Major League Soccer announced plans on Wednesday for CF Montreal and Toronto FC to begin playing select games in their home venues.
The decision is based on updated public health legislation enacted on July 5 by the Canadian government that eased travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Toronto will be able to play at BMO Field against Orlando City on July 17, and the New York Red Bulls four days later. Montreal will be able to host FC Cincinnati on July 17 at Stade Saputo. These will be the first home games for either team since the opening weeks of the 2020 campaign. Toronto and Montreal will be permitted to have fans and media in attendance at matches, in accordance with all local and regional guidelines.
A source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that due to ongoing improvements to BC Place, the return of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC to their home venue will be delayed until a later date.
MLS added that it remains in communication with the Canadian government regarding plans for its teams to host the remainder of their home matches in Canada.
Travel restrictions due to the COVD-19 pandemic, including a requirement that individuals entering the country quarantine for 14 days, have prevented Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver from playing matches in their home cities. All three teams had to set up “home” bases in the U.S. during the latter portion of the 2020 season as well as during the first three months of the 2021 campaign. This season Montreal played in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida., Toronto in Orlando, while Vancouver has been playing home matches in Sandy, Utah.
But the new legislation by the Canadian government allows vaccinated individuals to bypass the quarantine requirement, though they must still test negative for COVID-19. Those who aren’t vaccinated must still quarantine.
That requirement could pose a problem for unvaccinated players. A spokesperson for the MLS Players Association told ESPN that “MLS is approaching 95 percent of the player pool being vaccinated, which is among the highest in North American sports leagues alongside the WNBA. We are extremely proud of our members for doing their part in fighting the virus, and we remain supportive of all players getting the vaccine.”
A source with knowledge of the situation added that 26 of the 27 MLS teams have at least 85 percent of their players vaccinated. The source added that the one team not at that threshold is “one or two players away.” A spokesperson for the Vancouver Whitecaps said that 100 percent of the players had been vaccinated.
League wide, that still leaves roughly 40 players who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19, and practically speaking wouldn’t be able to travel back and forth between the U.S. and Canada.
Recently, Montreal traded forward Erik Hurtado to the Columbus Crew in part because of his refusal to be vaccinated. During a Zoom call with reporters on July 4, Toronto FC GM Ali Curtis said all of the team staff and almost all of the players are fully vaccinated. One or two players are either not vaccinated or need a second shot. He admitted that there are “potential complications for non-fully vaccinated players but we’ll have to see how things unfold.”
Toronto midfielder Nick De Leon said back in March that he hadn’t been vaccinated and had no plans to do so.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
