season opener

The Lakers were not whole for their season opener and that meant Luka Doncic had a heavier load to carry while LeBron James sat on the bench injured in this game against rivals Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

So, the question while James recovers from sciatica injury on his right side, is who will fill his void and help Doncic navigate the stretch his running mate is out.

The Lakers didn’t get that complete answer Tuesday night, falling 119-109 to the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena despite Doncic’s impressive performance of a near triple-double with 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

James is entering an NBA-record 23rd season, but it was the first time over his career that he has missed a season opener.

He sat on the end of the Lakers’ bench dressed in a double-breasted suit, cheering his teammates on, offering words of encouragement when necessary, knowing that was the only way he could help until returns to the court in mid-November.

“It’s hard to forget about LeBron, (but) the reality is, when you’re focused on the group that you have, you’ve got to make the group work,” said coach JJ Redick afterward. “Sometimes you can just be like, ‘Oh my God, we’re gonna get LeBron back at some point.’ Like it’s awesome, but you are focused. I’ll be honest with you, I did have one moment in that first half when we had a few possessions when we couldn’t score against the zone and I thought, ‘It’d be great to have LeBron.”

Lakers guard Austin Reaves gets past Warriors guard Gary Payton II for a layup during the second half Friday night.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

When the Lakers went inside to center Deandre Ayton, he didn’t overpower the small Warriors. Ayton got seven touches, scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds.

But he had four turnovers. One of the other issues was his teammates trying to get the ball inside to Ayton. The lobs just weren’t working, a big reason why the Lakers had 19 turnovers.

“Yeah, today, I was realizing I’m probably a confusing big (center), whether I can roll and stand in the pocket, probably gets a little difficult for them sometimes,” Ayton said. “I’m so used to the league having that low man on me. Sometimes I can’t even finish a roll, and I tiny bit linger around the free-throw area just to be available for him.”’

Austin Reaves showed he was up to the task with James out, producing 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

But he had a team-high five turnovers and picked up five fouls by the third quarter.

“We haven’t had a lot of time together as a complete group,” Reaves said. “Obviously, we’re still not complete, but we’re just gonna continue to build, get better, and learn how to play alongside one another. I mean, I had five turnovers tonight, and I don’t think a couple of them are just dumb. But a couple of them were just miscommunications on where I needed to throw a pass to DA (Deandre Ayton). It wasn’t the wrong read. It was the wrong pass at the right time, basically. So it’s just like learning those little things, and you learn those on the fly.”

The Warriors, meanwhile, had four players score in double-figures and that was a big difference in the game. Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 31 points, Stephen Curry had 23 and Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield each had 17.

The Lakers fell into a hole in the third quarter, going down by 17 points, putting them in catch-up mode.

They were outscored 35-25 in the third. They allowed the Warriors to make 60% of their shots, 50% (five-for-10) of their three-pointers.

Even with the Lakers cutting that deficit to six points in the fourth, their poor play in the third doomed them again.

“The trend I see is that we continue to be a terrible third-quarter team to start,” Redick said. “That was last year. That was the preseason. Gotta rethink some things and it’s, you know, a two-way thing with the guys. What do they need at halftime to make sure they’re ready to play? They’re not ready to play to start the third quarter.”

Etc.

The Lakers picked up the rookie option on Dalton Knecht for $4.2 million for the 2026-27 season, according to people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. … The Lakers said that forward/center Maxi Kleber has an oblique strain and will be reevaluated in two to three weeks.

Philadelphia sports fans have a bit of a reputation for not always being the most upstanding of citizens.

If you’re wondering why, just ask the kid who had a home run ball snatched from his glove and given to the woman not-so-affectionately known as “Phillies Karen.”

You could also ask former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin.

Or some Pennsylvania State Police horses.

Or Santa Claus.

All that said, though, it’s hard not to feel a teensy bit bad for Philly fans after what they endured Thursday night.

The Phillies suffered a season-ending playoff loss (pausing here for L.A. fans to respectfully compose themselves — you’ve had plenty of time to celebrate after the Dodgers won 2-1 in 11 innings on a shocking throwing error by Philadelphia relief pitcher Orion Kerkering).

