Ontario health officials say the community spread of COVID-19 in Ontario “appears to have peaked” earlier than originally expected, a result they attribute to restrictions such as physical distancing.
The total number of cases for the span of this wave of the outbreak is “now likely less than 20,000” — if the distancing and other emergency measures remain in place, documents provided by the province’s dedicated COVID-19 task force say.
Experts initially anticipated a peak of community spread to occur at some point in May.
Adalsteinn Brown, dean of the University of Toronto’s public health department, said a peak can go on for several days. He also had a less positive note about transmission in long-term care homes.
“We’re at peak in the community, but still in that accelerating upswing of the curve in long-term care,” he told reporters at a briefing Monday.
Adalsteinn Brown, dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, says Ontario is now expecting a much lower number of COVID-19 cases this month than earlier models anticipated. 1:06
Outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported in 127 long-term care facilities, according to the province’s task force. Long-term care homes have also been especially hard hit in Quebec.
NEW: The curve that has *not* been flattened: <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> cases and death in Ontario long-term care homes. <br>”We’re at peak in the community but we are still at the accelerating upswing of the curve in long-term care homes,” says Adalsteinn Brown, dean of <a href=”https://twitter.com/UofT_dlsph?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@UofT_dlsph</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Us5NuCJ9qo”>pic.twitter.com/Us5NuCJ9qo</a>
Military members with medical training are now helping at Quebec care facilities struggling with COVID-19 outbreaks after the province asked Ottawa for help.
Quebec is the hardest-hit province in Canada, and its long-term care facilities have seen devastating and deadly outbreaks. Premier François Legault’s government asked for the military assistance — and has also asked retired nurses, orderlies and specialist doctors to help at residential facilities struggling to keep up with staffing.
The province is also delaying all non-urgent activities in hospitals for the next two weeks to allow more medical professionals to work full time in long-term care homes.
A member of the Canadian Armed Forces talks to a health-care worker at Residence Villa Val des Arbres, a long-term care home in Laval, Que., on Sunday as COVID-19 cases rise in Canada and around the world. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
As of 7:00 p.m. ET on Monday, provinces and territories had reported 36,831 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. The regions that provide public data on recoveries listed 12,599 cases as recovered or resolved.
A CBC News tally of COVID-19-related deaths, based on provincial and regional health data, as well as CBC’s reporting, listed 1,762 coronavirus-related deaths in Canada. There have been two reported COVID-19-related deaths of Canadians abroad.
Quebec accounts for 19,319 of the cases and 939 deaths, with many of the recorded deaths linked to the long-term care system.
Public health officials in Canada have noted that recorded numbers don’t include people who have not been tested or cases that are still under investigation, and have urged people to behave as though coronavirus is in their community even if there are no known cases.
The novel coronavirus, which was first reported in China in late 2019, causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. The virus, which is formally known as SARS-CoV-2, causes an illness known as COVID-19. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
‘Senseless violence’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been providing regular briefings on the pandemic and the government’s response, on Monday focused his remarks on the aftermath of a mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
Trudeau offered condolences to people whose loved ones were killed in the “senseless violence” and said the entire country is grieving with Nova Scotians.
“Violence of any kind has no place in Canada.”
WATCH | ‘We stand with you and we grieve with you’: Trudeau:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offers his condolences after a mass killing in Nova Scotia. 6:14
The prime minister said there will be a virtual vigil on Friday night for all of Canada to support the community.
Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Strang, acknowledged that not being able to gather in person to mourn will be hard, but he urged people to maintain physical distancing even during this difficult time for the province.
“COVID-19 is not going to pause because of our pain,” he said.
Stricter gun control ahead: Trudeau
Trudeau also said his government is looking at moving ahead with stricter gun control measures, as Parliament returns for some regular sittings during the pandemic.
“I can say we were on the verge of introducing legislation to ban assault-style weapons across the country. It was interrupted when the pandemic caused Parliament to be suspended. We have every intention of moving forward on that measure, and potentially other measures, when Parliament returns,” he said.
