Canadian Crossing

Montreal Impact gets extra telecast on Fox but with a huge catch

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a Vancouver Whitecaps FC U.S. TV date and correct the French-language rights holder to MLS games in Canada.

We complained significantly that the Montréal Impact was shafted by U.S. TV outlets after reaching the Eastern Conference final. Well, Fox is coming to the rescue … in a way.

Sunday's Impact game in Atlanta will be on the Fox network but not in some major cities.

Fox carries the NFL on Sundays but the network is in the second year of an experiment to run MLS soccer on a week where the network only has a single NFL game.

The Montréal-Atlanta FC game will be on some Fox television stations that will carry an early NFL game (1p ET/10a PT). The coverage starts at 5 pm Eastern.

2017 MLS preview

While that sounds simple, there are a few complications. The Fox station in your area may still not carry the game you want.

Fox offers duopolies (more than one station) in a number of markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Orlando, and Charlotte. But they aren't using those Fox stations to carry both MLS games.

For example, Fox owns WFLD-TV and WPWR-TV in Chicago. WFLD-TV has to carry a late NFL game because the hometown Chicago Bears are in the early slot on CBS. As for WPWR-TV, the station is showing reruns.

WFLD-TV is carrying the early soccer game. So the station can't carry the late soccer game featuring the Impact.

This list of major U.S. cities will NOT get the Montréal Impact game. This is not a complete list:

Albuquerque, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle.

No market is designed to get both MLS games. You might be too young to remember the dreaded The Baseball Network concept that covered the 1995 MLB playoffs. In that scenario, viewers at home could only see the 1995 American League Championship Series or the National League Championship Series, but not both. The networks decided which part of the country would see which game.

The other great solution would be to run the soccer game on an alternate digital channel. Sadly, WFLD-TV is the only O&O network station in Chicago that doesn't have an alternate digital feed of any kind.

Unlike the nightmare that was The Baseball Network, the game is available on Fox Deportes if you have that cable channel. I don't know if there is a SAP signal for English speakers or whether Fox Deportes would offer one. Fox Sports Go will stream both soccer games but that isn't the same as showing the game on television.

Canadians who timeshift can pull up a Fox affiliate that would be eligible to carry that game. Americans don't have the ability to timeshift to pick up an alternate Fox feed.

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

Fox Sports 1 is carrying drag racing instead of soccer. Fox Sports 2 does technically exist but I don't know anyone who has that channel.

If I had a choice between TVA Sports RDS and Fox Deportes, French vs. Spanish, I would definitely choose TVA Sports RDS to get more Montréal Impact soccer. If I can watch the CFL on RDS, watching the Impact in French on RDS would be just fine.

Seeing the game in Spanish, or even French, is better than nothing. But driving interest in MLS, especially an exciting team such as the Montréal Impact, requires a better-laid plan.

The Impact got some badly needed momentum with a 5-3 win over Toronto FC Wednesday night, snapping a 4-match losing streak. Montréal is 3 points out of a playoff spot in the East. The Impact team is 11-12-6 for 39 points.

Before Wednesday, Toronto FC had an 11-game unbeaten run, 6-game winning streak, and were undefeated at home. Still, Toronto FC is having an explosive season. The Reds have the best record in MLS and have clinched a playoff spot. The mark currently stands at 18-4-8 for 62 points.

In the West, the Vancouver Whitecaps are in 1st place with a 13-9-6 record for 45 points. The Whitecaps are still sitting on a lone appearance on U.S. television so far. Let's see if that changes. (The Whitecaps will be on UniMas October 7 at the New York Red Bulls. Better than nothing.)

photos credit: MLS; Montréal Impact/MLS

2017 MLS preview

2017 Canadian MLS teams U.S. TV schedule

Date	Game	Time	U.S. TV
March 31	Sporting Kansas City @ Toronto FC	7:30p	FS1
May 6	Toronto FC @ Seattle	4p	ESPN
July 23	Portland @ Vancouver	6p	FS1
July 30	NYC FC @ Toronto FC	2p	ESPN
August 27	Toronto FC @ Montréal	4:30p	ESPN
All times Eastern.

You might remember that the 2016 MLS season was rather successful for Canadian-based teams in the East. But you wouldn't know that from the U.S. TV schedule for the 2017 MLS season.

Toronto FC narrowly lost the 2016 MLS Cup. The Reds had 5 appearances, one of those being a late-season addition with the game against Montréal. As a reward for making the MLS Cup and coming thisclose to winning it all, Toronto FC has 4 appearances, one against Montréal. Sad.

Montréal Impact made the final 4 and might have been the most exciting team in the MLS playoffs. The Impact had 3 scheduled appearances. The team lost a telecast but gained one back against Toronto FC. As a reward for making the final 4, the Impact have 1 telecast in 2017 and that is against Toronto FC. Mindblowing.