Then over in the NFL, the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles were dominated by NFC West rival New York Giants 34-17 on “Thursday Night Football.” And in the NHL, the Flyers lost their season opener 2-1 to the Florida Panthers.

For any other city’s fan base, that might be considered the worst day ever. But believe it or not, Philly fans had to endure a similarly disheartening day nearly 42 years ago, according to sports statistician Greg Harvey.

Harvey pointed out on X that Oct. 16, 1983, was the only other time in history that one city’s MLB team team suffered a season-ending loss in the postseason while its NFL and NHL teams lost as well. And that unlucky city was Philadelphia.

That was the day that the Phillies, nicknamed the “Wheeze Kids” that season for all the veteran players on the roster, fell 5-0 to the Baltimore Orioles to lose the World Series four games to one.

Meanwhile, the Eagles were off to a 4-2 start to their season before losing that day to the Dallas Cowboys 37-7. It was the start of a seven-game losing streak for the Eagles, who wound up finishing the season 5-11.

The Flyers suffered their first loss of that season — 5-4 to the New York Rangers — after starting the year with five straight wins. Months later, they ended up finishing third in the Patrick Division before being swept out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Washington Capitals.

So maybe, just maybe, you might want to take it easy on the Philadelphia sports fans in your life — at least until the next time one or more them does something that makes the rest of us cringe.

And hopefully those fans extend the same courtesy to Kerkering. Maybe he’ll end up being the one person who can tell Santa Claus and the others that Philly fans aren’t all that bad after all.

Tom Brady is not coming out of retirement.

Adam Schefter, the most plugged-in NFL reporter anywhere, did in fact begin an X.com post Monday with the words “Tom Brady is coming out of retirement” — but he didn’t mean that the greatest quarterback of all time was actually doing so.

He won’t suit up to spell Joe Burrow while the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback nurses his turf toe back to health. He won’t nudge Russell Wilson into retirement and join the New York Giants.

What Brady, 48, will do is play in a flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia next March.

At least that’s what Schefter wrote.

Brady will join fellow retired New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski and a host of current NFL standouts including Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner and Myles Garrett in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a three-team tournament to be held March 21, 2026, in Riyadh.

Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan will coach the three five-player teams. The tournament will be held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh and televised by Fox Sports, with comedian Kevin Hart hosting.

The whole thing sounds like fun. It is, however, a business plan disguised as a promotional stunt.

The NFL makes no secret that it is going global — witness the season opener in São Paulo between the Chiefs and Chargers. And Saudi Arabia makes no secret about broadening its sports holdings, investing billions through its Public Investment Fund in an attempt to expand its oil-based economy and mend its international image.

Fanatics, which is an exclusive licensed retailer of NFL online merchandise, will sponsor the flag football event as a business venture as well. The PIV and the Qatari sovereign wealth fund have invested in Fanatics.

“It is just a great opportunity to expand the game globally,” Brady said in a statement. “Sometimes, you have to get outside your comfort zone to create awareness.”

The NFL will play six more regular-season games overseas this season, three in London and one each in Dublin, Berlin and Madrid.

Flag football has become an easy way to introduce the game to new markets. The NFL has encouraged states to play flag football in high school, and it has become particularly popular as a girls sport.

Flag football also will debut as an Olympic sport in 2028 in L.A., and the NFL has given its players permission to participate.

Kings forward Corey Perry will be sidelined for six to eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery.

The 40-year-old Perry was injured Friday while skating at his new team’s training complex, the team announced Saturday. The Kings will report for training camp in less than a week, and their season opener is Oct. 7 against Colorado.

Perry agreed to a one-year, $2-million contract laden with incentives to join the Kings this summer for his 21st NHL season. The 2011 NHL MVP spent his first 14 seasons with the Kings’ archrivals, the Anaheim Ducks, before moving on to Dallas, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Chicago and Edmonton.

Perry has played in the Stanley Cup Final in five of the last six seasons — but his team lost each time, including back-to-back losses with the Oilers to the Florida Panthers. He won a Stanley Cup title with the Ducks back in 2007.