WATCH | Trudeau talks about his government’s plans for stricter gun laws:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters on Monday. 2:27
In the House of Commons Monday, the Conservatives lost their bid to have Parliament sit in person several times a week throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Liberal government motion calling for once-a-week in-person sittings, to be supplemented eventually by virtual sittings, passed in the House of Commons today with a vote of 22 to 15.
Non-medical masks required for air travellers
Governments in Canada have introduced a range of measures, including rules around gatherings, a call for physical distancing and mandatory self-isolation for people returning from abroad.
When they are at airport screening checkpoints and the screeners can’t keep two metres between themselves and the traveller.
When they can’t maintain physical distancing from other people or when asked to by an airline employee.
When directed to by a public health official or order.
According to a case tracking tool maintained by Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 2.4 million known coronavirus cases around the world, with more than 165,000 deaths.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.
Here’s what’s happening in the provinces and territories
In Saskatchewan, a plan to gradually lift restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 is expected this week. Only one new case was reported Monday. Read more about what’s happening in Saskatchewan.
New Brunswick reported no new cases Monday — the sixth time in 10 days that there have been no new infections. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Russell said there have only been four new cases in the past week, but that it’s still important to maintain distancing measures. Read more about what’s happening in N.B.
Physical distancing has radically changed how we socialize. But there’s still some scenarios where it’s difficult to limit our physical contact with others. Here’s how to best navigate them. 3:23
From Reuters and The Associated Press, updated at 2:30 p.m. ET
The head of the World Health Organization said Monday that nothing in its coronavirus response had been “hidden” from the United States. Senior officials said U.S. technical experts had been an important part of the WHO’s effort.
The comments appeared to be a response to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has criticized WHO’s handling of the pandemic, accusing it of promoting Chinese “disinformation.” He suspended U.S. funding last week.
Watch | ‘There is nothing hidden from the U.S.,’ WHO says
The World Health Organization says its close relationship with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ensures it is completely transparent with the United States. 3:17
At the same time, the debate over when to lift restrictions to control the coronavirus outbreak in the country intensified Monday, with protesters gathering in state capitals to demand an end to lockdowns and officials urging caution until more testing becomes available.
“All the projections were wrong, but we are still telling people to stay home and businesses to close. This is not quarantine, this is tyranny,” said Mark Cooper, a 61-year-old retired truck driver and “Reopen Maryland” protester.
Trump, who has sparred with a number of Democratic governors critical of his response to the health crisis, wrote on Twitter that governors — not the federal government — should take charge of COVID-19 testing. A number of politicians, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio — had said the federal government should be doing more to aid them with testing.
“Now they scream ‘Testing, Testing, Testing,’ again playing a very dangerous political game. States, not the Federal Government, should be doing the Testing – But we will work with the Governors and get it done,” Trump said in a tweet.
On Monday, the governor of Georgia, which has nearly 19,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, announced plans to reopen the state’s economy before the end of the week.
Georgia’s timetable, one of the most aggressive in the U.S., would allow gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to reopen as long as owners follow strict social-distancing and hygiene requirements. By Monday, movie theatres may resume selling tickets, and restaurants could return to limited dine-in service.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has unveiled a plan to reopen the state’s economy by later this week. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/The Associated Press)
Such a swift reopening runs counter to the advice of many experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top authority on infectious diseases, who warned again Monday that resuming business too soon risked a fresh spike in infections.
Georgia’s death toll from COVID-19 rose above 700 Monday.
The Trump administration and Congress also indicated Monday they were working toward agreement on a coronavirus aid package the Senate could take up as soon as Tuesday with more than $450 billion US to boost a small-business loan program that’s out of money, help for hospitals and virus testing.
People take advantage of a Duval County beach opening for physical activity amid coronavirus restrictions in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sunday. (Sam Thomas/Reuters)
The Senate missed a potential deadline Monday and frustrations are mounting, but the emerging draft measure — originally designed as an interim step aimed at replenishing payroll subsidies for smaller businesses — has grown into the second largest of the four coronavirus response bills so far.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, set up another Senate session for Tuesday in hopes an agreement will likely be sealed and written up by then.