Vancouver Whitecaps finished 8th in the Western Conference, 7 points out of a playoff spot. Like the Impact, the Whitecaps went from 3 telecasts to 1.

Univison and UniMas still has a national contract in Espanol but no Canadian teams are on their schedules.

Toronto FC loses 2016 MLS Cup on penalty kicks

Toronto FC Reds 2016 MLS Cup preview

Toronto FC advances to 2016 MLS Cup

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

I get that the teams are Canadian and that even if Toronto FC had beaten Seattle, the Sounders are more popular. Hopefully, the MLS will add late-season games featuring Canadian teams, especially if they are doing well.

Americans who have access to CTV, and we know there aren't that many of you, will be able to see some early season MLS telecasts.

2017 Canadian MLS teams on CTV

Date	Game	Time
March 18	Toronto FC @ Vancouver	4p
April 1	Montréal @ Chicago	3p
April 15	Atlanta @ Montréal	1p
April 22	Vancouver @ Portland	4p
April 29	Vancouver @ Montréal	3p
May 6	Toronto FC @ Seattle	4p
May 13	Minnesota @ Toronto FC	3p
All times Eastern.

CTV has more games with Canadian teams than ESPN and Fox Sports 1 and the CTV schedule stops on May 13. The CTV games have 3 appearances for each Canadian team. The only duplicate with the U.S. schedule is the 2016 MLS Cup rematch in Seattle.

TSN will carry the rest of the Toronto FC and Vancouver games and 9 Montréal Impact games. TVA Sports takes over the French-language rights and will have all the Impact games en Francaise.

Toronto FC starts on the road for the first 3 games. The home opener is March 31 against Sporting Kansas City at BMO Field on Fox Sports 1. Montréal opens on the road and then plays its only game at Olympic Stadium on March 11. The outdoor home opener at Stade Saputo is April 15. Vancouver opens its home season at B.C. Place on March 5.

photos credit: Major League Soccer

Toronto FC loses 2016 MLS Cup on penalty kicks

Toronto FC had its chances in the 2016 MLS Cup. The Reds had 7 shots on goal in the game to 0 for the Seattle Sounders. Former Toronto FC goalie Stefan Frei had 7 saves, including what will be described as "the save" in extra time on a Jozy Altidore header.

The difference between the teams became a penalty kick that went off the crossbar. The Seattle Sounders won the 2016 MLS Cup 5-4 on penalty kicks.

Toronto FC scored 17 playoff goals in 5 games — a MLS playoff record — yet scoring last night proved a difficult task. Altidore scored in every playoff game except the MLS Cup. Sebastian Giovinco scored a hat trick in Leg 2 against New York City FC but didn't score a single goal in the rest of the playoffs.

Giovinco came out late in the game, replaced by Tosaint Ricketts. Both teams missed a single kick in the first 5 rounds. Seattle won the game in the 6th round.

The teams managed to be the first MLS Cup participants to go scoreless in 120 minutes. The MLS Cup in 2006, 2009, and 2013 also went to penalty kicks.

Toronto FC penalty kicks

Player	Result
Jozy Altidore	scored
Michael Bradley	saved
Benoit Cheyrou	scored
Will Johnson	scored
Drew Moor	scored
Justin Morrow	missed

Frei's best save came in the 108th minute. Ricketts drove down and passed the ball to Altidore. All Altidore could get on the header was a soft touch. The shot was almost high enough but Frei deflected the shot.

Altidore led the Reds with 3 shots on goal in regulation; Moor, Cheyrou, Ricketts, and Jonathan Osorio each had a shot on goal.

The 2016 MLS Cup forced Fox to do something the network doesn't like doing: broadcasting the Canadian national anthem. We have slammed Fox every year for refusing to show O Canada during the All-Star Game. Fox hasn't broadcast any Toronto Blue Jays playoff games.

Jennifer Strype did a lovely job in starting out O Canada before letting the crowd sing loud and strong.

We know that different standards are assigned to sports, so the soccer folks have no issue with airing the anthem while the baseball folks are scared to show O Canada. But the baseball folks should know that O Canada can sound good. Maybe the soccer folks have more respect for Canada than the baseball folks.

"It's been 23 years since the city of Toronto last claimed a major sporting title: the Blue Jays winning the World Series." — Rob Stone

Fox Sports 1 on Friday and Fox on Saturday spent the pregames reminded the folks about the drought, but as it applies to a "major" sporting title.

We've heard this argument during the MLB and NBA playoffs that the CFL does not count. Most Torontoians would likely nod in agreement on that statement. Hearing that in the context of MLS in the United States is a bit of a surprise. This was the first MLS Cup on English-language OTA television since 2008. Does MLS count as major?

