all 3 Canadian teams winning in a day will not be an option. Fans of the individual teams won't care and there is always a Canadian winner, unless there is a tie.

The prospect after this step is for the Canadian teams to have a temporary host stadium in the U.S. (see the Toronto Blue Jays of Buffalo) or playing road games in the United States to finish out the 2020 MLS season.

Here are the upcoming all-Canadian matchups. TSN and TVA Sports will be found in the usual places. The games will air on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Date	Road	Home	Time
August 18	Vancouver	Toronto	8p
August 21	Vancouver	Toronto	8p
August 25	Vancouver	Montréal	8p
August 28	Toronto	Montréal	8p
September 1	Montréal	Toronto	8p
September 5	Toronto	Vancouver	9:30p
September 9	Toronto	Montréal	8p
September 13	Montréal	Vancouver	9:30p
September 16	Montréal	Vancouver	9:30p

 

Each team gets 6 games: 3 home, 3 road. The idea of playing the same opponent in the same city a few days apart is a bit odd but this cuts down on travel between east and west.

The Round of 16 wasn't fruitful for the Canadian MLS teams. Montréal was held scoreless in a 1-0 loss to Orlando. Toronto FC scored the only Canadian goal with a tally by Patrick Mullins scored in the 87th minute after the Reds were down 3-0. Vancouver FC had the most entertaining scoreless battle before losing to Sporting Kansas City in penalty kicks 3-1.

The Reds were without Ayo Akinola, who dominated the scoring in the games leading up to the Round of 16.

Competitive juices aside, as the folks on Whose Line Is It Anyway would say, "the points don't matter." MLS makes the round of 16 so exciting but the ultimate measure, points, weren't involved. Vancouver FC had a beat up team with a goaltender who almost came out of the game without a regular goaltender backup to be found.

All 3 Canadian MLS teams advance to Round of 16 in Orlando

MLS 2020 Orlando tournament preview

ESPN does a fine job with covering MLS but I confess I'm surprised how much I like Fox Sports 1 coverage of the MLS when Canadian teams are involved. The announcers and studio crew were rooting for the story of the Vancouver Whitecaps. They knew Sporting KC was the better team but enjoyed the exploits of the Whitecaps. Vancouver had struggled to find itself on U.S. television before the pandemic. Hopefully, minds were changed.

What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020

2020 MLS preview

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

This might be the final chance to see MLS teams in Canada if only on TV. BMO Field (Toronto FC), Stade Saputo (Montréal Impact), and BC Place (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) won't be able to host their MLS teams after the Canadian teams play each other.

logo credit: MLS
photo credit: Fox Sports 1/MLS

All 3 Canadian MLS teams advance to Round of 16 in Orlando

All of the Canadian teams got to the Round of 16 in the MLS is Back tournament in Orlando. Toronto FC won Group C with a 1-0 record at night and 0-0-2 in the early morning. Montréal Impact came through with its only win over DC United. Vancouver also went 1-2 but needed a 2-goal win, scoring both goals after a weather delay in the second half Thursday morning.

The Montréal Impact will play Orlando City Saturday night at 8 pm on ESPN2. Toronto FC will take on New York City FC on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday at 8:30 pm, getting a reasonable timeslot. The Vancouver Whitecaps will battle Sporting Kansas City in a West Coast friendly timeslot of 11 pm Sunday night on Fox Sports 1.

These games are the only ones that count in the MLS regular season standings. The other games have other incentives.

Win and advance; lose and you can leave the bubble. If the teams advance, the quarterfinals start Thursday.

Toronto FC won Group C thanks to the Montréal win Tuesday night. The Reds let DC United back into the first game, giving up 2 second half goals WHILE being up a man.

The Vancouver Whitecaps lost their first opponent when FC Dallas had to withdraw. The team didn't play a game until July 15 and ended up playing 3 games in 8 days. The Whitecaps had numerous important players who didn't travel to Orlando. The game with San Jose had a couple of goals where the Earthquakes made mental mistakes.

