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Toronto FC 0 Los Angeles Galaxy 0
The Prelude to Battle
After going two straight games with the same starting eleven, Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter once again had to significantly change his starting lineup at home against David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy. With Alan Gordon injured and Maicon Santos ill, Gianluca Zavarise got his first start of the season and Stefan Frei wore the Captain’s armband. Designated Player Julian de Guzman also made his first start of the season and Dan Gargan returned to the lineup in place of Nana Attakora.
The Galaxy also had to play without one of their key offensive threats as Landon Donovan is also injured. Former TFC striker Chad Barrett made his return to BMO Field and partnered up front with Juan Pablo Angel. With Edson Buddle leaving the team over the offseason, Los Angeles has had its challenges scoring goals early in the 2011 campaign and, with Santos and Gordon out for TFC, this one looked like it had the potential to be a low scoring affair. While David Beckham received all of the fanfare heading into the match, his Brazilian teammate Juninho entered this match in top form and looking very much like he could be the X-Factor in this fixture.
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The Opening Forty-Five
Los Angeles almost opened the scoring in the 1st minute when a nice back heel by Chad Barrett gave Sean Franklin a clear shot at the TFC net, but Stefan Frei made the type of big stop that has become customary for him.
The Galaxy continued to press through the first half as the majority of play was on the Toronto side of the pitch. In the 14th minute, Toronto FC fans finally got a chance to cheer a Barrett miss as the American striker beat Frei but put the ball off the crossbar.
On a day in which one of the world’s most dangerous dead ball specialists graced the pitch at BMO Field, Jacob Peterson continued to show a previously unseen ability to deliver dangerous free kicks into the opposition box. Toronto had an excellent chance to score on a Peterson free kick in the 27th minute when Zavarise headed a ball into the chest of sprawling Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts.
The biggest cheer of the first half came in the 44th minute when the referee awarded Beckham with a yellow card for a sliding tackle on De Guzman. That play essentially concluded a first half in which Toronto FC fans had little else to cheer about. While the pretties face to grace the pitch at BMO Field had finally made a league appearance in front of Toronto fans, the play on the field was downright ugly at times, at least from the TFC perspective.
After looking like a more cohesive and defensively organized squad last Saturday in San Jose, the Reds delivered a first half of football which more closely resembled their lackluster preseason form. Some solid goalkeeping by Stefan Frei and several timely tackles by Adrian Cann contributed to TFC being able to enter the half-time break in scoreless draw. Alen Stevanovic looked like the TFC player most likely to score in the second half and Barrett was by far the most energetic and aggressive player on either side in the opening forty-five.
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Still trying to figure out where #TFC was at today. Seemed lost and severely disorganized.
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The Second Half
The second half kicked off with Toronto FC looking more organized, but with the Reds also having little success in breaking down the Galaxy defence. As the match progressed former TFC fullback Todd Dunivant continued to do an excellent job of sticking close to Javier Martina and essentially taking him out of the game.
By the sixty minute mark BMO Field was very quiet, as TFC simply could not generate anything resembling a coherent offensive attack.
In the 64th minute, Toronto had a decent chance on a corner kick, but Tony Tchani could not get his low header on target. Five minutes later Tchani was called for a foul in prime Goldenballs territory and Beckham blistered the resulting free kick off the post.
TFC Academy graduate Oscar Cordon made his MLS debut in the 79th minute when he came on for Zavarise.
Toronto had a final chance to score on an 88th minute Joao Plata header off a free kick but Ricketts got down low and made the save.
Post-match reaction
At the Post-Match media conference, Aron Winter surprised everyone there with his positive view of the match.
“It was a game of two phases. We didn’t start too well, and LA had some good opportunities. We tried to play our own game, and we had some opportunities as well. Still, 0-0 was a good result,” said Winter.
He later elaborated and explained that he considered the result a positive one due to the fact that both Gordon and Maicon had to be scratched from the lineup at the last minute.
“Well, because this morning Alan Gordon had a lot of problems and couldn’t play. In the afternoon Maicon also got the flu, and then at the last minute he had to change his place on the roster, and that is why the result is very good,” said Winter.
Julian de Guzman concurred with his Head Coach and stated that he believes that, given the circumstances, the team did well on the night.
“I think the guys did an excellent job. I can’t say it was one of our best games, but you could see that the guys showed a lot of unity, character, and passion, and that’s why we came out with a positive point. LA had moments to score but I think the reason they weren’t able to score is because of the determination we had and the unity we showed on the pitch. Regardless of the situation with Maicon getting sick before the game, and Gordon stepping out with his injury, and with the lineup we had to set at the last minute, the guys reacted very well, very positive, and we showed some bright moments as well in the game. I think the more we continue to play together and understand the system, the more confidence we will have,” said De Guzman.
Former TFC striker Chad Barrett discussed the BMO Field crowd after the match and how the crowd responded to his return.
“No, pretty much what I expected… I think some of them still have got a little love for me though. It was fun playing for them again. They are great fans, making tons of noise. They were making it hard for me and Juan Pablo (Angel) to communicate on a couple of plays and that’s important when you are trying to do dummies or you are trying just to link-up up top. The twelfth man really stepped up today and took control,” stated Barrett.
The Final Word: Beckham’s Toronto (league) debut a real snoozefest
There aren’t a whole lot of pleasant things to be said about this one. After a very encouraging performance against San Jose on the weekend, Toronto FC played pretty uninspired football. It was their second match this week, so they could certainly have been tired from the travel and heavy schedule. Optimists will say that a draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy is a point that you take and run with. But realistically this was not only a draw in an ultimately winnable match at home, it was the type of less than entertaining performance that likely had many attendees asking why they just didn’t stay at home on a cold Wednesday night and watch American Idol. Large stretches of this match were sleep inducing and the TFC players sent long ball after long ball well out of the reach of their teammates and often directly to the Galaxy. So much for total football. In a season that has started off with empty seats at BMO Field becoming the norm, that simply won’t cut it. Toronto FC clearly missed Alan Gordon’s intensity and feistiness and the intelligent play of Maicon Santos. Stevanovic again showed excellent footwork and ball control but he often looked like he was playing a different game from the rest of his teammates who were out of sync with him. Fans deserved a better showing from their side and you have to wonder if the Reds can’t get up for Beckham and the Galaxy at home, then what fixture could possibly inspire them?
In terms of the positives, Adrian Cann delivered another positive performance and Stefan Frei was as steady as you would expect. Gianluca Zavarise did fairly well in a starting role and De Guzman showed some fancy footwork, but was otherwise unremarkable as he returns to full fitness. In terms of negatives, TFC’s overall passing was of a very low quality and both fullbacks – Dan Gargan and Danleigh Borman – had atrocious matches.
TFC is now unbeaten in four matches and that is something they can build on. That said, too many draws at home last season were the root cause of the team’s failure to make the playoffs in 2010. Winter saw this match as a positive result, but it can only be construed as a positive result if TFC comes away with three points against D.C. United on Saturday. If it was tactical to rest Gordon and Santos and not push forward so much against LA in order to be in a better place for a more winnable fixture on the weekend - and TFC take 4 of 6 points from the two matches, then I will take my hat of to the Dutchman. Until that comes to pass, I will feel underwhelmed by TFC’s showing against the Galaxy.
TFC Line-up
24 Frei
25 Borman
12 Cann
20 Harden
3 Gargan
23 Peterson
22 Tchani
6 De Guzman
10 Stevanovic
28 Zavarise
33 Martina
Substitutions: (66) Yourassowsky in for De Guzman; (79) Cordon in for Zavarise; (85) Plata in for Martina.
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