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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Toronto FC dominated a scoreless first half of the 2019 MLS Cup but 3 straight Seattle Sounders goals brought the cup back to Seattle. The Reds suffered their first MLS playoff loss on U.S. soil.
Jozy Altidore made his postseason debut as a substitute and scored the Reds lone goal on a header in the 93rd minute. Alejandro Pozuelo got the assist on the pass to Altidore.
The first Seattle goal came after a controversial non-call. The ball went off Justin Morrow and into the Toronto goal. You might recall that Morrow's penalty shot that hit off the crossbar gave Seattle the 2016 MLS Cup on penalty shots.
The Sounders had 3 goals in the 2019 version versus 0 in the 2016 and 2017 versions combined.
Toronto FC should be proud of its run as the #4 seed to reach the 2019 MLS Cup. Defeating New York City FC and Atlanta FC on the road was a remarkable feat.
There was speculation that this might be Michael Bradley's last game with Toronto FC. Hopefully, that is not the case.
The mayors had a friendly bet with each other over the 2019 MLS Cup. Toronto Mayor John Tory will wear a Sounders scarf for a full day and light the Toronto sign green on Friday. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan will also get a basket of Toronto-made products along with a record from Toronto-area artists Drake, The Weeknd, and Blue Rodeo.
Durkan had offered a similar deal with albums by area artists, including Brandi Carlile, TacoCat, and Nirvana.
For the third time in 4 years, Toronto and Seattle will battle for the MLS Cup. This time, the destination switches to Seattle. The 2019 MLS Cup will be on November 10 at Century Link Field in Seattle.
Toronto went down early in the 4th minute with a Julian Gressel goal for Atlanta FC. Toronto goalkeeper Quentin Westberg had a dazzling save off a penalty kick in the 11th minute to keep the deficit to 1. Nicolas Benezet scored his first career postseason goal in the 14th minute, a bender from outside the box to the right of the goalie.
The game seemed headed to extra time as the teams struggled to get anything going. Substitute Nick DeLeon scored a very deep goal from the middle of the field outside the box in the 78th minute for the game winner.
Toronto played the comeback card with success on the road. The Reds didn't have a playoff spot in August, rode an undefeated streak (7-0-6) and won gigantic road wins in New York City and Atlanta. Toronto has not since August 3, a 2-0 defeat at the New York Red Bulls.
Toronto won its third playoff game without Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez. The latter was available in Atlanta but didn't get into the game.
Atlanta has won its previous 5 home playoff games, not allowing a goal in its last 405 post-season minutes. The Five Stripes have conceded just a single goal in 6 home playoff games all-time before Toronto's pair of goals last night. Atlanta had won 45 of its first 51 games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Toronto split with Atlanta in the regular season with a 2-0 shutout loss in Atlanta on May 8 and a 3-2 victory at BMO Field on June 26.
Toronto lost 3-2 at Seattle on April 13. Seattle defeated Toronto in the 2016 MLS Cup on penalty kicks while Toronto returned the favour winning the 2017 MLS Cup over the Sounders.
The 2019 MLS Cup will be November 10 at 3 pm Eastern on ABC along with Univision and TUDN in the United States and TSN and TVA Sports in Canada. The game is opposite the CFL playoffs, but the Argonauts aren't in the CFL playoffs.
Toronto has never lost an MLS Cup playoff game outside of Canada.
Toronto will play Seattle in the 2019 MLS Cup at Century Link Field in Seattle. The Sounders pulled off a 3-1 upset over Los Angeles FC in only the 5th home loss at Banc of California Stadium. Raul Ruidiaz scored the final 2 goals for Seattle.
I rarely watch MLS games that don't involve Canadian teams. El Trafico with the first playoff game within Los Angeles lived up to the hype. Los Angeles FC beat the Carson-based rival LA Galaxy for the first time ever and in the playoffs on top of that. The crowd at Banc of California Stadium was loud and into what was happening.
The final four MLS teams were this year's Supporter Shield winner as well as the last 3 MLS Cup winners.
If LAFC had advanced, you would have had the LAFC coach (Bob Bradley) against his son, Toronto captain Michael Bradley.
@TorontoFC have played 2 @MLS playoff games on U.S. soil. Both times the anthem singer sang the old lyrics for #OCanada, Maybe the league needs to send out a memo.
The Atlanta anthem singer used the old version of O Canada. NYPD officer Jason Martinoff sang O Canada but used the older version. What is it with MLS in the United States and singing the wrong version of O Canada.
Let's hope the singer in Seattle gets the memo to use the current O Canada lyrics.
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.
Montréal and Vancouver deserve TV time, but their arguments are a bit more difficult given their lack of playoff games since 2016 for the Impact and 2017 for the Whitecaps.