The Trump administration also announced new guidelines requiring nursing homes nationwide to report to patients, their families and the federal government when they have cases of coronavirus.
Even still, there were signs of life elsewhere. Boeing said it will put about 27,000 people back to work this week building passenger jets at its Seattle-area plants, with virus-slowing precautions in place, including face masks and staggered shifts.
It’s among a small number of other manufacturers around the U.S. geared up Monday to resume production amid pressure from Trump to reopen the economy.
A volunteer wearing a face covering controls traffic flow as households receive boxes of food at a drive-thru food distribution site from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor as authorities encourage physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters)
Oil prices plunged below zero on Monday as demand for energy collapses amid the COVID-19 pandemic and traders don’t want to get stuck owning crude with nowhere to store it. Demand for oil has collapsed so much that storage facilities are now nearly full.
Much of the drop into negative territory was chalked up to technical reasons — the May delivery contract is close to expiring so it was seeing less trading volume, which can exacerbate swings. But prices for deliveries even further into the future, which were seeing larger trading volumes, also plunged.
Here’s a look at what’s happening around the world
From The Associated Press and Reuters, updated at 4 p.m. ET
France on Monday became the fourth country to register more than 20,000 COVID-19 deaths, after Italy, Spain and the United States. The rate of increase in both infections and fatalities also increased, after several days of slowing. “The epidemic is very deadly and is far from over,” France’s public health chief Jérôme Salomon told a news briefing.
Spain has surpassed the 200,000 mark of coronavirus infections while recording the lowest number of new deaths in four weeks. Health ministry data showed Monday that 399 more people have succumbed to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s total death toll to 20,852. Spain had counted more than 400 daily deaths since March 22.
The outbreak’s spread has continued at a slower pace than in previous weeks, with 4,266 new infections, which brings the country’s total to 200,210. The Spanish government is starting to relax its confinement measures, trying to re-activate the economy after a two-week freeze and allowing children under 12 to venture out to the streets for brief periods from next week.
Some shops are reopening in much of Germany as Europe’s biggest economy takes its first tentative step toward restarting public life after a four-week shutdown. Shops with a surface area of up to 800 square metres are being allowed to reopen on Monday, along with auto showrooms, bike shops and bookshops of any size, under an agreement reached last week between the federal and state governments.
A health worker wearing protective gear takes care of a patient at the level intensive care unit, treating COVID-19 patients, at the San Filippo Neri hospital in Rome, on Monday. Italy on Monday reported its first drop in the number of people currently suffering from the novel coronavirus since it recorded its first infection in February. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)
Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 454 on Monday, slightly up from Sunday’s tally, while the number of new cases dropped to 2,256, the lowest level in well over a month, the Civil Protection Agency said. Given current trends, Italy’s regional health observatory forecast on Monday that two of the country’s 20 regions — Basilicata and Umbria — would be registering no new cases by the end of April. By contrast, it would take until the end of June for the worst-hit region, Lombardy, to have zero new coronavirus cases.
Some shops are reopening in much of Germany as Europe’s biggest economy takes its first tentative step toward restarting public life after a four-week shutdown. Shops with a surface area of up to 800 square metres are being allowed to reopen on Monday, along with auto showrooms, bike shops and bookshops of any size, under an agreement reached last week between the federal and state governments.
Employees disinfects a shopping cart at a hardware store after its re-opening, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Munich, Germany, April 20, 2020. (Andreas Gebert/Reuters)
At the same time, when Chancellor Angela Merkel was asked if she backed proposals to help fellow EU countries hardest hit by the pandemic such as Italy and Spain via a bigger European Union budget and the issuance of EU bonds, she said an EU treaty article already allowed such action and that it was used to finance a European short-time work scheme.
The German economy is in a severe recession and recovery is unlikely to be quick, as many coronavirus-related restrictions could stay in place for an extended period, the Bundesbank said in a regular monthly economic report on Monday.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the country would impose a four-day lockdown for 31 cities, starting Thursday. Turkey has imposed such measures over the past two weekends. Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the lockdown would be longer this time due to a national holiday that falls on Thursday, adding that weekend lockdowns could continue “for some time.”
