Forge FC to host Toronto FC for 2020 CanChamp Final match on June 4 - Canadian Premier League

---

Canada Soccer announced on Wednesday that the 2020 Canadian Championship Final — previously postponed due to COVID-19 — will be played on Saturday, June 4 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

The match, a single-knockout fixture for the title, will be contested between Canadian Premier League side Forge FC and Major League Soccer outfit Toronto FC. The two clubs both received byes to the final of the truncated 2020 competition, but had yet to play the match.

Forge qualified for the final by virtue of winning the 2020 CPL title, defeating HFX Wanderers FC to lift the North Star Shield at the Island Games in Prince Edward Island.

Toronto, meanwhile, booked their spot in this match by having the best record of the three Canadian MLS teams — themselves, CF Montréal, and Vancouver Whitecaps — in games between the three sides during the 2020 season.

The clubs will be permitted to use their 2022 rosters for the match, which will determine the winner of the Voyageurs’ Cup for 2020. Unlike under usual circumstances, the winner of the game will not receive a Concacaf Champions League place; Toronto was previously awarded the spot for the 2021 tournament, which took place early last year.

Forge will be looking to become the first Canadian Premier League team to win the Canadian Championship, while TFC will be vying to lift the Voyageurs’ Cup for the eighth time.

Adblock test (Why?)

Forge FC to host Toronto FC for 2020 CanChamp Final match on June 4 - Canadian Premier League
Read More

Ukraine's Svitolina on mission to unite tennis world after winning match against Russia's Potapova - The Globe and Mail

Anasatsia Potapova shakes hands with Ukraine's Elina Svitolina after their first round match on March 1, 2022.DANIEL BECERRIL/Reuters

Dressed in Ukraine’s blue and gold colours, a fired-up Elina Svitolina thrashed Russian Anastasia Potapova in Mexico on Tuesday and said it was her mission to unite the tennis world behind her country after Russia’s invasion.

Svitolina had initially refused to play her opening match against Potapova at the Monterrey Open but went ahead after tennis authorities decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing under the name and flag of their countries.

That decision followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, which Russia calls a “special operation”. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion.

“I think it’s my mission to unite our tennis community to stand with Ukraine, to help Ukraine because what we’re going through is a horrible thing for all Ukrainians,” former world number three Svitolina told reporters after her victory.

“That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m playing for my country and doing my best using my platform and using my resources to introduce that and try to invite people to support Ukraine.”

Svitolina, who has said she would donate her prize money from the tournament to the Ukrainian army, defeated Potapova 6-2 6-1, thumping her chest repeatedly on court.

The players exchanged a few words at the net after the match before Svitolina showed her appreciation for the support from the crowd.

Television graphics had a blank space next to where Potapova’s flag and country would normally have been.

“For me, playing the match here, I’m not playing only for myself,” said Svitolina. “I’m playing for my country, I’m playing for the help of the Ukrainian army and people in need.

“Every victory that I’m going to get is going to be very special.”

In Lyon on Tuesday, fellow Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska collapsed in a heap on court after her victory over Romanian Ana Bogdan at the WTA 250 tournament.

The 21-year-old and her younger sister had spent two nights in an underground car park last week before their parents sent them out of Ukraine by boat to Romania and then safely to France.

“I’m happy that I won for my country, but at the same time I’m very sad,” said Yastremska, who wrapped herself in an Ukrainian flag after her 3-6 7-6(7) 7-6(7) victory.

“My heart stays at home, and my mind is fighting here, so it’s very difficult to find the concentration, to find the balance.

“This win, compared to what’s going on in my country, is nothing. But I’m happy, at least, I’m also fighting for my country. I’m really proud of the Ukrainians and they’re really heroes. I hope everything is going to finish soon.”

Adblock test (Why?)

Ukraine's Svitolina on mission to unite tennis world after winning match against Russia's Potapova - The Globe and Mail
Read More

Road Warriors: Nashville SC Begins Eight-Match Road Trip with Win over Seattle - Nashville SC

The rain was pounding. The Rave Green supporters were singing. The artificial turf was slick.  

None of that mattered in the end on Sunday night as Nashville SC earned a statement 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field.  

With adverse conditions in an adverse environment, Head Coach Gary Smith said his team’s willpower shined through in the win.  

“This group of players, not just the guys that you’re seeing on the field, they’re great characters,” Smith said. “They’ve got great determination and terrific will. That counts for an awful lot when you’re on the road. There are so many things to contend with: away crowd, quality teams, and front-foot approach from these teams. There’s plenty that we’ve got to try and work our way through, and we will continue to have to do that. And there’ll be times when we’re on the back foot and we’re in big trouble. But you find out a lot about people when you’re in that position, and it can only stand us in good stead as we move forward.” 

