Piatti scores twice and Toronto downs Vancouver 2-0

Posted August 18, 2020 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Toronto FC forward Pablo Piatti (7) celebrates his goal alongside team-mates midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo (10), Toronto FC midfielder Richie Laryea (22), and Toronto FC defender Auro (96) during first half MLS soccer action against the Vancouver Whitecaps at BMO field in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) - Pablo Piatti scored a pair of goals and Toronto FC defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 on Tuesday night as the teams restarted the regular season.

Major League Soccer shut down on March 12 because of the coronavirus, after the league's teams had played just two games.

After the recent MLS is Back tournament in Florida, teams returned to games in their home markets. But the three teams in Canada are hampered by travel restrictions and quarantine rules to and from the United States. So for at least the initial phase of the season, they will play eachother.

Toronto and Vancouver open with back-to-back games at BMO field, meeting again Friday night.

Piatti's blast from long distance in the 27th minute gave Toronto the early lead. It was the Argentine's first MLS goal.

Piatti added a second in the 55th minute. Nick DeLeon scored in the 83rd for the final margin.

Toronto went undefeated in the group stage of the MLS is Back tournament, but was eliminated in the round of 16 by NYCFC.

The Whitecaps were missing key players for the tournament, but also made it to the knockout round, where they were eliminated by Sporting KC.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Empty stadium seats are seen and a banner that says 'Black Lives Matter' is displayed as the Toronto FC play the Vancouver Whitecaps during first half MLS soccer action at BMO field in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Leonard Owusu (17) and Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo (10) battle for the ball during first half MLS soccer action at BMO field in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.