That fact that both the Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC play at BMO Field makes for obvious comparisons. Leg 2 of the Eastern Conference final and the MLS Cup outdrew the Grey Cup, though the Argos didn't play in the Grey Cup. The Reds outdrew the Argos in the regular season by a considerable margin. The attendance at the 2016 MLS Cup was an impressive 36,045, slightly better than Leg 2 against the Montréal Impact.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The Toronto Argonauts have won 4 Grey Cups since Joe Carter's walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series. Doug Flutie guided the Argos in 1996 and 1997. The team also won the Grey Cups in 2004 and the 100th Grey Cup in 2012 at Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays have been to the playoffs twice, the last 2 years getting to the American League Championship Series. 2016 was only the second year where the Toronto Raptors won a playoff series.

The Maple Leafs have 9 playoff series wins. 6 of those series wins happened in the 3 years where Toronto lost in the conference finals in 1994, 1999, and 2002. The Leafs last playoff series win was in 2004 and have only won 3 playoff games since then.

Things are getting better for Toronto teams, but the drought is a stubborn one. Perhaps Toronto should start appreciating the Argos titles because the CFL team has been the only consistent winner in the city in over a generation.

Toronto FC Reds 2016 MLS Cup preview

Toronto FC advances to 2016 MLS Cup

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

If you are a casual soccer fan but a huge hockey fan, you had to recoil a bit about having a championship decided by penalty kicks. The Stanley Cup doesn't get decided by penalty kicks.

There was an honour in the way Montréal and Toronto FC played in extra time in Leg 2 where both teams didn't seem to want penalty kicks.

Perhaps MLS could take away a couple of players from each team and make them play sudden death. The teams knew that penalty kicks would decide the championship. Toronto had more chances but none nearly as good as what the Reds had in previous playoff games. The game was incredibly boring as Seattle played to lose as opposed to win. 

All this would be just as true if Toronto FC had won the 2016 MLS Cup.

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
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

 

photos credit: MLS/Fox

Toronto FC Reds 2016 MLS Cup preview

Toronto FC will have the home field to be the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup. The Reds can do so at BMO Field against the Seattle Sounders, a team that has never won the MLS Cup. The 2016 MLS Cup will be Saturday at 8 pm Eastern.

TSN 1/3/4/5 and RDS will handle the telecast in Canada. Fox and UniMas will call the action in the United States. Canadians could access the Fox feed, especially for those that can pick up U.S. OTA signals.

Managed to convince @FS1 to let me give some Canadian history on tonight's MLS pregame show. Tune in and about 🇨🇦 eh? #TORvMTL #MLS pic.twitter.com/lB4AS5bme1

— Julie Stewart-Binks (@JSB_FOX) November 30, 2016

Fox Sports 1 top sideline reporter Julie Stewart-Binks is Canadian, so she was the perfect choice to provide a Canadian history lesson during the pregame of Leg 2 in Toronto.

Stewart-Binks, a Toronto native, gave us 5 examples to highlight the contrasts between Canada's largest cities. "It's not just about sports, it's about history, politics, culture, and it stems from a long-running divide between English- and French-speaking Canada."

• The history lesson started with the Seven Years War and more specifically, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The war, which ran from 1756-1763, was won by Great Britain "leading to the control of colonial Canada but they allowed Quebec to retain its French language and culture."
• Quebec Sovereignty Movement, which sparked "2 referendums in the last 30 years." While you might think that is more about Quebec versus Ontario/Canada, Montréal is likely the reason the 1995 referendum failed. One point of order: the 1980 referendum was 36 years ago, which is more than 30 years. "2 referendums in the last 40 years" is correct.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montréal Canadiens first meeting was in 1917. Stewart-Binks had a nice Quebecois accent when she said "Les Habitants."
• The Toronto Blue Jays vs. Montréal Expos playing for the Pearson Cup. Stewart-Binks noted that the Blue Jays voted to approve the Expos departure from Montréal. In Pearson Cup contests, the teams went 3-3-2 in exhibitions games from 1978-1986 and 6-6 in regular season games in 2003-2004. However, the Blue Jays had a 24-19 advantage in regular season games from 1997-2004.
• Montréal defeated Toronto 3-0 in the MLS knockout round last season.

Stewart-Binks contrasted the "old guard in Montréal versus nouveau-riche in Toronto." Rob Stone and Alexi Lalas were blown away by the noveau-riche reference. I thought the French reference for Toronto was clever.

Stone asked Stewart-Binks who she thought was the greatest band to come out of Toronto. Stewart-Binks smartly steered the conversation back to Canadian bands and artists in general. She mentioned Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette, Rush, and Neil Young. You can certainly put Barenaked Ladies and Rush in the GTA. Neil Young's childhood is a mixture that includes Toronto and Winnipeg. Morissette is from Ottawa.