Rob Stone of Fox Sports called the Toronto-Montréal rivalry aka the Canadian Classic "arguably, the best rivalry you don't know about in MLS." "Some people know about it. But more people should know about it," replied Alexi Lalas.

Stone and Lalas were talking about the Canadian Classic since their match ended up in the Fox Sports 1 timeslot.

"We don't do this rivalry series often. But when we do, these teams tend to deliver" — play-by-play John Strong during the Toronto-Montréal match.

Fox Sports on the soccer side is far kinder to Canada than Fox Sports is for MLB.

We blasted (deservedly) the lack of English-language TV coverage on the original schedule. The MLS is Back tournament had more than its share of schedule issues. MLS deserves credit for doing some fine juggling when FC Dallas and Nashville didn't stay in the tournament.

The U.S. networks did supplement their telecasts of the Canadian teams. All but one happened due to movements of games to dates in their windows.

ESPN had Toronto dates with D.C. United and New England on the original calendar.

ESPN picked up the Chicago-Vancouver match (ESPN2 carried the finish) and ESPN2 carried the Montréal-D.C. game. Fox Sports 1 picked up the Montréal-Toronto match and the Seattle-Vancouver game.

The TUDN coverage was decent; the English-language SAP commentary comes through fine. You seem to learn more about what is happening with the ESPN and Fox Sports crews.

MLS 2020 Orlando tournament preview

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

Toronto had some scoring power. Ayo Akinola, 20, (above) had 2 goals in 3 years before the MLS tournament in Orlando. Akinola scored a pair of first-half goals against DC United and a natural hat trick against the Impact. Alejandro Pozuelo had 2 assists against DC United and 3 assists in the first half against Montréal.

Jozy Altidore played briefly in the final game after missing the first 2 games. He wasn't in playing shape.

What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020

MLS plans on a regular season schedule after the Orlando tournament. This will be a significant problem for Toronto FC, Montréal Impact, and Vancouver Whitecaps. The Canadian government decision on the Toronto Blue Jays home schedule would apply to the MLS teams.

The teams could try and pick an alternate home site. Availability might depend on whether the NFL starts on time.

The teams might also have to be based in the United States for the rest of the MLS season.

photo credits: Fox Sports 1 (2); ESPN2 // MLS

MLS 2020 Orlando tournament preview

Editor's note: This story was updated July 21 with Chicago Fire joining Group B and the adjusted schedules.

Major League Soccer returns with a tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Each team will play 3 matches over the course of 16 days. The games will run at 9 am, 8 pm and 10:30 pm EDT.

Toronto FC and the Montréal Impact are in Group C along with New England Revolution and DC United. The Vancouver Whitecaps are in Group B in the Western Conference with fellow Cascadia Cup team Seattle Sounders along with FC Dallas and San Jose Earthquakes. Toronto FC, by being one of the top semifinalists in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, is the top seed in Group C.

The status of Group B is up in the air with the withdrawal of FC Dallas after 10 players and a coach tested positive for COVID-19. Toronto FC arrived later than expected in Orlando; MLS pushed back the debut with a 2-day delay in the first game for the Reds.

The top two teams from each group along with the 4 best third-place finishers will move on to the knockout stage. The tiebreakers in order are: points, goal differential, goals scored, and fewest disciplinary points.

The tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League; the Canadian Championship winner also qualifies. If a Canadian team wins the tournament, the League battle could be all-Canadian.

NHL, MLB, MLS latest sports leagues to suspend their regular season

2020 MLS preview

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

MLS says all games will be televised. Canadian teams weren't scheduled on U.S. television for 2020. Literally took a %$#%$ pandemic for Toronto FC, a 2019 MLS Cup finalist, to be on U.S. television.

ESPN made sure to not carry any Montréal or Vancouver games. ESPN is carrying both Toronto games that don't involve Montréal with ESPN2 carrying the first game due to rescheduling. Fox isn't carrying any of the Canadian teams. TUDN will have the rest of the games in the United States. TUDN is offering an English language version on its Twitter feed. The SAP audio feed should provide English language audio during the game only. TSN has all the games in English in Canada with TVA Sports carrying all the Impact games in French.