Perry recorded 448 goals and 487 assists during his first 20 seasons, and he begins the new season 121st on the NHL’s career scoring list. He had 19 goals and 11 assists in 81 regular-season games for Edmonton last season before adding 10 goals and four assists in the playoffs.

Nate Landman punched in as a Ram on Sunday.

And the team’s new linebacker and team captain punched out the Houston Texans.

With the Texans threatening to score in the final minutes of the opener, Landman showed an artisan’s touch by separating the ball from a Texan running back’s grip and forcing a fumble that was recovered by lineman Braden Fiske.

The play all but sealed the Rams’ 14-9 season-opening victory before 71,346 at SoFi Stadium.

“It means so much,” said Landman, who played three seasons for the Atlanta Falcons before signing a one-year contract with the Rams. “You work, you work, you work, for that moment to happen there, and for that moment to come to fruition and expose itself is really great.”

Landman was one of several key players for a defense that limited the Texans to three field goals.

Cornerback Cobie Durant intercepted a pass, edge rusher Byron Young, lineman Tyler Davis and safety Jaylen McCollough recorded sacks and Fiske made a spectacular play to recover Dare Ogunbowale’s fumble after Landman punched it out.

Those efforts made it easier for an offense that will need some fine-tuning to live up to its hype.

“Landman making that punch out was so cool,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said.

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1. Rams tight end Davis Allen (87) celebrates with teammates after making a touchdown catch. 2. Rams safety Jaylen McCollough celebrates during the first half. 3. Rams running back Kyren Williams tries to evade Houston Texans defenders. 4. Quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates the Rams’ win. 5. Houston cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. pushes Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington out of bounds in the second quarter. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Stafford, in his 17th NFL season, did not commit a turnover while etching his name deeper into the NFL record book. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown, and became only the 10th player to pass for more than 60,000 yards.

After sitting out all of training camp and several weeks of preseason practices because of a back issue, his ability to start and finish the game was a victory unto itself.

Receiver Puka Nacua also showed characteristic grit and toughness. Despite suffering an injury that required stitches in his head, Nacua caught 10 passes for 130 yards. Receiver Davante Adams caught four passes for 51 yards in his Rams debut.

Running back Kyren Williams rushed for a touchdown and tight end Davis Allen caught a touchdown pass as the Rams improved to 7-2 in openers under ninth-year coach Sean McVay.

“Our guys found a way,” McVay said of his team’s overall effort, “and that’s what it’s about.”

Sunday’s game marked the start of the Rams’ 10th season in Los Angeles since returning from St. Louis.

And the defense’s performance, save for an untimely penalty or two, rated a near 10.

Rams coach Sean McVay shares a hand slap with wide receiver Puka Nacua during the Rams’ season-opening win.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The Rams’ offense managed only Williams’ touchdown in the first half. Meanwhile, Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked three field goals to give the Texans a 9-7 lead.

But the Rams appeared to come out with a different attitude in the second half.

Stafford’s passes to Adams and Xavier Smith set up Allen’s touchdown catch that gave the Rams the lead, and they appeared on their way to increasing their advantage when they drove to the Texans’ 12-yard line with just over four minutes left.

But tight end Colby Parkinson fumbled after a short reception, putting the onus on the Rams defense.

When quarterback C.J. Stroud’s third-down pass fell incomplete, the Rams looked like they were on the verge of victory. But a roughing-the-passer penalty against lineman Kobie Turner kept the drive alive.

Stroud completed a pass to Ogunbowale, and on the next play they connected for another. But this time Landman punched the ball out of Ogunbowale’s grip.

McVay was not surprised.

Landman, who forced three fumbles in each of the previous two seasons, has had more punchouts in practice than any other player,” McVay said.

“He has just a great feel for it,” McVay said, “so he’s intentional, and I think it’s rubbed off on the rest of the group. And he got it at a critical time. You talk about competitive greatness — that was on display.”

Stafford’s 24-yard pass to Nacua in the final minute sealed the victory.

“That’s complementary football, right?” Stafford said. “That’s, ‘Hey, we make a mistake, defense comes out and makes a play for us. Hey, you know what, we aren’t going to put you back out on the field defense, we’re going to close this thing out taking a knee.’