Toronto FC advances to 2016 MLS Cup

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

Toronto and Seattle only played once in 2016, a 1-1 tie on July 2 at BMO Field. Toronto FC didn't have Jozy Altidore or Michael Bradley for that game.

Both teams had major struggles during the season. The Sounders replaced their only ever manager Sigi Schmid with Brian Schmetzer. The Sounders finished at .500 with a comeback under Schmetzer at 14-14-6 and a +1 goal differential..   

Then again, both teams have played well in the playoffs. 

The Reds have had a distinct disadvantage against the Sounders, going 2-7-2 overall and 1-3-1 in Toronto. The Sounders have consistently been a playoff team every year in MLS while this is Toronto's 2nd postseason run.

Seattle edged Sporting Kansas City 1-0 in the knockout round. The Sounders won 3-0 over FC Dallas in Leg 1 but lost 2-1 in Leg 2 in the conference semifinals. Seattle swept Colorado 2-1 and 1-0 to win the Western Conference title.

Each team has lost once in the playoffs. Seattle had a much easier time dispensing of Colorado. But will Toronto have the edge in having to work harder to outlast Montréal?

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Sebastian Giovinco came out of Leg 2 at an awkward time. Often when soccer players fall to the ground, they magically get up soon after the fall. Giovinco was suffering from cramping. He should be fine for the MLS Cup.

Benoit Cheyrou, Giovinco's replacement, scored the first goal in extra time, so that worked out for the Reds.

Jozy Altidore has scored 5 goals and 4 assists in the playoffs. Altidore set the record for scoring in 5 straight playoff games.

Giovinco has 4 postseason goals but 0 against the Impact. Captain Michael Bradley only has a single postseason goal.

Jonathan Osorio and Tosaint Ricketts have 2 goals. Armando Cooper, Nick Hagglund, and Cheyrou added their first postseason goals to clinch the Eastern title.

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
2016	December 10	Seattle @ Toronto FC	TBD	TBD
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

 

Leslie Jones had love for Toronto coach Greg Vanney and Toronto FC. But her love has shifted to the Seattle Sounders. Jones has shown her love for the Sounders on Twitter and on Saturday Night Live over the weekend where she was wearing a Seattle Sounders jersey at the end of the show.

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The 2 Canadian MLS teams in the Eastern Conference were a strong draw in the conference final. TSN drew 862,000 while RDS had 519,000 viewers for Leg 2, according to Numeris. TSN says the game's average audience was 35% higher than the previous record, which was Leg 1 of the series.

In the States, Leg 1 on ESPN drew 415,000. Leg 2 on Fox Sports 1 drew 223,000. That might be a factor of the difference in the U.S. outlets.

The fog and rain in Toronto added drama and ambiance to Leg 2. No matter which team you were rooting for, the conditions looked cool on television.

Fox Sports 1 will air a MLS Cup preview program Friday at 10 pm Eastern. Fox will run a 30-minute pregame at 7:30 pm Saturday.

TSN 1/3/4/5 will run a 1-hour pregame Saturday night at 7 pm Eastern.

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photo credit: MLS/Fox Sports 1

Toronto FC advances to 2016 MLS Cup

Toronto FC scored a pair of goals in less than 2 minutes in the first extended time period to win 7-5 in aggregate and 5-2 over the Montréal Impact. The Reds will host the Seattle Sounders for the 2016 MLS Cup on December 10.

The Impact had a 1-goal advantage coming into Leg 2 at BMO Field. The Reds had a 2-goal advantage in the away goals tiebreaker. The 3-2 Toronto win in regulation negated all of that, forcing the extra periods.

Benoit Cheyrou and Tosaint Ricketts scored in extra time. Jozy Altidore, who set a record by scoring in his 5th straight playoff game, assisted on the Ricketts goal.

Dominic Oduro scored the first goal for the Impact in the 24th minute. Armando Cooper and Altidore countered for Toronto in the first half.

Montréal's Ignacio Piatti tied the game at 2 in the 53rd minute. Nick Hagglund gave Toronto the 3-2 lead with a header in the 68th minute.

Toronto's Sebastian Giovinco came off the field in extra time with an injury to his right leg.

The 2 games combined for 97,004 fans: 61,004 on November 22 opener at Olympic Stadium and 36,000 tonight in the pouring rain at BMO Field.

We'll have a more extensive preview next week.

photos credit: Chris Young/The Canadian Press // MLS/ESPN

All-Canadian 2016 MLS Eastern Conference final preview

The olympic barometer on this cold Friday night. Let's reach 100%! #IMFC #TousPourLaCoupe pic.twitter.com/5prDJjni6m

— Impact de Montréal (@impactmontreal) November 11, 2016

A raucous crowd at Olympic Stadium in Montréal should make for a nice visual as the 2016 MLS East final opens tonight at La Belle Province.