The lone goal of the match came in the 80’ minute from midfielder Aníbal Godoy. Randall Leal won the ball in the air outside the box, moved down the right flank and laid a perfect low cross across the box to Godoy, who darted into the box and hammered home the goal.  

Godoy started this match alongside his usual midfield partner Dax McCarty, as well as newcomer Sean Davis. The Panamanian international said he liked the way the trio played in their first match together.  

“Sean is an amazing player,” Godoy said. “He’s working hard, runs a lot. Dax, everybody already knows he’s a guy who is a really good player. He’s the other warrior. This guy always, with or without the ball, puts the calm in the team on both sides of the field, and Sean also. It’s a good shape for all three in the middle.” 

Sunday’s win was the first of eight matches on the road to start 2022 before the club’s brand-new stadium opens on May 1. Smith says a win on opening weekend, the first in the club’s MLS history, will help lay the foundation for the rest of the road tour.  

“This precise moment, it’s a great start,” Smith said. “It’s a confidence boost, and it’s a great feeling for the players. With a long eight-game road stretch, it was always important to try to get the first win on the board, and I’m truly grateful that it’s come tonight. But I don’t think that we can get beyond ourselves here. It’s early in the season, we’ve seen some good foundational pieces.” 

Adblock test (Why?)

Road Warriors: Nashville SC Begins Eight-Match Road Trip with Win over Seattle - Nashville SC
Read More

Maple Leafs notes: It's a power play chess match - Toronto Sun

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly. Photo by Rob Carr /Getty Images

Article content

The Maple Leafs won’t finish atop NHL power play percentage if opposition spies carry out their sabotage.

Advertisement

Article content

For the first time since power play and penalty killing stats were kept in the 1970s, the Leafs were looking good about six games ago, north of 30%. They since have found officials rather stingy with calling penalties, while four misses Monday in Washington dropped them to 0-for-12, and 29.2% for the season.

“Teams are really adjusting their penalty killing now and it’s on us to adapt,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We did make some adjustments coming in (Auston Matthews seemed to have a centrifuge role) but our guys didn’t look comfortable with those (managing few shot attempts).

“That’s a combination of us as coaches need to get them comfortable. And they need to adapt, because we’ve made it pretty clear around the league that our power play is dangerous and teams are taking note. I’d be certain teams are seeing us come up on the calendar and their coaches are getting to work probably two or three games ahead.

Advertisement

Article content

“I’ve been in that position. You don’t want to look bad.”

No. 1 unit point man Morgan Rielly wouldn’t go as far to say the Leafs have become too predictable.

“It’s just a matter of what structure they’re using,” Rielly said Tuesday. “If they’re passive, if they’re aggressive, we have different formats for different pressures. It’s up to us to play with pace, move the puck around and create opportunities.

“These games down the stretch are very important. So, teams will do their homework on our power play, penalty kill, our forecheck, breakouts, everything. So we have to be willing to make changes and to execute.”

CAPTAIN IN COMMAND

John Tavares did not look like he bore the weight of a 13-game scoring slump on Tuesday, spry in practice, greeting staff and media in passing. The captain still had a massive role in two goals Monday, including his second assist on Rasmus Sandin’s winner where he was relentless on the puck. Despite the longest drought since his rookie year, Tavares has 10 helpers in those 13 contests.

Advertisement

Article content

“He’s been a superstar in this league a long time and that doesn’t just happen,” Rielly said. “He has an amazing skills set. He’s able to go out and execute a bunch of little things that most guys aren’t able to do. He’s got great vision, made a great pass to (Justin Holl on Sandin’s goal) and he’s really able to control play with his strength and body.”

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

Rielly is the Leafs’ oldest surviving outdoor gamer, having played in the Big House at the University of Michigan on New Year’s Day 2014.

As the Heritage Classic approaches at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on March 13 versus Buffalo, Rielly was asked about his seniority status, going back to Ann Arbor, Mich., in front of 104,591 fans.

“It was snowing, a beautiful atmosphere,” Rielly said. “It was Jan. 1, probably a little bit more romantic.

Advertisement

Article content

“But it was kind of a disaster for me. My parents flew in that day (from British Columbia), they weren’t prepared for the weather, I didn’t know what was going on. They got there on time but they struggled. We’ll be more prepared and have fun with this one.

“It will be cool to do it in Hamilton, though the one in Toronto (an overtime win over Detroit in the 2017 Centennial Classic at BMO Field) was probably my favourite.”