Toronto was only scheduled to play an early morning game on July 21. The original July 10 game was moved to the morning on July 12.

The game shifts reminded of the line in Kentucky Fried Movie — "Rams plagued by fumbles as earthquakes rock Los Angeles. Film at 11." The word cluster[bleep] doesn't come close to what is happening. The Group B teams are at a heavy disadvantage with one fewer game; Vancouver is at a bigger disadvantage since the other Group B teams will have game action before the Whitecaps are on the pitch. Toronto FC only has 2 off days in between its first and second games.

MLS should have allowed for more time in between in case of these scenarios. If the Vancouver Whitecaps get a 3rd opponent, we will update this story.

Chicago Fire FC has been added to Group B with the schedules adjusted accordingly. The July 19 game will appear on Fox Sports 1. The July 23 game will appear on ESPN. The July 16 game reportedly will be on Fox Sports 1. ESPN2 has added the July 21 Montréal game.

July 9
8p Montréal vs. New England
10:30p FC Dallas vs. Vancouver FC

July 10
8p Toronto FC vs. D.C. United

July 1312
9a Toronto FC vs. D.C. United

July 15
8p Montréal vs. Toronto FC
9p10:30p Vancouver FC vs. San Jose

July 16
8p Montréal vs. Toronto FC

July 1920
10:30p Seattle FC vs. Vancouver FC

July 21
9a Toronto FC vs. New England
10:30p Montréal vs. D.C. United

July 23
9a Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver FC

Those looking forward to O Canada, even in Orlando, should know that MLS isn't allowing any national anthem before games.

The incentives beyond the 3 games are a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League championship and the $1.1 million prize pool. Only the 3 tournament games count toward regular season points. Toronto FC and Montréal have 4 points with 1-0-1 records while the Vancouver Whitecaps have 3 points with a 1-1-0 record.

The tournament final is August 11. MLS says the regular season will resume at the tournament in local stadiums. Canadian teams won't be able to play at home as long as the 14-day quarantine remains in Canada. This assumes action can resume in local stadiums after the tournament.

logo credit: MLS

What sports will look like on Canadian soil in 2020

The NHL is setting up shop in Toronto and Edmonton as the NHL hub cities, unless they aren't. The Toronto Blue Jays will train at Rogers Centre, though we still don't know how exhibition games or the regular season will work.

Those decisions didn't come easily given Canada's 14-day quarantine. Exceptions were made because the concept of quarantine now includes quarantine as a group.

We don't know whether Toronto will have a MLB/NHL overlap due to the uncertainty of the MLB scenario. The Blue Jays could play in Buffalo where you can see Canada from Sahlen Field in downtown Buffalo. The MLB team wants to avoid Dunedin, the Blue Jays spring training home, due to the huge numbers of COVID-19 cases.

The Canadian MLS teams are playing in Orlando for the next few weeks. If the Blue Jays are allowed to play regular season games in Toronto, Toronto FC, Montréal Impact, and Vancouver Whitecaps might get the same exception. The Blue Jays plan to have the other team in the hotel on the grounds of Rogers Centre. The MLS teams will need their own lodging plans. Hub cities and training are at an easier level than regular season games.

Given that some family members can't reunite between Canada and the United States, having professional athletes cross can seem unfair.

We finally heard from the CFL with speculation about a Hamilton/Burlington hub city concept as well as Winnipeg. IG Field is near the University of Winnipeg so housing the players in dorms would help. We suggested the Maritimes earlier this year. The sites in Moncton, Saint John, and Halifax are around university campuses.

Canadian sports notebook: Toronto and Edmonton still NHL hub city options

If CFL plays in 2020, have all the games in the Maritimes

As we learned in the discussion with the NHL and British Columbia, safety of Canadians is the highest priority. The idea is that fans won't see players in bars and restaurants in Toronto and Edmonton and soccer fans won't see their favourite athletes in Montréal, Vancouver, and Toronto.