Leg 1 starts at 8 pm Eastern tonight with coverage on ESPN, TSN1/TSN3, and RDS. Leg 2 from BMO Field is November 30 at 7 pm Eastern on Fox Sports 1, TSN1,3,4, or 5, and RDS.

The barometer up the tower at Olympic Stadium measured the ticket sales in relation to the 60,000 capacity for the match. The Impact should be close to that 60,000 number by the start.

Thanks to the Grey Cup and Heritage Classic, Toronto FC gets an extra 6,000 seats to sell in the south end for Leg 2 at BMO Field. The Reds are expected to fill those extra seats.

The teams split their season series. Each team won in the other stadium (April 23 in Montréal and August 27 in Toronto) and had a 2-2 draw at Stade Saputo on October 16 that was featured on ESPN. Toronto FC had a 4-3 edge in goals in the matches. The teams faced each other last season in the knockout round where the Impact won 3-0 at home.

Ignacio Piatti scored all 3 goals for the Impact. Sebastian Giovinco had 2 goals for Toronto while Jozy Altidore and Tosaint Ricketts added goals in the draw in October.

The Reds are 6-4-4 lifetime in the regular season against the Impact.

MLS Eastern Conference final is all-Canadian

2016 MLS playoffs: Toronto, Montreal get home dates on Sunday

2016 MLS playoffs preview

ESPN to show all-Canadian MLS regular season game

The same format applies where road goals are the tiebreakers. Toronto FC scored 4 road goals in the regular season compared to 1 for Montréal, though the Impact had 2 home dates. The Reds have surrendered 1 road goal in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Union. Montréal has not surrendered a road goal in the playoffs though the Impact have had only a single home date.

Toronto FC has been the more proficient goal scoring team in the playoffs. The Reds have a 10-1 goal differential while the Impact has a 7-3 goal differential.

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
2016	November 30	Montréal @ Toronto FC	TBD	TBD
2016	November 22	Toronto FC @ Montréal	TBD	TBD
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

 

BMO Field is the only possible Canadian destination for the MLS Cup. Montréal would hit the road whether Colorado or Seattle wins in the West. Toronto would host Seattle but travel to Colorado.

The MLS Cup will be on December 10 either in Toronto, Seattle, or Commerce City, Colorado. For the first time, Fox will carry the MLS Cup.

The Toronto stadium was the home of the 2016 Grey Cup and the 2010 MLS Cup back when the league used a neutral field. Colorado won the 2010 MLS Cup at BMO Field.

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tweet credit: @ImpactMontreal
photo credit: USA Today Sports

BMO Field in perspective before the 2016 Grey Cup

The Grey Cup is once again in Toronto thanks to the deal that ultimately brought the Toronto Argonauts to BMO Field. Even if you have been to the stadium before, the changes bring a new perspective to the seats. So we thought we would take you on a guide through pictures and words about the home of the 2016 Grey Cup on Sunday.

BMO Field has been at Exhibition Place since 2007 with the arrival of the Toronto FC Reds into the Major League Soccer world. I first noticed the stadium in person while enjoying the air show from Hanlan's Point on Labour Day weekend in 2008. I first remember making a note of the complete stadium on TV in the 2010 MLS Cup championship game.

The cool point on BMO Field 1.0 was being able to see the CN Tower from the west side stands. In BMO Field 2.0, you can squint to see part of the tower in between the top of the stands and the lights. The upper deck was one of many renovations that guided the transition to increase capacity and allow the CFL Toronto Argonauts to play on the site.

So here is an in-person impression of BMO Field 2.0.

Mike Babcock will coach the Maple Leafs; CFL Argos get new owner

View from the seats

I bought a south end zone seat as part of a promotion but sat in the upper deck on the west side facing east. I picked that side because the views were better; there is an extra deck on the east side, making the upper deck higher up on that side.

If you sit on the east side, the sidelines are closest to you. You can't see much of Lake Ontario from the seats; the lake is further away from the stadium than I originally fathomed. You likely can see the lake better from the west side.

Unlike BMO Field 1.0, you are protected from the rain, even in the south end zone, but wind is a very different story, especially with a late fall breeze off the lake.

The sightlines were really nice, much better than some other CFL stadiums. Even up high, there is an intimacy at the facility.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

CFL stadiums are noteworthy for not usually having end zone seats. The view I saw from my intended seat, though brief, seemed fine though if the action is in the other end zone, you watch the game off a huge scoreboard video screen.

The lack of seats in the north end zone area actually builds a better view. This standing area reminds you a bit like the similar area at Tim Hortons Field. The CFL may be adding seats to that section for the Grey Cup and Centennial Classic, but if you go to a regular season game, you can see that for yourself.