The Montréal Impact will not bring back interim head coach Wilmer Cabrera. Cabrera joined the Impact on August 21 replacing Rémi Garde, who had a 10-13-4 record. Cabrera went 2-4-1 as Montréal fell from 7th to 9th in the Eastern Conference standings. The team missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
MLS Canadian teams playoffs results
Year
Date
Teams
Winner
Score
2019
November 10
Toronto @ Seattle
TBD
TBD
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 (OT)
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 (OT)
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
Twitter capture: @TorontoFC; @canadian_xing photo credit: Toronto FC
Toronto FC's Alejandro Pozuelo was a force but didn't score a goal in the playoff win over DC United. Pozuelo saved his magic against the team he loves to score against: New York City FC.
Pozuelo scored 3 of the team-leading 12 goals against New York City FC in the regular season and added 2 more in the MLS playoff game last night at Citi Field.
The Reds posted a 2-1 win in the Eastern Conference semifinals over the top Eastern Conference seed.
Pozuelo scored early in the second half in the 47th minute from a header by Maxime Chanot. Ronald Matarrita tackled Richie Laryea in the NYC FC box late in the match. Pozuelo scored on the penalty kick in the 90th minute.
Ismael Tajouri-Shradi tied the game 1-1 for New York City FC in the 69th minute.
Goalkeeper Quentin Westberg had a huge save late in the game.
Toronto FC played once again without forward Jozy Altidore (quad) and and defender Omar Gonzalez (hamstring). Altidore was injured in the regular season finale against Columbus.
NYPD officer Jason Martinoff sang O Canada but used the older version.
Toronto FC had a 1-0-1 advantage over New York City FC in the regular season. The Reds dominated 4-0 at BMO Field on March 29. The teams tied 1-1 September 11 at Yankee Stadium.
Toronto previously defeated the New York City FC 2-0 in Toronto and 5-0 at Yankee Stadium in the run to the 2016 MLS Cup.
While Toronto was 9-4-4 at home, the Reds went 4-6-7 on the road in the regular season. NYCFC went 11-1-5 at home, though at Yankee Stadium.
The uncertainty of the New York Yankees playoff situation forced the match from Yankee Stadium to Citi Field, home of the MLB New York Mets. The club played one other game at Citi Field since entering MLS in 2015. NYCFC played a home game at Citi Field in 2017 because of a conflict with the Yankees postseason run.
The Reds will travel to Atlanta or Philadelphiafor the Eastern Conference final on October 30 at 8 pm Eastern on Fox Sports 1 and TSN. Those teams clash in Atlanta tonight.
Toronto FC looked like the team would coast to a 1-0 win in the match against DC United at BMO Field on Saturday. Marco Delgado's short distance goal off a rebound from a shot by Alejandro Pozuelo in the 32nd minute might have been enough. DC United scored off a corner kick in the 93rd minute to tie the game at 1-1.
The Reds scored 4 goals in the north end in the first extra-time period to seal the fate. Michael Bradley and Nick DeLeon led the ball to Richie Laryea for the ultimate game winner. Toronto-born Jonathan Osorio then scored 2 goals. DeLeon's long-distance shot just went under the crossbar.
Toronto FC played without forward Jozy Altidore (quad) and and defender Omar Gonzalez (hamstring). Altidore was injured in the regular season finale against Columbus.
2019 NBA champion Toronto Raptors centre Marc Gasol delivered the match ball before the opening kickoff.
The match was the final one in the MLS career of Wayne Rooney with DC United. Rooney will got back to his native England to be a player-coach with Championship side Derby County.
Toronto FC got a crappy slot in the first round of the 2019 MLS playoffs. A Noon start at home got switched to a 6 pm start thanks to prodding from Toronto FC president Bill Manning. TSN was a factor since the new start ran against the CFL. The Argos were in Montréal the night before so BMO Field was available.
The opening round playoff win got Toronto FC something Canadian MLS teams can't seem to get: TV coverage on a English-language outlet. Fox Sports 1 got to be the only U.S.-based network to carry a Canadian-based MLS team on television this season.
The opening round game aired only on TUDN. The SAP signal worked out well. Don't know how much reach TUDN has but playoffs should be covered on ESPN and Fox Sports 1, even if that was online only. MLS should offer all the playoff games to a wide U.S. audience; the league also penalised Atlanta FC, but that game aired on Univision and TUDN.
Wikipedia notes that TUDN coverage was slightly more than 1/3 of TV households with approximately 39.7 million households as of 2015.
The match in New York City gave Fox Sports 1 an opportunity to talk about Toronto FC. Analyst Alexi Lalas spent the first half focused on how bad NYC FC was playing as opposed to how well Toronto FC was playing. Lalas shifted a bit giving credit to the Reds once the team got on the scoreboard. Fox Sports 1 will get another shot at Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference Final.
As we noted earlier, Montréal and Vancouver haven't been on U.S. TV since 2017. Toronto had 4 appearances in 2018; 0 in 2019.
MLS Canadian teams playoffs results
Year
Date
Teams
Winner
Score
2019
October 30
Toronto @ Atlanta
TBD
TBD
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 (OT)
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 (OT)
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: Fox Sports 1; Major League Soccer Twitter capture: MLS
