TFC 2, D.C. UNITED 2 SUMMARY AND QUOTES

TORONTO FC (2) – D.C. UNITED (2) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

DCU – Ola Kamara 5’

TFC – Alejandro Pozuelo 17’

TFC – Ayo Akinola 60’ (Pablo Piatti)

DCU – Griffin Yow 88’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TFC – Nick DeLeon 25’ (caution)

TFC – Pablo Piatti 41’ (caution)

TFC – Richie Laryea 67’ (caution)

DCU – Kevin Paredes 81’ (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC: 6-2-4 22 PTS.

D.C. UNITED: 2-5-5 11 PTS.

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Richie Laryea, Eriq Zavaleta (Chris Mavinga 75’), Omar Gonzalez, Justin Morrow; Nick DeLeon (Laurent Ciman 82’), Jonathan Osorio (C), Marky Delgado, Pablo Piatti (Patrick Mullins 90’), Alejandro Pozuelo (Tsubasa Endoh 90’); Jozy Altidore (Ayo Akinola, HT’)

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Bono, Tony Gallacher, Erickson Gallardo, Jayden Nelson

D.C. UNITED – Bill Hamid; Chris Odoi-Atsem (Erik Sorga 87’), Fredric Brillant (C), Donovan Pines, Joseph Mora; Junior Moreno, Yamil Asad (Federico Higuain 78’), Mohammed Abu (Griffin Yow HT’), Julian Gressel (Moses Nyman 78’); Ola Kamara, Gelmin Rivas (Kevin Paredes 68’)

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Earl Edwards Jr., Axel Sjoberg, Oniel Fisher

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

What went wrong with the team’s defending?

“I think the first half it was very random. Guys were moving all over the place trying to find the ball. We didn’t have much shape. And as we were running all over the place trying to find the ball and trying to create things and leaving spaces open, we become vulnerable in the transition. And in the defensive transition, we don’t control the game. It seems like we normally control the game. It wasn’t anything overly sophisticated or complicated about what they did. It was a pretty straight up 4-4-2, but we have to be more disciplined about the areas of the field that we need to have players in. And we need our players to be in the right positions at the right times and we were very busy. That left us vulnerable in the first half. It cost us a lot of energy in the first half because we end up running at times we don’t have to run, for no purpose. We end up getting exposed in the transition, which means a lot of work in the transition because spaces are open, they get out in those spaces and we need to sprint to recover. And it becomes incredibly inefficient. And we’re on the road and the start of a tough road trip, and we burned a lot of energy for not a lot of gain in the first half. We give away an absolute howler on the first goal, which is never the way you want to start a game. And we come out in the second half a little more structured, we switched some things around to get some structure out of the game, and I thought we had a little bit better, for the first 25-30 minutes, had a little bit better shape in terms of with the ball, moving a little more purposeful, we created a few more chances, got in deeper into their half. But still we started to fatigue. These games a bit of a war of attrition, between travel, between injuries and guys carrying things, and these games come back to back to back, so you try to push guys through. They’re having the same issues as we’re having and we’re thin in the midfield right now and trying to work our way through it. And so, the second goal comes off…our midfield is physically struggling a little bit, so we went with a third centre back, thinking if at least we can force them to put crosses in we will have numbers in front of the goal. We need to protect the middle of the field. And sure, enough they put a cross in and Q (Westberg) comes to get it, calls for it, Omar stays in and heads it. So either Q needs to get it, or Omar needs to clear space for him so he can take it, or Omar’s got to make sure he clears it, so neither of the above happened, so we head it back down and their guy smacks it into what’s a relatively empty net. So, yeah, the other part of it is there’s some defensive things that … we have this sense right now that we have to win every single ball and every single pass, so our defensive shape is at times very impatient, and because of that we expend a lot of energy chasing balls. We just need to be more patient sometimes. We can’t press everything. And tonight, we were … because I think we started off playing from behind … our patience wanes a little bit and we are pushing the game a little bit too much and we’re expending too much energy through the course of it. So, there’s a synopsis of the game, I guess.”

How is Pablo Piatti? He looked like he was injured?

