This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
On Thursday, New England Revolution secured a 1-0 win over Montreal Impact in their opening game at the MLS Is Back Tournament in Orlando, Florida.
The match, which was played on a hot night at ESPN's Wide World of Sports, saw the teams and officials take to the field wearing face masks, discarding them before kickoff. Players and officials took a knee before kickoff, with Impact coach Thierry Henry doing the same on the sideline.
Henry, who also wore a T-shirt with the slogan 'Black Lives Matter', took a knee inside his technical area at kick-off in memory of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
"Well I sat down for eight minutes and 46 seconds, I guess you guys know why. So that was just to pay tribute and show support to the cause, that was basically it and pretty simple," Henry said at a post-match news conference.
Montreal Impact, who had added Harambee Stars midfielder Victor Wanyama to their team, seemed to have improved since the opener. However, they were unable to find the back of the net, despite having several chances to extend the lead.
Argentine forward Gustavo Bou scored the winning goal in the 56th minute, rounding 38-year-old defender Rod Fanni at the edge of the box and hammering a left-footed shot high over an outstretched Clement Diop.
Montreal's first outing since March 10, when they lost 2-1 to CD Olimpia in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals at Olympic Stadium, ended in defeat.