The BMO Field experience

Unless you take the GO Train to the game, you will walk a considerable distance. But watching BMO Field get larger as you walk toward the stadium is a pretty cool experience. For all that the locals made about walking through the fairgrounds, the walk to Taylor Field in Regina felt farther. More on how to get there in the next section.

Walking around the entire structure is pretty easy. Accessing concessions and bathrooms was pretty easy for a football stadium.

The seats reminded me of the north side seats at TD Place in Ottawa but with a more intimate experience. The seating arrangement was rather straightforward where you feel like you can hang out with your fellow fans in the stands.

Knowing how Argos fans and Bills fans complained about the lack of opportunities to tailgate, I looked to see how well the tailgating went. There was a small gathering but you also have to realize that CFL tailgating isn't like college football in the States or outside the baseball ballpark in Milwaukee. CFL tailgating is a bit more subdued. I saw people buying cheaper beer and enjoying food trucks. Works for me!

Getting to BMO Field

You can access Exhibition Place with the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcars, In my trip, the streetcars weren't allowed to go all the way so we took a bus shuttle to complete the trip. The 29 Dufferin bus is an option but only to the Dufferin Gate Loop northwest of the stadium. The 193 Exhibition Rocket runs during the CNE but to the same spot.

The 514 Cherry streetcar runs down King Street from the Distillery Loop to the Dufferin Gate Loop. This is a relatively new streetcar this year. I tried taking the 514 Cherry to BMO Field but got kicked out at Bathurst since the streetcar wasn't finishing the complete route.

The 509 and 511 normally end up at the Princes' Gates, sometimes mistaken as Princess Gates. The walk is not far to the stadium, but perhaps longer than you might have thought.

Your best bet is the GO Train that drops you off at the Exhibition stop. The stop is north of the stadium and the walk is much shorter. I took the GO Train on the way back; even after the game, the crowds weren't too bad.

Overview

I've been to a few Argos games at Rogers Centre. You can easily forget about the game on the field in that place. Most circular stadiums are better for football than baseball, but Rogers Centre, especially on the lower deck, didn't make the fans feel part of the game. A larger crowd would have helped but the game didn't grab you the way it does at BMO Field.

Coming out of Rogers Centre knowing you can walk easily to major areas of downtown is an advantage before and after the game. Once the construction ends, the trip to BMO Field will be better.

Most football fans will trade a better field experience over inconvenience to come and go. Either way, you are still in a world-class city once the game is done.

photos credit: me

MLS Eastern Conference final is all-Canadian

Toronto. Montréal. A chance to go to the finals. NHL? Not likely with the new format. Toronto and Montréal will play to reach the MLS Cup thanks to convincing victories.

Both teams had the advantage going into Leg 2 since neither Canadian team surrendered a goal in Canada.

Toronto FC had a 2-goal advantage going into the game with NYCFC at Yankee Stadium. The Reds added 5 more goals in the Bronx for an overall 7-0 aggregate score. Sebastian Giovinco had a hat trick in Leg 2; Jozy Altidore and Jonathan Osorio added goals in the game. Altidore and Tosaint Ricketts added late goals in Leg 1 at BMO Field.

The hat trick was only the 4th in MLS playoff history.

This was the first road playoff victory for Toronto FC: what a way and time to get that win.

The Montréal Impact won 1-0 and 2-1 to pull off the upset against the top-seed New York Red Bulls. Ignacio Piatti scored both goals for the Impact in New Jersey. Matteo Mancosu scored the lone goal at Stade Saputo.

Didier Drogba did play for Montréal in Leg 2 and even had an assist on one of the Piatti goals. The Impact proved the team can win without Drogba but was nice to have him back on the sideline.

The teams get to rest a bit before the Eastern Conference finals. Leg 1 will take place on November 22 at Olympic Stadium in Montréal with Leg 2 at BMO Field on November 30. The second leg will happen 3 days after the Grey Cup.

We will have an extensive preview on November 22 here at CanadianCrossing.com.

2016 MLS playoffs: Toronto, Montreal get home dates on Sunday

2016 MLS playoffs preview

ESPN to show all-Canadian MLS regular season game

Toronto FC showed great control, especially in the face of 5 yellow cards for NYCFC in Toronto. NYCFC captain David Villa should have been suspended for Leg 2 after kicking Toronto FC midfielder Armando Cooper in the back of the leg. The MLS Disciplinary Committee unanimously concluded this was a red card offense but also requires an unanimous decision on whether the offense was egregious or reckless nature so that they need to protect player safety. Such is MLS logic.

.@Lesdoggg we heard you were a big fan of our head coach.