“Yeah, he was cramping. It wasn’t anything more than that, so he should be okay. We’ll hydrate and all that kind of stuff and he should be okay.”

What’s your sense on why you guys are giving up late goals so frequently?

“Yeah, the first 2-2 draw against them was a diabolical collapse of nonsense which is, you know, us giving away essentially goals very similar to the way we did tonight. You know, we lose a ball in a bad place they go on a breakaway. It was reminiscent of the Higuain’s goal against us and that first game. When you collapse like that and you put yourself in a tough situation. The second goal is reminiscent of how they how they scored at the very end. They just a lump of ball into the box we don’t clear it and you know … the last one they nodded it down and they were first to it, and tonight, we nod it down for them and they bury it. So, it’s you know, we’ve got to be a little to be a little bit more structured and cleaner about how we defend when we’re under a little bit of pressure. We’ve been the aggressors in many of these games, which has helped us a lot of times to get on top of the games. But you know, when we are seeing out leads, we need to recognize that, and be a bit more patient about our defensive structure and what we can deal with. And so, it’s something we definitely need to continue to grow at, as a group. Obviously, with guys slightly out of position, doing different roles, especially in the midfield, some of that structure gets a little bit lost in the midfield. But guys are putting in a heavy shift and they’re doing everything they can. It’s just sometimes they’re not used to the specific roles they have, so we’re trying to work through some of that as well. So, it’s the nature of the beast right now. Again, a lot of teams are dealing with it. We can’t give up silly goals like we did at the beginning and we have to do better to clear balls when we’re under a little bit of pressure at the end of games. That’s been a big chunk of it.”

AYO AKINOLA – FORWARD, TORONTO FC

Does tonight’s tie feel more like a loss?

“Yeah in a way. We had the lead for a good amount of time, a little bit of fatigue that caused the second goal. But yeah definitely this tie feels like a loss. One thing that’s good about us, after a result like this we usually bounce back. Going into the next game we’re definitely going to prepare ourselves a lot better.”

What’s it like playing in these games? Away to DC and New York then a home game in Connecticut. How do you prepare yourself? Do the games feel different?

“Prepare like we’re at home. Obviously, every game now is going to feel like we’re away. Some may think just because we’re away we’re going to be the underdogs, but we have the mindset that every game we play like it’s our last. We feel like sometimes we’re the home team with how we move the ball and possess it. It definitely feels weird, but nothing surprising to us, especially being down in Orlando. We were away from home for a long time. It’s like Orlando part two for us, definitely weird but nothing surprising to us. We should be ok with it.”

Can you break down your goal?

“I didn’t see who played the ball to Richie. Richie went down the line and crossed it. On his cross, I thought he missed everyone, I didn’t know who he was trying to play it to, but Pablo was there. At first, I thought Pablo was going to take a touch, but he put it back first time right onto my head. As I headed it, I thought for a split second that Hamid was going to save it, but it passed by him.”

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-

TFC 2, D.C. UNITED 2: Summary and quotes

TORONTO FC (2) – D.C. UNITED (2) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

TFC – Ayo Akinola 12’ (Alejandro Pozuelo)

TFC – Ayo Akinola 44’ (Alejandro Pozuelo)

DCU – Federico Higuain 84’ (Felipe)

DCU – Frederic Brillant 90’+1 (Steven Birnbaum, Felipe)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

DCU – Junior Moreno 18’ (caution)

DCU – Junior Moreno 45’+6 (second caution – Ejection)

DCU – Felipe 71’ (caution)

DCU – Russell Canouse 82’ (caution)

MLS IS BACK TOURNAMENT STANDINGS

GROUP C	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	PTS.
New England Revolution	1	0	0	1	0	1	3
D.C. United	0	0	1	2	2	0	1
Toronto FC	0	0	1	2	2	0	1
Montreal Impact	0	1	0	0	1	-1	0

MEDIA NOTES

Toronto FC extended its club-record unbeaten run in MLS regular season matches to 13 (5 wins and 8 ties) – courtesy of Opta
Ayo Akinola recorded the first two-goal match of his career/first brace with Toronto FC