If families of NHL players are in the Canadian Rockies, as per Jason Kenney's infamous Edmonton video, they would do so after their player's team has been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the NHL hub setup, each team has about 50 people (players, coaches, etc.). After 3-5 games, ⅓ of those people will leave the bubble. After another 4-7 games, ⅓ of the original total will leave the bubble. If the Blue Jays play regular season games on Canadian soil, there will be a proverbial dance in downtown Toronto as you can see on the above map.

The international NHL focus will be on a pair of Canadian cities. As we've seen on the U.S. side, we rarely see much of the Canadian cities during typical Stanley Cup playoff coverage. The announcers aren't likely to be on site in Toronto and Edmonton. We pretty much felt that NBCSN carried a game involving Edmonton at Toronto where the announcers weren't in Canada. This time, we understand why the announcers would not be in Canada.

The NFL likely won't have a preseason so no chance of a Canadian city hosting a NFL preseason game in 2020.

U Sports has cancelled 6 fall national championships, including the Vanier Cup for football. Minor league hockey is on the shelf until further notice.

The Raptors won't get any home games. 4 of the 6 NHL teams from Canada not from hub cities won't get home games. Even if Toronto and Edmonton will be at home, the players have to be part of the bubble and there will not be fans.

map credit: Google maps

Canadian sports notebook: Toronto and Edmonton still NHL hub city options

#Canucks statement on @NHL hub city bid. pic.twitter.com/qs6v4EOO7w

— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) June 25, 2020

Vancouver honourably withdrew from being a NHL hub city because, well, British Columbia considered the NHL approach on those who tested positive to be unsafe. Gary Bettman doesn't like to be told that he is wrong.

"Our advice and our direction was that if there was a positive case that arose, that we would do what we do with all cases that we have here – that we would investigate and there needed to be a contingency in case there were other people that were identified as ill," B.C. chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. "It might mean suspension of part of a series for a period of time until that could be done."

Toronto and Edmonton on the Canadian side are still in the hunt along with Las Vegas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 4 American markets were the first cuts earlier in the process: Pittsburgh, Dallas, Columbus, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. We originally predicted Edmonton and Las Vegas. As we've learned in the Vancouver situation, we would like Canada to get the NHL hub cities but we also want the people of Canada to be safe.

Now that Canadian cities have the green light from the federal government, Canadian NHL teams can train on Canadian soil.

The low COVID-19 rates and the even lower Canadian dollar give Canada an advantage.

It’s the obvious choice to bring the @NHL to #Edmonton.

We look forward to welcoming the league and players here to Alberta to take in the beautiful province we have to offer. pic.twitter.com/kp0iN86vCP

— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) June 22, 2020

Alberta premier Jason Kenney, already known for propaganda with the Canadian Energy Centre, introduced a video for families of NHL players coming to Edmonton. The video is lovely and full of real places in Alberta, none of which is anywhere near Edmonton. These places are near Calgary, but Calgary has the oldest arena in the NHL not the newest arena.

Edmonton would be a great choice for a NHL hub city, but not for the reasons Kenney unveiled.

Jason Kenney, Alberta United Conservative Party launch Canadian Energy Centre propaganda site

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Alberta pitches NHL hub city without showing Edmonton (CBC News)

The Ottawa Senators went into the NHL draft with a rather good chance at the #1 pick, given that the Sens controlled the #2 best odds (its own pick) and #3 best odds (via San Jose). The Senators fell to the #3 pick (via San Jose) and #5 pick (Ottawa) while a playoff team will get the #1 pick.

Canadian Alexis LaFreniere is the consensus #1 pick. Last season, LaFreniere had 35 goals and 77 assists in 52 games for Rimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Though the 8 playoff losing teams in the opening round get an equal chance, you have to wonder if that pick ends up with a prominent American team (Pittsburgh, Chicago). Theoretically, every Canadian team but Ottawa is eligible if they lose in the qualifying round. Perhaps the lottery was sincere, but the league doesn't have a good reputation. Pittsburgh magically ended up with Sidney Crosby after a NHL lockout. We aren't saying the NHL cheated: we are saying if the league cheated, this is exactly the scenario that would have happened.