See you on Sunday in New York? pic.twitter.com/Iwql6j961T

— Toronto FC (@torontofc) October 31, 2016

Leslie Jones of Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters fame is a relatively new MLS fan and her focus is on Toronto FC and its coach Greg Vanney. Based on an extensive Twitter stream from Jones during Leg 1, the team invited the actress to the game at Yankee Stadium with a Vanney jersey and team scarf.

Given this is election season, Jones might not have been able to take advantage. But her schedule should be a lot better for the Eastern Conference final games.

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Toronto Mayor John Tory collected on his bet with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The mayors wagered a 12 pack of Brooklyn Lager vs. a 12 pack of Amsterdam Beer. We don't know if there was a bet between Montréal and Harrison, New Jersey.

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The Montréal Impact game in New Jersey started on ESPN2 with an overrun for the Western semifinal. ESPN picked up the coverage in the 26th minute and didn't miss a goal.

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photos credit: MLS/ESPN/Fox Sports 1; Twitter/TorontoFC

2016 MLS playoffs: Toronto, Montreal get home dates on Sunday

2016 MLS Canadian teams playoff schedule
Date	Home	Road	Time	U.S. TV
October 26	Toronto FC	Philadelphia	3-1	ESPN 2, UniMas
October 27	D.C. United	Montréal	4-2	UniMas
October 30	Montréal	New York Red Bulls	3p	ESPN
October 30	Toronto FC	NYCFC	7p	Fox Sports 1
November 6	NYCFC	Toronto FC	4p	ESPN
November 6	New York Red Bulls	Montréal	6:30p	Fox Sports 1

 

Toronto FC and the Montréal Impact got off to successful starts in the knockout round and Canada will have a pair of teams in the 2016 Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Reds took care of the Philadelphia Union 3-1 at BMO Field on Wednesday. The Impact scored the first 4 goals and held on for a 4-2 win at RFK Stadium on Thursday.

Leg 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs will be on Canadian soil tomorrow. Leg 2 will be in the New York City metropolitan area on November 6.

Sebastian Giovinco scored a goal and set up the other 2 goals for the Reds. Jonathan Osorio and Jozy Altidore also supplied goals for Toronto FC.

While Toronto FC has a pair of MLS playoff games, NYCFC has never played a MLS playoff game since coming into the league in 2015. Both of the Reds playoff games have happened since NYCFC entered the league. The Reds finished a point behind NYCFC in the regular season.

The teams played to a 2-2 tie March 13 at Yankee Stadium in a game that aired on ESPN2. There was also a 1-1 tie May 18 at BMO Field.

Winning a knockout game on the road is a very big deal. The Montréal Impact victory in Washington was only the 3rd road victory since the MLS went to the knockout round in 2011. In the initial year, the New York Red Bulls edged out FC Dallas. In 2012, Houston upset the Chicago Fire.

The Impact easily took momentum from the sparse RFK Stadium crowd with a Lauren Ciman goal in the 4th minute. Matteo Mancosu scored the next 2 goals. Mancosu set up the final goal scored by Ignacio Piatti.

The 2 goals that got by the Impact were on or after the 90th minute.

Didier Drogba did not play but was at RFK Stadium. His back might be an issue in the next 2 games but the Impact has proven the team can win without him in the lineup.

Montréal won 3-0 at Stade Saputo on March 12 but lost 3-1 to the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey on August 13.

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The tiebreakers encourage even more than usual to not allow goals on home soil. If the teams are tied in goals after the 2 games, the number of road goals is the first tiebreaker. Better for Toronto FC and Montréal to win 2-0 than 4-2 on Sunday.

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The Toronto Argonauts won't interfere in the use of BMO Field for the MLS playoffs. The Argos have a bye this week and finish in Edmonton next week.

Montréal sports fans who were hoping to catch the Alouettes in the early afternoon and Impact in the late afternoon will have to make a choice. The Alouettes start at 1 pm while the Impact begin at 3 pm. The Als play north of downtown at McGill University while the Impact play at Stade Saputo on the east side of the city.

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The Impact game will be one of those rare moments where Americans will have an easier time watching a Canadian team. TSN is in overload, so the start of the game won't be on television in Canada. The game is available on TSN GO. TSN1/TSN4 will join the soccer match in progress after the Calgary-Montréal CFL game. TSN1 and TSN4 will also be the only options for the Toronto game, though they will carry that game from the start.

Canadians can tune into RDS for the Impact game and pick up a little French.

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The Impact game Thursday night wasn't available in English. I couldn't get the secondary audio feed to work on the UniMas feed, though it may not have been available. I don't have an issue with Spanish in the studio segments and commercials but English would have been a nice option. The RDS feed wouldn't have been that much easier for me to follow but would have been more interesting.

At least the game was on TV.