Over the weekend, the number of confirmed cases in Turkey exceeded any country outside Europe and the United States. Total cases rose to 90,980 on Monday.
Denmark will now test every person with symptoms of the new coronavirus. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said the country has control of the epidemic, but he said if a person has a dry cough, fever or respiratory problems, they should call the doctor to be tested. The country took another small step toward reopening society when hair salons, dentists, physiotherapists, tattoo parlours and driving schools, among others, were allowed to reopen Monday.
A pedestrian walks past graffiti depicting the logo of Britain’s National Health Service, merged with the emblem of the fictional superheroes Superman and Superwoman, on the shuttered entrance of a closed pizza restaurant in Liverpool on Monday. (Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images)
Britain needs to be sure that any lifting or easing of physical distancing measures does not lead to a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday.
“The big concern is a second peak, that is what ultimately will do the most damage to health and the most damage to the economy,” the spokesperson told reporters. “If you move too quickly then the virus could begin to spread exponentially again. What we need to be certain of is that if we move to lift some of the social distancing measures, it isn’t going to lead to the virus starting to spread exponentially again.”
Employers in Britain have already put more than a million staff on temporary leave, while finance minister Rishi Sunak said they had received 140,000 applications from firms in the first eight hours their 80 per cent wage subsidy was available on Monday.
Russia reported 4,268 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, fewer than the 6,060 on the previous day, which took the total number of cases to 47,121. Forty-four Russian coronavirus patients died in the last 24 hours, the Russian coronavirus crisis response centre said.
Like the United States, Russia has seen limited — though passionate — protests against COVID-19 isolation measures. Hundreds gathered in southern Russia on Monday to demonstrate against forced business closures, as they have caused particular pain to households in such regions where salaries are lower and the virus less entrenched.
Singapore is reporting a record 1,426 new coronavirus cases, mostly among foreign workers, pushing its total number of confirmed infections above 8,000. The tiny city-state now has the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia, a massive increase from just 200 infections on March 15, when its outbreak appeared to be nearly under control. About 3,000 cases have been reported in just the past three days. Low-wage migrant workers, a vital part of Singapore’s workforce, now account for at least 60 per cent of its infections. More than 200,000 workers from poorer Asian countries live in tightly packed dormitories.
WATCH | COVID-19: Some Asian countries seeing case numbers rise — again:
Japan and Singapore are seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 after initial success managing the virus. 3:24
Japan boosted its new economic stimulus package on Monday to a record $1.1 trillion US to expand cash payouts to its citizens, as the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic threatens to push the world’s third-largest economy deeper into recession.
India has recorded its biggest single-day spike in coronavirus cases as the government eases one of the world’s strictest lockdowns to allow some manufacturing and agricultural activity to resume. An additional 1,553 cases were reported over 24 hours, raising the national total over 17,000. At least 543 people have died from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus.
The shelter-in-place orders imposed in India on March 24 halted all but essential services. But beginning Monday, limited industry and farming were allowed to resume where employers could meet physical distancing and hygiene norms, and migrant workers can travel within states to factories, farms and other work sites.
The reported death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran reached 5,209 on Monday with 91 deaths in the past 24 hours, Health Ministry spokesperson Kianush Jahanpur said Monday in a statement on state TV. The total number of diagnosed cases of the novel coronavirus in Iran, the Middle Eastern country hardest hit by the outbreak, has reached 83,505, he said.
South Africa will increase welfare provisions to help poor households suffering because of a nationwide lockdown aimed at containing the country’s coronavirus outbreak, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
An infectious disease specialist says Brazil is fighting two enemies during the COVID-19 pandemic: the virus and the president. 1:53
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that he hoped this would be the last week of stay-at-home measures to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, wishing for an end to a policy that he has branded an ill-founded jobs killer. Speaking with supporters in Brasilia, he also opposed the view of a fan who called for the country’s supreme court to be shut, with Bolsonaro saying Brazil was a democratic country and the top court would remain open.