“Those are things you can build on.”

The Rams play the Tennessee Titans and the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road the next two weeks.

“The sky’s the limit for this defense,” Landman said. “You see the guys we have up front, the pressure we’re able to create on the quarterback.

“And you pair that with the coverage behind it — it’s a lot to look forward to this year.”

The most densely packed section inside the Rose Bowl on Saturday was filled with fans wearing the colors of the visiting team.

Swathed in red and white, they crammed into one corner of the century-old stadium for what amounted to a nightlong celebration.

Fans cheering for the home team were more subdued and scattered throughout a stadium that seemed about one-third full, outnumbered by empty seats, visiting fans and those massive blue-and-gold tarps covering most of each end zone. Deliberately or not, Fox cameras inside the stadium showed those watching from home only wide shots filled with graphics that obscured the paltry crowd.

By late in the third quarter, the only suspense remaining in UCLA’s 43-10 blowout loss to Utah was waiting for the announced attendance. Reporters in the press box were given a figure of 35,032, which seemed inflated given so many empty seats below them.

It was.

The scan count, a tally of people actually inside the facility, was 27,785, according to athletic officials.

Creative accounting is the norm in college football given there are no standardized practices for attendance reporting. The Big Ten and other conferences leave it up to individual schools to devise their own formulas.

UCLA defines its announced attendance as tickets distributed — including freebies — plus non-ticketed and credentialed individuals such as players, coaches, staff, vendors, cheerleaders, band members, performers and even media. Across town, USC’s announced attendance includes only tickets distributed, according to an athletic department spokesperson, which was 62,841 for the season opener against Missouri State.

In recent seasons, UCLA’s announced attendance was sometimes more than double the scan count, according to figures obtained by The Times through a public records request.

For UCLA’s home opener against Bowling Green on a sweltering September day in 2022, the announced attendance was 27,143, a record low for the team since moving to the Rose Bowl before the 1982 season.

The actual attendance was much lower. UCLA’s scan count, which represented people who entered the stadium (including the aforementioned non-ticketed and credentialed individuals) was 12,383 — 14,760 fewer than the announced attendance. The scan count for the next game, against Alabama State, was just a smidgen higher at 14,093.

Those longing for an on-campus stadium could quip that UCLA might as well hold some games at Drake Stadium given the track facility holds 11,700 and could probably accommodate several thousand more with temporary bleachers placed opposite the permanent grandstands.

Empty seats aren’t just a game day buzzkill given their correlation to lost revenue.

“Since we are now in the era of NIL and revenue sharing, where cash is king,” said David Carter, an adjunct professor of sports business at USC, “every school hoping to play competitive big-time football needs to generate as much revenue and excitement around its program as possible. But since empty seats don’t buy beer or foam fingers, let alone merchandise and parking, any and all other forms of revenue are needed to offset these chronic game day losses in revenue.”

Declining revenue is especially troublesome at a school whose athletic department has run in the red for six consecutive fiscal years. The Bruins brought in $11.6 million in football ticket revenue during the most recent fiscal year, down nearly half from the $20 million they generated in 2014 when the team averaged a record 76,650 fans at the Rose Bowl under coach Jim Mora. But one athletic official said the school in 2025 could come close to matching the $5.5 million it generated in season ticket revenue a year ago.

Low attendance is a deepening concern. UCLA’s five worst home season-attendance figures since moving to the Rose Bowl in 1982 have come over the last five seasons not interrupted by COVID-19, including 46,805 last season. That figure ranked 16th among the 18 Big Ten Conference teams, ahead of only Maryland and Northwestern, which was playing at a temporary lakeside stadium seating just 12,023.

Recent attendance numbers remind some longtime observers of the small crowds for UCLA games in the late 1970s at the Coliseum, which was part of the reason for the team’s move to Pasadena. During their final decade of calling the Coliseum home, the Bruins topped 50,000 fans only six times for games not involving rival USC.