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Auro Jr., Omar Gonzalez (Eriq Zavaleta 64’), Chris Mavinga (Lauren Ciman 64’), Justin Morrow (Richie Laryea HT’); Michael Bradley (C), Mark Delgado, Alejandro Pozuelo (Nick DeLeon 77’); Pablo Piatti (Erickson Gallardo 73’), Tsubasa Endoh, Ayo Akinola

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Bono, Griffin Dorsey, Liam Fraser, Noble Okello, Jacob Shaffelburg, Patrick Mullins, Jayden Nelson

D.C. UNITED – Bill Hamid; Frederic Brillant, Steven Birnbaum (C), Joseph Mora (Chris Odoi-Atesem 69’); Russell Canouse, Junior Moreno, Ulises Segura (Federico Higuain 80’), Edison Flores (Yamil Asad 57’), Felipe, Julian Gressel (Kevin Paredes 58’); Ola Kamara (Oniel Fisher HT’)

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Earl Edwards Jr., Griffin Yow, Donovan Pines, Mohammed Abu, Moses Nyeman, Erik Sorga

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Can you talk about the late collapse? What happened?

I think a couple of things. On a day like that, today, going into it if you can get a lead like we had, our objective would be to not make changes across the backline, but more to keep fresh bodies ahead of the ball. But at halftime Justin had some Achilles tendinitis issues. He’s pretty sore. And then 10 minutes into the second half, Omar’s cramping up. He can’t take another step. Right before the water break Chris is cramping up. This is the first game in extreme temperatures and the question becomes how much do you really push guys in the first game of the tournament, and your first game in months, and so we went with the changes. I thought that really disrupted our ability to start attacks and keep possession of the ball and also, we struggled in some of the transition defending. We committed too many fouls, things like that. I felt like at that point we started to lose a bit of the momentum and a bit of the possession that you want when you’re playing against a team that’s down a man. The second part of that is we needed to continue to try to attack and look for the third goal. And not just pass the ball around. But really look for our moments to try to put them on their heels and force them to have to defend their goal, and not just be in relatively comfortable defensive positions. I think a part of this is just us learning as a group. Being more diligent managing the temperature a little bit better. Things like that. But we were in a position to win the game, we should have won the game with class. Obviously, the last goal is defending a set piece. We knew if we gave them anything in our half of the field, they’re just going to dump it into the box and look for first and second balls. Birnbaum, both centre backs they have, are both good in the air. And that was it. For me that was it. We’re a mature team that should close things out. But it looked like some guys weren’t really in sync when they came in … Some poor play in terms of starting attacks and some poor play in defending.

What was the post-game scuffle about?

I think there’s opinion and emotion, specifically on DC’s side, as to our delay getting down here. This game’s been rescheduled three times. If you want to blame us, you can. For them, that’s been maybe their mantra to get through this game, and maybe give them the best chance to be in the game, to have that extra emotion. And then in the end we allow them the opportunity to pump out their chest when they come back from a two-goal deficit down a man, and to show some bravado at the end. If we win the game and close out the game the way we should, none of that probably happens. It probably goes to rest. But it was visible, and I’d heard some things were said on Twitter. I think that’s just two sides who have differing opinions on what has happened over the last week to two weeks to get this game actually played. At the end it becomes emotional as they bounce back from a two-goal deficit when they look like they were done.

What’s the message now with the Montreal game coming up on Thursday?

Not much message yet. Just caught up with guys individually. The way things are set up we have a really small locker room. We’re trying to maintain some version of social distancing. Guys are getting in and out. A lot of things are happening. We really haven’t recapped the game with the group the way we will. That’s it. Everyone knows going into this, the way things have happened over the last few days, we’re in a quick turnaround. I think that’s a good thing because you get off the field a little frustrated and the quick turnaround to get back on the field is going to be a good thing. We’ll get regrouped. We’ll get recovered. Guys need to get hydrated, all those things. We’ll see where we’re at physically and we’ll try to reset a game plan for Montreal.

Update on Jozy and Jonathan?