HAMILTON – It remains faint but Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats still have a playoff pulse.
Mitchell threw two touchdown passes as Hamilton defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 37-21 in the CFL’s annual Hall of Fame game Saturday afternoon. The Ticats (4-9) earned a second straight win to move to within six points of the third-place Toronto Argonauts (7-6) in the East Division.
Hamilton visits Toronto on Friday night.
“Obviously they’re (wins) huge now,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t do ourselves any favours by getting into this position and not being able to really control our own destiny.
“But right now, we need certain people to win at certain times. Our job is to go out there and try to win the next five, then the next three after that.”
Mitchell finished 20-of-27 passing for 299 yards and an interception. He entered weekend action leading the CFL in passing yards (3,383) and TD strikes (21).
Greg Bell’s 15-yard TD run at 11:30 of the fourth and two-point convert put Hamilton up 36-21 after backup Jeremiah Masoli led Ottawa on two scoring drives. Following a 13-yard TD strike to Andre Miller at 2:53, Masoli found Dominique Rhymes on a 10-yard touchdown pass at 7:43 before Khalan Laborn’s two-point convert cut Hamilton’s lead to 29-21.
“When you’re scoring from (15) yards out on a run play, that makes offence easy,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of those things when you get down there as a quarterback, it takes you sometimes five, eight, 10 plays and now it’s ‘OK, now we have to create some stuff and find something.’
“When you hand the ball off and you’re scoring from (15) yards, it makes the offence really easy.”
Ottawa (8-4-1) would have clinched a playoff spot with a victory.
Ottawa committed six turnovers (three interceptions, two fumbles, once on downs) before an announced Tim Hortons Field gathering of 22,119. Lawrence Woods III also returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown at 11:51 of the first quarter that put Hamilton ahead 10-3.
“You’ve got to bring your best every single week and this wasn’t our best, all of us, from coaches to the players,” said Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce. “If you don’t play great for four quarters, I don’t care who you’re playing you’re not going to have a successful day.
“We should’ve made the tackle (on Woods), we had him wrapped up it’s that simple. Even though we didn’t make the play on that, there should’ve been extra bodies there to clean it up when he did break the tackle.”
Hamilton also tied the season series with Ottawa 1-1. The teams meet again at TD Place on Oct. 25.
“If we didn’t turn it over today I would’ve said we played really well offensively and that to me is what the biggest difference is,” said Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich. “Even the turnovers today (interception, fumble), at least they were in their end and we weren’t giving them a short field.
“The biggest play of the game was Woodsie’s return. It got us jump-started, gave us the lead and we were kind of off after that.”
Ottawa starter Dru Brown was 17-of-27 passing for 164 yards and an interception. Masoli entered late in the third and finished 13-of-19 passing for 183 yards with two TDs and two interceptions, but Dyce said Brown will start next weekend against Montreal (10-2-1), which earned a 19-19 tie Saturday night with Calgary (4-8-1).
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s ’24 class of S.J. Green, Chad Owens, Weston Dressler, Vince Goldsmith and Vince Coleman, along with builders Ray Jauch and Ed Laverty (posthumously), was honoured at halftime. All were enshrined Friday night.
Steven Dunbar Jr. and Ante Litre had Hamilton’s other touchdowns. Marc Liegghio kicked two field goals, three converts and two singles.
Ottawa’s Lewis Ward booted two field goals and a convert.
Mitchell culminated a five-play, 96-yard march with a 20-yard TD pass to Litre at 13:34 of the third. It followed Jonathan Moxey’s interception.
Liegghio’s single at 7:05 of the third put Hamilton up 22-6.
Mitchell’s 54-yard TD strike to Dunbar at 14:18 of the second staked Hamilton to its 21-6 halftime lead. The advantage was well-deserved as the Ticats had more first downs (12-six), net offensive yards (260-144) and scored on both offence and special teams.
Mitchell was 14-of-20 passing for 210 yards and a TD, but his interception cost Hamilton at least a field-goal attempt. Dunbar had five receptions for 113 yards and the touchdown.