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The Leg 2 schedule has not been set. Check back on this story and we will update the times and U.S. networks on the MLS playoffs schedule.

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photos credit: MLS/ESPN2; MLS/UniMas

2016 MLS playoffs preview

Date	Game	Time	U.S. TV	Canada TV
October 26	Philadelphia @ Toronto FC	7:30p	ESPN2, UniMas	TSN2
October 27	Montréal @ Houston	7:30p	UniMas	TSN 1/5, RDS2

Toronto FC and the Montréal Impact both play in the knockout round of the 2016 MLS playoffs. Unlike last year, the teams won't play each other.

The Reds host the Philadelphia Union at BMO Field. The Impact travel to RFK Stadium to play D.C. United. This is the first home playoff game for Toronto FC and only the second MLS postseason game at BMO Field, the first since the 2010 MLS Cup.

ESPN2 will show the Reds Wednesday night. UniMas will show both games. To watch the Impact with the English language feed, you need to convert your SAP options so that English is the secondary language. Hopefully Canadian fans have all the TSN channels.

ESPN to show all-Canadian MLS regular season game

2016 MLS season preview

2015 MLS Playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com soccer coverage

Toronto FC finished 3rd with a 14-9-11 record for 53 points. Montréal finished 5th with a 11-11-12 record for 45 points.

The Reds went 1-0-1 against Philadelphia in the regular season. Toronto FC won 3-1 on August 20 in Philadelphia and played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on September 24. The Reds have a 8-3-6 record at BMO Field.

The Impact played a pair of 1-1 draws against D.C. United: July 31 at RFK Stadium and August 24 at Stade Saputo. Montréal has a 4-6-7 record away from La Belle Province.

A Toronto win means a home-and-home with NYCFC in the next round. A Montréal win would give the Impact a home-and-home with the New York Red Bulls if the Reds win and a date with NYCFC if Toronto FC loses.

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"If this part scares you, then you're in the wrong business." -- Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley

The Reds have a longer path to the MLS Cup than might have been thought earlier in the season. The win over Chicago was the first for Toronto FC at BMO Field since August 6, going 0-2-3 in the home streak. Toronto went over a month without a win, going 0-1-4 in the previous 5 games. If the Reds had converted one of those ties into a win, Toronto FC would have had a bye; if 2 of those ties had become wins, the team would have been tied with the New York Red Bulls for the top spot.

This is the part where we say that Portland finished 3rd last year and won the MLS Cup. Toronto FC has great potential to be that hot team in the MLS playoffs.

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Didier Drogba may not play for the Montréal Impact on Thursday. Drogba was fined by MLS after refusing to come off the bench in the match against Toronto FC. He did not play in Foxborough, MA last week citing his back and the artificial turf.

The Impact need to tune him out and not let him be a distraction. Drogba scored 10 goals in the 22 games he played, but the Impact had a better record in games he missed (6-3-3) versus the games where he played (5-8-9). 

Montréal has played 2-2-4 since September.  The players who were rested last week against New England are ready to go, even with Drogba.

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The Vancouver Whitecaps finished 8th in the Western Conference with a 10-15-9 record climbing over San Jose on the final day with a 4-1 win over Portland. Despite the overall miserable season, the Whitecaps have made the MLS playoffs 3 of the last 5 years, a mark no other Canadian team can claim.

The 4-1 win over Portland also gave the Whitecaps the 2016 Cascadia Cup. The Cascadia Cup is based on success in games between the Whitecaps, Seattle Sounders, and Portland Timbers. The Whitecaps needed every goal on Sunday since Vancouver won the tiebreaker on goal differential.

Each team went 3-3 with Vancouver goals at 11-10 for a +1 goal differential. Portland was 14-14 for a 0 goal differential. The Seattle Sounders went 10-11 for a -1 goal differential, though the Sounders are the only Cascadia team to make the 2016 MLS playoffs. The Whitecaps win denied Portland a playoff spot for the 2015 MLS Cup champions.

Vancouver has won 6 Cascadia Cups going back to 2004, including 3 of the last 4 years.

MLS Canadian teams playoffs results

Year	Date	Teams	Winner	Score
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

 

ESPN brought in Chicago Fire TV voice Dan Kelly to work with Taylor Twellman and Katie Witham on the Toronto FC game in Montréal. The game drew 161,000 viewers with 96,000 in the 18-49 demo. The other ESPN MLS game that day drew the same number in the 18-49 demo but 178,000 overall viewers. Pretty good numbers without a home market in the States.

Dan Kelly is definitely pro-Canada from his time as a NHL announcer and the legacy of being the son of one-time Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play guy Dan Kelly. The senior Kelly also worked for CTV and Global in Canada.

The broadcast treated the game like any other MLS game, a very good sign.