“Now, disappointingly, it would appear that the same attendance challenges that UCLA football faced at the Coliseum in the 1970s are repeating themselves at the Rose Bowl,” said John Sandbrook, a former UCLA assistant chancellor under chancellor Chuck Young and one of the primary power brokers in the school’s switch to the Rose Bowl.

Attendance woes are hardly confined to UCLA. Sixty-one of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams experienced a year-over-year decline in attendance last season, according to D1ticker.com.

UCLA faces several unique challenges, particularly early each season. Its stadium resides 26 miles from campus and students don’t start classes until late September. Other explanations for low turnouts have included late start times such as the 8 p.m. kickoff against Utah, lackluster nonconference opponents and triple-digit heat for some September games.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava said he appreciated those who did show up Saturday, including a throng of friends and family from his hometown Long Beach.

“Fan base came out and showed their support, man,” Iamaleava said. “You know, it felt great going out there and playing in front of them. Obviously, we got to do our part and, you know, get them a win and make them enjoy the game.”

On some occasions, UCLA’s attendance figures have closely reflected the number of people in the stadium, including high-interest games such as Colorado coach Deion Sanders’ appearance in 2023. For that game, the announced attendance (71,343) only slightly exceeded the scan count (68,615).

The rivalry game also gets fans to show up. The announced attendance of 59,473 last season for USC’s 19-13 victory at the Rose Bowl wasn’t far off from the scan count of 51,588.

See all those empty seats? There were fewer than 13,000 fans in attendance to see quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, right, and wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala celebrate a touchdown against Bowling Green in 2022.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Still, as traditions go, creative accounting might predate the eight-clap. Similar to fudging practices known to be widespread at other schools, UCLA officials have been known to embellish attendance figures, sometimes rounding far enough past the next thousand not to strain credulity, according to two people familiar with operations who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Additionally, according to a former university administrator who observed the practice, a member of the athletic department staff would show a slip of paper with a suggested attendance figure for basketball games at Pauley Pavilion in the 1960s and 1970s to athletic director J.D. Morgan, who would either nod or take a pen and change the number to one more to his liking. That practice continued under subsequent athletic director Peter Dalis, the administrator said.

While declining to comment for this story, current athletic administrators have acknowledged the challenge of drawing fans in an increasingly crowded sports landscape that now includes two local NFL teams. Among other ventures, UCLA has created a new fan zone outside the stadium that can be enjoyed without purchasing a ticket and will hold a concert on the north side of the stadium the day of the Penn State game early next month.

While there’s no promotion like winning, as the saying goes, there also may be no salvaging the situation for the Bruins’ next home game. UCLA will face New Mexico on Sept. 12 for a Friday evening kickoff that will force fans to fight weekday traffic to see their favorite team face an opponent from the Mountain West Conference.

Brave souls who look around and hear the announced attendance might experience inflation on the rise once more.

Matthew Stafford will start at quarterback and the plan is for Alaric Jackson to start at left tackle on Sunday in the season opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium, Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday.

Stafford, 37, practiced the last few weeks after sitting out training camp and several weeks because of a back issue.

“He’ll be good,” to start against the Texans, McVay said during a videoconference with reporters after the Rams completed a no-pads practice that was closed to the media.

Jackson, who signed a $35-million extension in March, practiced Monday for the first time since he was diagnosed with blood clots in his legs in June. Jackson had been doing individual drills with trainers and had participated with starters in jog-throughs.

“He earned the right to be in the position, where you pay him — it was a big priority for us to get him back,” McVay said. “He’s done everything in his power to be ready to go. This was always the end goal in mind — is to be ready to go against the Texans.”

After Jackson was diagnosed with blood clots for the second time in his career — he also dealt with the issue in 2022 — the Rams signed veteran tackle D.J. Humphries. Warren McClendon Jr. and David Quessenberry are other tackles that could play opposite right tackle Rob Havenstein if Jackson is injured, limited or struggles.

But McVay sounded optimistic that the Rams would continue to manage Jackson’s condition and that he would be ready for Sunday.

“He’s taken great care of himself, and he’s put himself in a rare position that I do believe to step in and play at a good clip,” McVay said, adding, “There’s nothing like actually playing real football … but [Monday] was a great step in the right direction.”