Brown completed 13-of-21 passes for 127 yards.
Liegghio’s missed 47-yard attempt went for the single at 12:45 to put Hamilton ahead 14-6. It followed a Kiondre Smith catch that was ruled incomplete and at the very least cost the Ticats a first down that would’ve kept the drive alive.
Ward’s 30-yard kick at 9:15 had pulled Ottawa to within 13-6.
Liegghio’s 19-yard field goal at 5:13 pushed Hamilton’s lead to 13-3. It followed the defence stopping Ottawa’s Dustin Crum on third-and-one, giving the Ticats possession at the Redblacks 40.
Liegghio’s 47-yard field goal opened the scoring at 2:42 before Ward tied in with a 24-yard boot at 8:44.
UP NEXT
Redblacks: Host the Montreal Alouettes (10-2-1) next Saturday, Sept. 21.
Tiger-Cats: Visit the Toronto Argonauts (7-6) on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – Needing three points to keep their playoff push alive, Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio and Deandre Kerr stepped up with first-half goals against Austin FC on Saturday with goalkeeper Sean Johnson doing his bit at the other end.
A 76th-minute goal by Austin’s Owen Wolff made for a nervy ending but TFC hung on for a 2-1 win.
While Toronto (11-15-3) remains on the Major League Soccer playoff bubble in eighth place in the Eastern Conference (the eighth- and ninth-place teams in each conference square off in a wild-card playoff with the winner facing the top seed in the conference), other results went their way.
Seventh-place Charlotte, 10th-place Atlanta and 11th-place Philadelphia all lost while ninth-place D.C. United tied.
Toronto midfielder Alonso Coello called it “a game we had to win.”
“It’s a big win … To see that fight tonight was important,” added coach John Herdman.
Austin (9-12-7) came into the game in 11th place in the West, two points below ninth-place Minnesota. The Texas side has won just one of its last six league games (1-4-1).
Austin outshot Toronto 7-6 (6-2 edge in shots on target) in the first half but found itself trailing 2-0 at the break as Toronto took advantage of its chances and the visitors didn’t in their first-ever visit to BMO Field, before an announced crowd of 25,538.
Toronto had a dream start, catching Austin on the counterattack in the seventh minute. A sliding Austin player dispossessed an onrushing Kerr, who had been set free by a long ball from Coello, but the ball bounced to Osorio, who beat goalkeeper Brad Stuver with a rising shot.
It was the Toronto captain’s second goal of the season in league play and his 65th for TFC in all competitions. Only Sebastian Giovinco (83) and Jozy Altidore (79) scored more in Toronto colours.
TFC went ahead on another counterattack in the 30th minute after an Austin giveaway. Osorio found Richie Laryea outpacing his marker and the wingback unselfishly sent a perfect low cross across goal for Kerr to knock home for his third of the season.
Wolff, the son of Austin head coach Josh Wolff, made it interesting with his late strike. The 19-year-old U.S. youth international, controlling a long ball, beat defender Raoul Petretta and then waited out Johnson before slotting it home for his first of the season.
Toronto survived a nervy six minutes of stoppage time as Austin pressed for the equalizer. Austin outshot Toronto 14-9 (8-3 in shots on target) and had 52.5 per cent possession.
The win evened Toronto’s home record at 7-7-0, while Austin slipped to 3-8-3 on the road.
It was a costly evening for Austin with defender Brendan Hines-Ike, midfielder Jhojan Valencia and star attacker Sebastian Driussi allpicking up cautions to miss Wednesday’s game with Los Angeles FC due to yellow-card accumulation.
Toronto defender Shane O’Neill will miss Wednesday’s game against visiting Columbus for the same reason. Toronto could be short mid-week, too. The hope is veteran centre back Kevin Long, who missed Saturday’s game after tweaking his hamstring in training, will be good to go.
Toronto has five games remaining, including three more at home as it looks to return to the post-season for the first time since 2020 when it lost to Nashville after extra time at the first hurdle.