If the NHL does not resume playing this season, the bottom 8 teams based on points percentage would be in a lottery for the top pick. Montréal and Winnipeg are the only Canadian teams in this category.

The 2020 NHL draft lottery was originally supposed to be in Montréal.

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Vinsanity has come to an end of his NBA career. Vince Carter finally retired as a NBA player after 22 seasons.

Carter was drafted by Golden State but instantly traded to Toronto for Antawn Jamison in the 1998 NBA draft. He was known as a dunk master and earned the nickname Air Canada. Carter led the Raptors to the team's first-ever playoff appearance in 2000 and first playoff series win in 2001.

Carter won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He later was traded to New Jersey in late 2004. Carter was an All-Star every season when he was with the Raptors.

Carter won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2000. The win included a 360° windmill.

Carter is the first NBA player to appear in 4 different decades in 22 seasons, also a league record. He also played for New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento, and Atlanta.

Vince Carter became a reason for Raptors fans to get excited and made a huge impact on the history and viability of the Toronto Raptors franchise.

The Toronto Raptors have never retired a number. Carter was loved while in Toronto, booed heavily after he was traded, and eventually loved again. #15 in the rafters would look really nice.

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We are still waiting to hear about sports on Canadian soil.

The Toronto Blue Jays are heading back to Toronto. The Blue Jays want to train and play their regular-season games in Toronto. The team has a good chance of training at Rogers Centre. The team would stay in the hotel at Rogers Centre and quarantine in that fashion similar to what the NHL might do in Canada.

The team had been in Dunedin with Florida recording extremely high COVID-19 case numbers lately. Sahlen Field in Buffalo, home of their Triple A team, could enter the mix if the Jays can't play regular season games in Toronto.

The Canadian MLS teams will play in a tournament in Orlando. Then, Toronto FC, Montréal Impact, and the Vancouver Whitecaps would have trouble playing games in their home parks or country. The NBA Toronto Raptors are playing in Orlando.

The CFL had prided itself in modern times for not having a regular season game lost to a strike or lockout. The pandemic has postponed the start of the 2020 CFL season. We aren't even sure of a season at this point.

The CFL might play in September or not at all. James Wilder Jr., who signed with Montréal, couldn't wait any longer and took a job. DaVaris Daniels, who signed with Toronto, has given CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroisie until Friday to announce plans for a 2020 CFL season.

The other leagues have plans that may or may not happen. The CFL has said "September" but otherwise has been vague.

TSN added a new show called CFL2020 running Fridays at 7:30 pm Eastern before the CFL Encore Fridays. For unknown reasons, ESPN+ hasn't picked up CFL programming via TSN during the pandemic.

For those outside Canada, you can find 2019 highlights on YouTube and discuss whether Hamilton would join the other 8 CFL teams in a 21st century championship and who should replace Chris Cuthbert as the #1 play-by-play person on CFL telecasts.

Chris Cuthbert picks Stanley Cup final over TSN, jumps to Rogers Sportsnet

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Rogers Sportsnet did imply there would be more broadcasting changes after the Chris Cuthbert acquisition. We don't want to report a name without an official announcement but there is apparently a new free agent formerly with Rogers with NHL and CFL television experience.

Speaking of Rogers, Rogers Sportsnet One has debuted a new interview series Top of Her Game with Tara Slone. This is a show that is long overdue and Slone is an ideal host. Profiling women in sports needs to be a part of the current sports landscape.

The news release notes some of the early guests: Stephanie McMahon and Charlotte Flair of the WWE; NHL executive vice-president Kim Davis; Waneek Horn-Miller, the first Mohawk woman to compete in the Summer Olympics; Mathea Olin, Canada’s first Pan Am Games surfing medallist; and Chantal Petitclerc, Canada’s most decorated Paralympian.

The series runs on Sundays at 6:30 pm Eastern on Sportsnet One and is also available on Sportsnet Now.