Running back Najee Harris addressed reporters for the first time since being involved in a Fourth of July fireworks accident — his eyes hidden by Chargers-colored sunglasses.

“It’s a humbling experience,” Harris said about the accident that left him with an eye injury. “It still hasn’t really shaken. I’m still going through it in a way. Just the whole situation [can] show you how things could change at just a snap of a finger.”

Harris declined to describe the accident in detail, but said he feels blessed the incident wasn’t worse. He said his vision wasn’t affected, reiterating that the injury was superficial.

“I’m just happy that everybody’s safe and we’re alive,” Harris said.

Cleared for contact Monday after wearing a non-contact jersey last week, Harris took another step toward suiting up for the season opener in São Paulo, Brazil, against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.

Harris has been wearing a tinted visor — a new look compared with his days with the Steelers — and keeping sunglasses on off the field since the accident, which has fueled online speculation about the severity of his injury. However, he brushed off the chatter.

“It’s not my job to care what other people think,” Harris said. “It’s my job to do what I got to do, so they can write what they want to, say what they want to.”

Harris has never missed an NFL game, starting in 68 straight contests over four seasons in Pittsburgh, but that streak could be in jeopardy. He said he expects to play as his workload ramps up.

“We’ll see where it takes us. … I’m just recovering, getting in shape,” Harris said. “Just trying to stay on top of the playbook. I was on [the non-football injury list], so [that] makes things a little more difficult.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh, typically tight-lipped on injuries, said there is “a possibility” Harris will play against the Chiefs. Since being cleared to practice, Harris has looked “really, really good,” Harbaugh said.

Whether Harris is ready before the team boards its 12-hour flight or becomes a game-time decision remains uncertain.

In Harris’ absence, rookie Omarion Hampton has handled most of the carries in camp but welcomed his teammate’s return. The pair is expected to share duties in offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s system.

“It’s been amazing, he’s my guy,” Hampton said. “We talk all the time. He helps me out on reads. I help him out seeing what we see, how we see it.”

Rising star USC wideout Ja’Kobi Lane suffered a broken foot in May, but was fully cleared this week and will be ready for the Trojans’ season opener against Missouri State, coach Lincoln Riley said Thursday.

The foot injury kept Lane limited through most of the summer. By the start of preseason camp, he was still being brought along slowly. During the portion of USC’s practices open to reporters, Lane wasn’t even running routes on air.

Lane wasn’t deemed fully healthy until the final week of USC’s preseason camp. Riley said that the junior wideout had actually “progressed a little bit ahead of schedule.”

His return is a welcomed one on a USC offense that will rely on him to stretch the field this season. Lane was second in the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns last season as a sophomore, with 12 scores on just 43 receptions. He finished the year with six touchdowns across his final two games, a dominant stretch that would put him in the conversation to be a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL draft.

But after sitting out for part of the offseason, it may take some time to see that final leap from Lane as a junior. Riley said that Lane is still getting back into shape after being limited by his foot injury, but is progressing nicely with just over a week remaining before USC kicks off at the Coliseum.

“You can see some of the rust starting to get knocked off now,” Riley said of his top wideout.

MONTREAL — Olivier Giroud and Mark Delgado each scored for LAFC on Saturday night in a 2-2 tie with CF Montreal.

Montreal scored multiple goals for the first time since a 3-2 loss to Atlanta in its season opener on Feb. 22.

Hugo Lloris stopped five shots for LAFC (6-4-5).

Giroud scored on a one-touch finish from point-blank range to make it 2-2 in the 77th minute.

In the fifth minute, Montreal’s Prince Owusu had his shot blocked but the loose ball rolled directly to Giacomo Vrioni, who held a defender on his hip before spinning and rolling a shot inside the right post for a goal. Owusu converted from the penalty spot in the 22nd to give Montreal a 2-0 lead.

Delgado put away a cross played in by Nathan Ordaz, blasting a one-touch shot from near the penalty spot that deflected off goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois into the net in the 38th minute.

Sirois finished with seven saves for Montreal (1-9-5).

Montreal rebounded from a 6-1 loss to Toronto last week.