Jonathan is kind of targeted for the third game to get ready. These first two games are so close together. He had a bit of a quad injury from a few weeks back. He’s on schedule and/or slightly exceeding schedule to get back. I think the Montreal game, as quickly as it’s coming around is going to be a tough one, but we’ll see. And Jozy, from the time when he was able to get back in, he’s only got about 10 training sessions under his belt, four of those were individual quarantined training sessions. So, we’re just trying to make sure we’re getting him ready to play without putting him out there and putting him in harm’s way. While this event is important for us, it’s the first part of this new season and we want to make Jozy is healthy and we don’t put him at risk. Part of that is just trying to get him as much high intensity work. Some sprints and things like that, he hasn’t been able to do as much, coming back from being, basically in isolation for so long. And so, we taking a progression. All the guys are on the same progression except for Jozy and now he’s getting close. We hope to have him ready for, if not for some minutes next game, for sure by the third game is a definitive target to have him ready to be a part of it on some level.

MICHAEL BRADLEY – MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

The team looked so good for most of the game. What happened at the end?

Yeah, disappointing. like you said we had things completely under control for big parts of the game. But it still shows that if you drop your guard just a little bit, if the mentality starts to…if you start to take your foot off the gas a little bit and think the game is over before it actually is, then especially on days like this where it’s hot and humid and nobody’s at their best or their sharpest yet, you let a team back in the game. So, it’s disappointing, frustrating, but there’s still a lot of positives to take from the first 60-70 minutes. We’re still playing our way back into fitness.

Is letting teams back into games something the team needs to address?

I’m not sure I’d call it a tendency. It’s a little bit too easy of a conclusion to come to. I understand in the first game in San Jose this year we let them back in it with a late equalizer, and then again today. The games were separated by four and a half months, a lot of days of no training. We’re angry with ourselves, we’re frustrated. For a team that wants to be as good as we do, for a team that holds itself to the standards that we do, there’s no way you should let a team like that back into the game today. But I’m not going to sit here and draw all sorts of crazy conclusions based on the first game back in a really long time, under these circumstances.

What would you make of Pablo Piatti’s debut?

I think Pablo has shown in the last few weeks, as we’ve ramped up training and as we’ve started to get closer to real games, that he has real quality. He has a good mentality, he works, he can obviously attack and dribble by guys. Early on, we were trying to figure out the best ways we could use him. In training we’d use him on the left, and now lately, he’s found a really good way to combine with Auro, with Alejandro Pozuelo, over there on the right side. The three of them have a really good understanding. I think you saw some of that today. As he and we all get fitter and sharper, I think you’ll see more and more of that.

What do you think the team has to improve for the next game?

The teams that have the most success in these types of tournaments are the ones that can play themselves into the tournament in a good way. If you want to be one of the teams that’s playing at the end, then you grow into the tournament, you improve with every game. Nobody’s at their best in the beginning. From that perspective we’re disappointed that we didn’t take all three points today. But we all know that you have to take something from the first game, we did that, and we’ll recover mentally and physically over the next few days, talk about some things and we’ll get ready for the second game and we’ll look to be even better.

What did you see form Ayo today?

Ayo’s had a really, really good stretch. He’s fit, he’s sharp, he has such a unique package in terms of being strong, fast, he has good feet, he’s smart in how he can move off the centre backs. When he plays like that there isn’t any centre back who’s going to enjoy playing against him. I’m really happy to see him get his reward today and we’re going to continue to need him to step up for us in a big way. But from a personal standpoint I’m really happy for him because he’s worked really hard in this last stretch. He’s trained really well and for anybody, you want to see guys get their reward when the lights come on. And he got that today.

AYO AKINOLA – FORWARD, TORONTO FC

When did you first hear that you were going to get the start and what were your thoughts?

I think I heard it a day or two before the game, that I was going to be in the starting lineup. And in that moment, I just thought, how can I take my chance, my opportunity and seize the moment. Obviously, that helps when you can score goals, and thankfully I was able to score two today.

Talk about Justin Morrow’s leadership with the Black Players For Change?

I was very proud of Justin. Just the way he was able to set up the whole thing in a little over two and a half weeks, to create everything. Justin has been a great leader for us, especially to the young players, giving us guidance. Just giving us motivation. For me, seeing that and all the black players coming together before that first game. That was a proud moment for us, the black players especially. I really do appreciate everyone listening. Just being able to be heard, you know, I feel like that’s a step forward. We’re not there yet, but at least it’s a step.