It is a challenging road.
TFC hosts Columbus, the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami while playing away at the Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire. All but Chicago are in playoff positions.
The only previous meeting between Toronto and Austin was in May 2023, when Zardes scored a 91st-minute winner to give Austin a 1-0 win over visiting Toronto, which was then mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That loss prompted a post-game outburst from Italian star Federico Bernardeschi about TFC’s drab play.
Then-coach Bob Bradley benched Bernardeschi for the next game.
Current coach John Herdman made four changes to his starting 11 with Bernardeschi and Osorio returning from suspension and Coello and Kerr also slotting in. Coello, who had missed the last eight league games with a hamstring injury, was impressive in his 59-minute return.
Both Toronto and Austin suffered home losses last time out going into the international break. Toronto was beaten 3-1 by D.C. United while Austin lost 1-0 to Vancouver.
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MONTREAL – CF Montreal is back in the win column after securing a 2-1 Major League Soccer win over Charlotte FC on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.
Montreal’s form had suffered of late, with just one win in MLS since July, but Laurent Courtois’ squad showed a level of poise and control over the tempo of the game that had not been seen since the beginning of the season.
“What we’ve changed in the last few weeks or months in terms of our methodology or coaching, is nothing. We did the exact thing, We had the exact same words, and we expressed them the exact same way,” said Courtois. “Today, everything just clicked.”
Caden Clark scored for the first time as a Montreal (7-12-9) player in the 23rd minute, in addition to Bryce Duke’s goal three minutes later that ended up being the winner, while Tim Ream found the back of the net for Charlotte (10-10-8).
Montreal had the first major scoring chance of the match after 15 minutes of play. With a free kick roughly 25 metres away from goal, Gabriele Corbo sent a near-perfect shot smashing off the crossbar.
Montreal would continue to dictate the tempo in the opening phase, finding first blood just seven minutes later.
Following a phenomenal triple-save from Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, the ball fell to Clark who volleyed the ball into the wide-open net, picking up his first goal for the club.
“I think you don’t lose the feeling (of scoring), everything happens for a reason, you just can’t lose yourself in the chaos,” said Clark, who had missed a full season due to injury and was briefly without a club, but was grateful for Courtois’ confidence in him.
“(To have a coach’s confidence) is huge and is something I’ve had both ends of so you just can’t take advantage of that in the wrong way. I’m going to keep my discipline with the game plan and keep my head right.”
With momentum completely on their side, the home side doubled the lead just three minutes later. Montreal continued to build up play on the left flank and found a streaking Raheem Edwards in behind the defence who cut the ball back to Duke, sending the Stade Saputo crowd into a frenzy.
Just after the half-hour mark, Charlotte pulled one back through a set piece — something Montreal has struggled defending all season — as Ream rose above everyone at the back post to score his first with his new club.
The second half began in a similar fashion to the end of the first, with Charlotte pressing high up the pitch and forcing several turnovers in dangerous areas. After surviving the pressure, Montreal began to regain control of the game near the hour mark, enjoying the lion’s share of the possession while Charlotte looked to hit back on the counterattack.
“I think when we conceded that goal we were like ‘here we go again.’ 2-1 is a tough lead before halftime … and at the beginning of the half we kind of shot ourselves in the foot and they pressed a bit more, they moved a bit more forward and that opened some gaps,” said captain Samuel Piette.
“I was happy with that, it shows character. At the end of the day, we just wanted the three points and that’s what we got.”
As the game progressed, Charlotte pushed harder to find an equalizer but to no avail. With only one shot on target conceded, the second-worst defence in the league put up an impressive front and confidently rebuffed every single Charlotte attack.
“I’m a big fan of the back five’s performance in their discipline, competitiveness, and synchronization with balls in behind,” said Courtois.
“We can’t explain sometimes in a game it’s not there, they’re capable and today they showed it. Let’s see tomorrow.”
UP NEXT
Both teams are back in action on Sept. 18 away from home as Montreal will look to avenge a 5-0 rout against the New England Revolution while Charlotte visits Orlando City SC.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