LOOSE LEAFS

Stopping Alex Ovechkin on all four of his shots Monday was a good reason why Petr Mrazek will start again Wednesday against the Sabres … While Ovechkin was a minus-4, Matthews was a plus-2, for the moment making him just the 14th Leaf ever to be above plus-70. He’s one behind Zach Hyman, but not even halfway to Tim Horton’s club record of plus-151 … William Nylander, who spent part of his childhood in Washington when his father, Michael,  was a Capital, acted as tour guide for first-time Swedish visitors Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren on the team’s off day Sunday.

lhornby@postmedia.com

Share this article in your social network

Advertisement

Adblock test (Why?)

Maple Leafs notes: It's a power play chess match - Toronto Sun
Read More

What happens if FA Cup matches end in draw? How ties are handled in in 2022 - Sporting News

For many years one of the defining characteristics of the English FA Cup was the replay that was held in the case a match ended in a draw. The two teams would meet again in a second and final attempt to determine a winner.

Unlike other cup competitions, which are often decided by extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout, the oldest cup tournament in the world for many years declared the game drawn, and scheduled another match.

The replay would be held at the visiting team's home stadium, earning that side a chance to advance in front of its home fans. Throughout the history of the competition, lower league teams have boosted their coffers by earning a replay against a top-flight side.

That replays have faded over the years and are now only a feature of the first four rounds of the competition. Draws from the Fifth Round (Round of 16) onwards do not make use of replays.

MORE: FA Cup matches & results 2021-22

What happens if FA Cup matches end in a draw in 2022?

Over time the tradition has given way to the demands of modern football, and the increasingly condensed fixture calendar. Replays have been gradually removed from rounds over time.

Even the FA Cup final used to be replayed after a draw, which last happened in 1993. The semifinals went to replays until the 1999-00 season, while the quarterfinals no longer saw replays after the 2016-17 season.

The FA went a step further, with Fifth Round ties also being settled by extra time and penalties, rather than a replay, from the 2018-19 season onwards.

The latest decision to nix replays came in December 2021, after it was determined the third and fourth rounds of the 2021-22 competition would also go to extra time and penalties given the fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they will be back for the third and fourth rounds in 2022-23.

Are there replays in FA Cup 5th Round?

The Fifth Round (Round of 16) of the FA Cup has not featured replays beginning with the 2018-19 campaign. 

The last time a Round of 16 series was decided via replay occurred in 2017-18 with two matchups that required a second match.

MORE: FA Cup prize money breakdown: How much do the winners get in 2022?

Rochdale held Tottenham to a 2-2 draw at home, only to get torched 6-1 at Wembley Stadium in the rematch played 10 days later.

In that same round, Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City played to a scoreless draw to force a match in Swansea, where the home team emerged 2-0 winners.

The replay will be back in next season's tournament with the first four rounds decided by way of a rematch.

Adblock test (Why?)

What happens if FA Cup matches end in draw? How ties are handled in in 2022 - Sporting News
Read More

Five key match-ups for the Calgary Flames in March - Flames Nation

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Five key match-ups for the Calgary Flames in March  Flames Nation
Five key match-ups for the Calgary Flames in March - Flames Nation
Read More

Men's Tennis Cruises Past Hampton 7-0 in First Big South Match of 2022 - Gardner Webb University Bulldogs

Next Match:

at South Carolina State University

3/1/2022 | 2:00 PM

Mar. 01 (Tue) / 2:00 PM

at South Carolina State University

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Men's Tennis claimed a dominating 7-0 win over Hampton to begin Big South play with a win on Monday.
 
"It's good to begin the conference schedule with a win," said Head Coach Mike Griffith. "Hampton pushed us in some matches, but proud to see the guys step up."
 
Hampton only used five players leading to forfeits by them on doubles court 3 and singles court 6.
 
Due to the forfeit, GWU only needed one win in doubles to clinch the point. The necessary win came from flight 2 as Alex Lepine and Cathal Butler won 6-0. This was the first time this pair has been used in a match this year. Also, in the topflight Numa Lemieux-Monette and Eduardo Dias won their match 6-0.
 
Dias claimed his first win in position #1 for singles with a 6-2, 6-1 win today to start singles play for the 'Dogs. Chrisjan Van Wyk clinched the win for Gardner-Webb with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at #3.
 
John Spring competed in position 5 for singles 6-2, 6-4, furthering Gardner-Webb's lead. Lepine won his seventh match in a row, this time on court 4 by a 6-4, 6-0 scoreline. The sweep was completed by Putter having a 6-4, 5-7, 1-0(10-6) decision in flight 2.
 
The next match for Gardner-Webb will be on Tuesday, March 1 at S.C. State with a 2:00 start. Following this match, GWU hosts Presbyterian on Friday and travels to Longwood next Tuesday for two important matches in Big South play.
 

Print Friendly Version

Adblock test (Why?)

Men's Tennis Cruises Past Hampton 7-0 in First Big South Match of 2022 - Gardner Webb University Bulldogs
Read More