You came so close in the final seconds with that looping header. Did you think it was going in?

At one point, I did. I think as soon as I hit it, I thought it was going in. Then I saw Bill (Hamid) coming for it and I thought, damn, he’s going to save it. But at one point, I thought it was going to go in, just hit off the post and go in. That was my initial reaction.

Walk us through the two goals on the second one was that a pass from Pozuelo or a shot that went askew?

I think it was kind of both (laughs). I thought he was going to chip it my way. Luckily, I kept going. I didn’t stop. Your instinct as a forward is to keep going no matter what happens. Even if it’s a rebound or a bad ball, keep going toward the goal.

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-

Toronto FC blow two-goal lead, draw 10-man D.C. United

Defender Frederic Brillant completed a late comeback with a 91st-minute goal as 10-man D.C. United rallied to tie Toronto FC 2-2 Monday morning at the MLS is Back Tournament in a matchup twice delayed by COVID-19 concerns.

The Canadian Press

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Defender Frederic Brillant completed a late comeback with a 91st-minute goal as 10-man D.C. United rallied to tie Toronto FC 2-2 Monday morning at the MLS is Back Tournament in a matchup twice delayed by COVID-19 concerns.

Ayo Akinola, in a rare start, scored twice in the first half to give Toronto a commanding 2-0 lead at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex. But things turned in the 84th minute as D.C. United scored against the run of play.

Substitute Federico Higuain, in his D.C. United debut after a decorated career in Columbus, started the rally with a chip over Quentin Westberg after the heart of a reshuffled Toronto defence was sliced open by a pass from Brazil’s Felipe.

Brillant completed the unlikely comeback, rising above Laurent Ciman to head in the tying goal in stoppage time, after Steven Birnbaum headed the ball to him at the far post from a Felipe free kick.

Akinola came close to restoring the Toronto lead in the 96th minute but Bill Hamid got a hand to his header.

There was some bad blood after the final whistle of a game that saw some ugly tackles.

D.C. United played the second half with 10 men after midfielder Junior Moreno received a second yellow for going through the back of Marky Delgado in first-half stoppage time.

Toronto used its man advantage in the second half, stroking the ball around the field, and seemed cruising to a commanding win until the bottom fell out.

The two teams were originally scheduled to meet Friday night but that was pushed back to Sunday due to Toronto’s late arrival (July 6), caused by the need for additional COVID-19 testing after a member of the travelling part reported symptoms.

Sunday’s game was called off minutes before the 9 a.m. ET kickoff in the wake of a positive test for a D.C. United player and an inconclusive test for a Toronto player.

All other players tested negative in a round of new testing. The two players in question, neither of which were identified by their clubs, were isolated pending receipt of a second negative test.

The tournament, which marks the league’s first action since it shut down March 12 due to the global pandemic, has already lost FC Dallas and Nashville SC due to a rash of positive COVID-19 tests.

There was no evidence of rust as Toronto pressed D.C. and attacked on multiple fronts despite the absence of star striker Jozy Altidore.

Captain Michael Bradley, in his first game since injuring his ankle in the Nov. 10 MLS Cup final, was a force in the midfield. Fullbacks Justin Morrow and Brazil’s Auro bombed down the flanks in the first half.

Akinola scored in the 12th minute, beating one defender and then splitting two more before hammering in a right-footed shot from the edge of the box. The goal came after Hamid’s goal kick went straight to Bradley in the D.C. end, with an Alejandro Pozuelo pass eventually finding Akinola.

The 20-year-old scored again in the 44th minute after Pozuelo beat Brillant to the ball following an 11-pass Toronto sequence. Pozuelo floated the ball to the far post where an unmarked Akinola tapped it in

Akinola came into the match with one goal in 12 career MLS appearances (including two starts) spread over three seasons. It was his first MLS game action since June 29, 2019 — and first start since May 8, 2019.

The game finally kicked off at 9:08 a.m. in 28 C heat. Both teams arrived wearing masks and Black Lives Matter T-shirts, taking a knee before kickoff.

Pablo Piatti, making his TFC debut, had the game’s first chance in the sixth minute after Pozuelo found him on the edge of the box. But the Argentine winger dragged his shot just wide.

