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Toronto FC 2 Los Angeles Galaxy 2
The Prelude to Battle
Toronto FC arrived back in Toronto following their preseason matches in Orlando to kick off 2012 officially with the match that was being billed as the biggest in franchise history. Playing at the Rogers Centre for the first time, 47, 658 Toronto FC supporters set the tone for this one before the opening kickoff, filling the cavernous venue and giving it life for the first time since 1993.
With their Champions League opponents, the reigning MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy, fielding an exceptional and experienced lineup headlined by David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, the 12th man/Occupy Rogers Centre movement was expected to play a major role in giving TFC a home field advantage against the general consensus best team in North America.
While much of the pre-match musings ahead of this fixture centered on the players expected to play big roles and those who were unavailable due to injury (Los Angeles defender Omar Gonzales) and being cup tied (TFC attacking midfielder Eric Avila), this fixture very much presented a major test for Toronto Head Coach Aron Winter, who was going head to head against Bruce Arena, who is considered by many to be the top Head Coach in the MLS and arguably the best coach to ever come out of the U.S. collegiate system.
The Opening Forty-Five
This one kicked off with Toronto FC lining up in a 3-4-3 with Torsten Frings anchoring the team from the middle of the central defense. The Reds got off to a bit of a slow start and the Galaxy generated the first scoring chance in the 3rd minute when Donovan delivered a ball that required a decent save by Stefan Frei.
The roar in advance of the ensuing corner kick by David Beckham once again highlighted the massive chorus that was ready to erupt any time the villains touched the ball. The crowd ultimately spurred Toronto onto a run of play that was very reminiscent of their fantastic performance in Dallas in the final match of the previous round of the competition.
The TFC started to get in gear in the 9th minute when a nice turn and run by Joao Plata earned the Reds their first corner kick of the evening.
In the 14th minute, Plata once again illustrated that he was going to give Galaxy defender Sean Franklin fits for the ninety minutes, as the diminutive forward’s fancy footwork earned Toronto another corner kick. TFC made that one count, as Ryan Johnson volleyed home a rebound in the Galaxy box to get Toronto on the scoreboard in the 12th minute. Very impressively, the approving cheer from the TFC supporters just might have been the loudest ever delivered at the Rogers Centre.
Toronto doubled their lead in the 18th minute when Frings delivered a fantastic cross that Luis Silva headed past Galaxy keeper Josh Saunders inside the far post.
The Galaxy got on the scoreboard and added a very important away goal in the 29th minute when both Ashtone Morgan and Frei were unable to block a Galaxy cross that forward Mike Magee deposited in the back of the Toronto net.
Los Angeles started to dominate possession as the half ran, but an organized TFC back line lead by Frings was able to keep their opponents in check until the half time whistle.
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Watching #TFC in a sold-out SkyDome was pretty cool, but still prefer watching the Reds at BMO Field with the usual fans... #CCL
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The Second Half
The second half kicked off with both teams bring a gritty physical element to the game. That combative approach almost boiled over in the 55th minute when Saunders caught a ball in the position that looked like it was outside the Galaxy box and kicked Danny Koevermans in the leg.
Los Angeles had an excellent chance to score in the 57th minute when Keane had acres of space to get his shot off from the top of the TFC box, but his blast went wide of the right post.
The Galaxy came close again in the 61st minute when Keane broke in on Frei and delivered a dangerous cross through the box. Fortunately for the home side, none of the Los Angeles forward broke for the net.
Toronto had an excellent chance to increase their lead in the 77th minute when Johnson sent in a low cross that Koevermans redirected just wide of the net.
After having a beer can thrown at him as he was getting ready to deliver a corner kick, Beckham delivered a ball that bounced around in front of the net several times until Landon Donovan knocked it in at the 88th minute. Once again adding insult to injury, the pesky American superstar had been in the right place to knock in a crucial tying goal.
Post-Match Reaction
At the Post-Match media conference, Aron Winter expressed his belief that his team had played well enough to win and was actually unlucky that the match finished in a draw.
“We were a little bit unlucky. We had a lot of scoring chances. First two chances, we scored; we got guys in the box often. We conceded a goal off a set piece, we were unlucky but we played well,” said Winter.
When asked to name his Man of the Match, Winter highlighted the contribution of the 47,000 plus TFC supporters in attendance.
“The whole team…and the fans (were my Man of the Match),” stated Winter.
Striker Danny Koevermans explained that Toronto will be taking a lot of confidence from their performance as TFC prepares for the second leg in Los Angeles next week.
“We can play with these guys. We will play against these guys. We can be competitive with them, we showed it today and if we can do the same as today next week we have a chance to make it to the semi final. We are not out of the tournament, that’s for sure,” said Koevermans.
Midfielder Terry Dunfield also highlighted the incredible contribution of the supporters and expressed some regret that the Reds could not hold onto their lead and give the fans a win at home.
“It was fantastic. The city definitely delivered tonight. It felt like the twelfth man, not to use a cliche, but it was awesome to play out there and it’s unfortunate I thought the script was ready for us to hold on and take that 2 - 1 lead to LA,” said the classy midfielder.
Terry Dunfield provides his thoughts on the match:
The Final Word: Galaxy head back to Los Angeles with the advantage
Following hard fought performances by both teams, Los Angeles will now head back to the Home Depot Center with the advantage of two away goals. Even with the two goals scored against his side, Winter’s tactical decision to play Frings in the middle of a three man back line worked well. The German was exceptional in defense and confidently controlled his team and played the ball out of the back. While Beckham once again brought the glamour, Frings again delivered the type of performance that would be most impressive to those that understand the subtleties of the game. Overall, Toronto’s performances bodes well for the team’s chances of a playoff breakthrough in year six.
While it is easy to say that Toronto was unlucky on the Galaxy’s second goal, it was the type of instinctive goal that great strikers like Donovan usually score. Outside of that play, the Toronto defenders and Frei did an excellent job of clearing most balls sent into the Toronto box. While it probably stung most TFC fans that it was Donovan that scored the final dagger, sometimes the ball just does not bounce your way and great players make you pay.
In terms of momentum heading into the next leg, Toronto has plenty of reasons to feel confident. This was an energetic, tactically astute and well played game reminiscent of the win against Dallas that got Toronto to this point in the competition. Ashtone Morgan looked dangerous and delivered a number of excellent crosses into the Galaxy box. Richard Eckersley brought all of the qualities that have made him a fan favourite in Toronto. Ryan Johnson once again came through with a huge goal in a pressure filled match and it took all of 18 minutes for Luis Silva to score a goal in a game that really meant something. Canadian International Terry Dunfield delivered a gritty and solid performance in the centre of the pitch and Joao Plata looked nothing like a player who could have a sophomore slump this year. In fact, the Toronto offense sagged noticeably when he came off in the 66th minute.
Ultimately, the real story of this game took place off the pitch. The 47, 658 supporters in attendance were nothing short of inspirational. Due to their spirit, energy and enthusiasm, this fixture felt more akin to a European Champions League fixture played at Camp Nou or Old Trafford than a CONCACAF match. It will be interesting to see if Los Angeles Galaxy fans will be able to bring anything approaching the same atmosphere to the second leg next Wednesday.
TFC Line-up
24 Frei
5 Morgan
3 Aceval
20 Harden
27 Eckersley
23 Dunfield
22 Frings
11 Silva
9 Johnson
14 Koevermans
7 Plata
Substitutions: (66) Lambe in for Plata; (90) Stinson in for Dunfield.
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