Twitter captures: @canucks; @jkenney
photo credit: CBC News
video credit: YouTube/CFL

NHL, MLB, MLS latest sports leagues to suspend their regular season

The NHL pauses the 2019-20 season. pic.twitter.com/bCi776ZFqX

— NHL (@NHL) March 12, 2020

No one knows exactly when or how the NHL will return. The COVID-19 coronavirus gets to decide when/how professional sports will return. On Thursday, the NHL, MLS, and MLB took action to clear the field and ice to re-evaluate depending on the spread of COVID-19 in North America.

This isn't just about sports. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tested positive for COVID-19 last night. The prime minister remains in isolation.

Some NHL thoughts to note:

• While fans are hopeful for more regular season games, there is virtually no chance that will happen. Having 16 or 18 or 12 teams reduces the impact on markets of non-playoff teams. San Jose and Santa Clara County won't have to worry about the Sharks playing a game.
• Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg would qualify for the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs under the current format. Vancouver would literally lose out on one fewer regulation win vs. Nashville. Elliotte Friedman speculated on a playoff format of adding the teams that were close to making the playoffs. We applaud that idea. Fans of the 1981 Cincinnati Reds would have wanted that as well. Whatever playoff plans are made, the NHL will base them on safety and the need to make money.
• No more regular season games would also mean no NHL Center Ice free preview and no Canadian commercials to feature. Your humble narrator might miss that more than the hockey.
• The NHL looks to be creative in terms of the playoffs and definitely wants to award the Stanley Cup this year.
• The NHL players by comparison don't come in contact with each other as much as the NBA and MLS, for example. The exception is when players fight. Would be nice if fighting stops for awhile when the NHL returns.
• Don't assume the logical dates of the end of the season on April 4 and the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs starting April 8. Arena availability will be a factor for both NBA and NHL teams with their playoffs. If other events such as concerts get postponed, arena availability might open up. The leagues will also have a sense of which teams are in the playoffs and can plan accordingly.
• CBC has had a bit of practice with lockouts on how to program time without the NHL. Some of the online-only programming on CBC Gem could get some TV time. There are a lot of awesome Canadian films to broadcast. The CBC could even bring back The Filmmakers series and rebroadcast the episodes and films. CBC needs to fill Saturdays through April 4 and daily starting April 8.

How COVID-19 is impacting Canadian sports

How Toronto recovered from the SARS impact

Looking back at the impact of The Filmmakers on CBC

NHL the month in preview March 2020

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Statement from Major League Baseball: pic.twitter.com/0bWS5VTRPu

— MLB (@MLB) March 12, 2020

MLB stopping its spring training means an uncertain fate for Opening Day. The earliest possible starting date would be April 9 but don't even write that down in pencil.

The Toronto Blue Jays stay in Dunedin, Florida has come to a close, though players may stay to work out. The traditional trip to Olympic Stadium in Montréal is done. Even with a slim possibility of exhibition games to tune up for the season, a Montréal trip is likely not viable.

Rogers Sportsnet didn't produce any of the previous spring training telecasts, saving a few pennies by carrying the broadcast of the opposing team.

There would seemingly be a MLB Extra Innings free preview with Canadian ads, though the NHL Center Ice preview produces more interesting Canadian commercials.

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Canadian ads from fall 2019 NHL Center Ice free preview

Canadian political ads from fall 2019 NHL Center Ice free preview

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Major League Soccer Suspends Season for 30 Days pic.twitter.com/P0HEPmsnkx

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 12, 2020

2020 MLS preview

The 2020 Major League Soccer season had barely started. Toronto FC and the Montréal Impact are 1-0-1 while the Vancouver Whitecaps are 1-1-0.

The 30-day impact was a bit of a surprise in that soccer is outdoors and better ventilated than basketball and hockey. Then again, soccer players collide often with each other in a way that baseball does not.

The timing will throw off the CTV schedule of early-season games. The CTV debut was scheduled to be tomorrow in Toronto. We will be curious if CTV still carries a significant MLS package when the MLS season resumes.

photo credit: TSN.ca
Twitter captures: @NHL; @MLB; @MLS

2020 MLS preview

Editor's note: MLS announced on March 12 that the schedule will be delayed by 30 days due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Jozy Altidore's only postseason goal came on a header in the 93rd minute for Toronto's lone goal in the 2019 MLS Cup. Alejandro Pozuelo, a key cog in the Reds playoff drive, got the assist on the pass to Altidore. The 2020 MLS season starts on Saturday, about 10 weeks after that game in Seattle.