Akinola, a U.S. youth international, had a chance for a second goal in the 19th minute after Tsubasa Endoh found him with a slide-rule pass but Hamid stopped his weak shot from out wide.

Westberg made a remarkable one-handed save to stop Ola Kamara’s header from point-blank range in first-half stoppage time.

Akinola was scythed down by Felipe with 20 minutes remaining, earning the midfielder a yellow card. It was one of several ill-tempered tackles from D.C. United on the day.

Toronto coach Greg Vanney made changes in the second half, sending on Richie Laryea, Eriq Zavaleta, Ciman, Erickson Gallardo and Nick DeLeon.

Toronto’s next Group C game is Thursday against the Montreal Impact, who lost their opener 1-0 to the New England Revolution last Thursday.

The three group games count in the regular-season standings with Toronto now at 1-0-2 and D.C. United at 1-1-1.

Toronto went with the same starting 11 announced Sunday.

While it fielded the same back five as it had in its last league game March 7, there were four changes further forward — Bradley, Piatti, Endoh and Akinola.

Altidore did not make the matchday 23. He was late joining the team after spending the lockdown at his Florida home and had to train on his own while fulfilling quarantine.

Jonathan Osorio didn’t dress due to a quad strain, according to Toronto.

D.C. United made one change from the starting 11 that beat Inter Miami 2-1 last time out on March 7. Costa Rican Ulises Segura came in for Argentina’s Yamil Asad, who dropped to the bench.

Estonian international Erik Sorga, who played 75 minutes off the bench against Inter Miami, did not make the matchday 23.

It was another early wake-up call for the two teams, with Toronto planning a 5:30 a.m. pre-game meal for the second day in a row. That was pre-empted by a team Zoom call Sunday to discuss the COVID-19 tests.

Toronto knocked D.C. United out of the playoffs the last time they met, scoring four goals in extra time in a 5-1 first-round win in October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2020.

MLS forced to postpone D.C. United vs Toronto FC after positive coronavirus test | Goal.co — nyob.news

The MLS match between D.C. United and Toronto FC has been postponed just minutes before it was scheduled to kick off.
MLS forced to postpone D.C. United vs Toronto FC after positive coronavirus test | Goal.co — nyob.news

MLS forced to postpone D.C. United vs Toronto FC after positive coronavirus test | Goal.co

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The MLS match between D.C. United and Toronto FC has been postponed just minutes before it was scheduled to kick off.
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Sunday’s MLS match between D.C. United and Toronto FC has been postponed after a player tested positive for coronavirus.

The announcement was made just minutes before it was scheduled to kick off and the league is yet to announce a new date or time for the match.

The match was called off after one D.C. United player tested positive for Covid-19, while a Toronto player’s test came back inconclusive.

The players were tested the previous day but had to be checked again on Sunday morning and in the interests of health and safety the league has decided to reschedule the match.

A statement read: “Major League Soccer announced that today’s D.C. United vs. Toronto FC match has been postponed and will be rescheduled. MLS will announce details later today for the rescheduled match.

“Under the league’s health and safety protocols, clubs are tested the day before each match. The results of yesterday’s tests for D.C. United and Toronto FC produced an initial unconfirmed positive Covid-19 case for one player and an inconclusive test for another player.

“Because of the arrival time of the clubs in Orlando, the league’s protocol called for retesting both teams this morning and to await the results of those tests prior to playing the match.

“Major League Soccer will continue to prioritize the health and safety of all participants of the MLS is Back Tournament in making these decisions.”

Mark Abbott, the league’s deputy commissioner, explained further: ”Each team was tested the game before and two results we are re-evaluating.

“One for D.C. is a positive test, but not a final positive. With Toronto we had one that is an inconclusive test and we are re-evaluating that.”

He added: “Once we receive the results of the two tests we will be in a position to know when to re-schedule the game.”

The MLS is Back tournament being held in Florida has been hit hard by the ongoing pandemic since before it began on July 8.

The competition’s schedule had to be changed just a day before the opening game because FC Dallas and Nashville SC had to withdraw before because several players tested positive for Covid-19.