Toronto FC had a heroic postseason after a solid 2019 season. The other Canadian Major League Soccer (MLS) teams are eager to forget 2019 as well as 2018.

Toronto FC starts its 2020 MLS season in San Jose on Saturday. The Reds open at home March 7 at BMO Field against New York City FC.

The Montréal Impact opens at home on Saturday against New England at Olympic Stadium. The Stade Saputo debut is April 18 against Houston. Vancouver hosts Sporting Kansas City at BC Place on Saturday.

Toronto FC falls 3-1 to Seattle in 2019 MLS Cup

Toronto FC advances to 2019 MLS Cup with 2-1 win in Atlanta

Toronto FC advances to Eastern Conference Final in 2019 MLS playoffs

2019 MLS recap: Toronto FC clinches a home playoff game

Montréal hired Thierry Henry as the team's new coach. The Impact did not bring back interim coach Wilmer Cabrera, who went 2-4-1. Rémi Garde had a 10-13-4 record to start out 2019. The team missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Toronto FC will be without captain Michael Bradley, who suffered a right ankle injury in the 2019 MLS Cup on November 10. The diagnosis of the injury came under fire by teammate Jozy Altidore, who criticized the more than 2-month delay before determining that surgery was needed.

The midfielder signed a new 3-year deal plus a club option in the offseason. The surgery on Bradley was performed in late January and the prognosis is he will be out until June.

The MLS Cup rematch will have the Seattle Sounders against Toronto FC July 18 at BMO Field. TSN will have the game in Canada. There are no plans to carry the game on television in the United States.

This is the first season that the league starts in February (February 29). The final regular season day is October 4.

MLS will now have 26 teams with the addition of Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC. Each club plays 34 games; conference opponents twice and 10 games against the other conference. This is also the first season where a team doesn't play all the other teams.

2019 MLS preview

2018 MLS season wrapup: no Canadian playoff teams

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The U.S. over-the-air window is wider than ever for regular season MLS telecasts (46) on ABC, FOX, Univision, and UniMás. ESPN has 31 matches while Fox Sports 1 has 28 games.

This does not apply to Canadian MLS teams. The 2019 Eastern Conference champions get 0 telecasts on U.S. television.

"ESPN and Fox Sports have to reconsider their MLS TV packages in 2020 to include Toronto FC. They along with MLS should be ashamed at shutting out the Reds, a team in its third MLS Cup in 4 years. ESPN and Fox Sports look rather foolish to blow off Toronto FC from its 2019 regular season schedule. Also, Toronto FC should have all its playoff games on either ESPN or Fox Sports."

I wrote that last fall. They should be ashamed. They aren't. MLS needs to explain to us what Toronto FC and the other Canadian teams need to do to get on U.S. TV. Winning the MLS Cup might not be enough to get on TV.

All games will be available via ESPN+. You are set if you already get the service for CFL, NHL, or some other purpose.

Toronto FC had 4 U.S. TV dates in 2018, the last time a Canadian team got on U.S. television in the regular season.

The TSN MLS schedule will carry all Reds and Whitecaps games as well as select Impact telecasts. TVA Sports will have all the Impact games en Francaise.

CTV will have 8 games, all in the early part of the season. The Canadian OTA network carried 8 games in 2019; 9 games in 2018; and 7 games in 2017.

Here is the CTV schedule, all games on Saturday afternoons:

March 14 Nashville @ Toronto, 4 pm
March 21 Toronto @ Cincinnati, 3 pm
April 4 Toronto @ Columbus, 4 pm
April 18 LA Galaxy @ Toronto, 2 pm
April 25 Toronto @ Miami, 3 pm
May 2 Vancouver @ Toronto, 3 pm
May 9 Toronto @ Sporting KC, 4 pm
May 23 FC Dallas @ Vancouver, 4 pm

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
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

photo credit: Major League Soccer