TORONTO — Leave it to a pair of central defenders to team up and end Toronto FC’s scoring dry spell.
Drew Moor scored in the 76th minute off a deft flicked header by defensive partner Eriq Zavaleta to lead TFC to a 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy before 30,025 fans at BMO Field on Saturday night.
The result not only snapped the Reds’ four-game winless run, it also ended their MLS scoring drought at 304 consecutive minutes—their previous league goal came in a 1-1 draw vs. New York City FC on May 18. This was also Toronto’s first win at home over the Galaxy since 2008.
While Sebastian Giovinco was thwarted by a pretty good goalkeeping effort from Brian Rowe—and he was routinely battered both on and off the ball by LA defender Jelle Van Damme—Moor and Zavaleta partnered together on the winning goal, and in shutting out a Galaxy side that save for a pair of first-half scoring chances didn’t produce much in the final third of the pitch.
“It was a perfect header in from [Zavaleta]. I thought he and I were on the same pager all night, even in the attacking end,” Moor said.
Playing for the first time in 10 days, TFC was without captain Michael Bradley (who is still on international duty with the U.S. at Copa America) and Jozy Altidore (hamstring injury). With three more games in two competitions across the next 11 days, Toronto rotated its squad, with Will Johnson, Damien Perquis and Mo Babouli starting on the bench.
LA was missing four key starters: Robbie Keane (away with Ireland at Euro 2016) and Gyasi Zardes (with the U.S.), and Steven Gerrard and Giovani dos Santos (both injured). Despite the lack of star power, this was still a tough Galaxy side, according to Toronto coach Greg Vanney, as evidenced by the tough, scrappy battle that played out between the two teams on Saturday night.
“They have a very experienced group that’s won a lot of games in this league, even though it wasn’t some of the guys that people talk about all the time,” Vanney said.
He later added: “The amount of MLS games that they had from their team, still with that being their second-choice team, was probably quadruple what our group has had in terms of MLS games.”
With Bradley away, Benoit Cheyrou wore the captain’s armband and put in a man of the match performance, his series of expert passes and movement with the ball unnerving the Galaxy to no end. It was also his cross into the box for Zavaleta that started the scoring sequence for Toronto.
“Ben brings a nice calm to the group; he’s very composed. He’s very disciplined; he reads the game well. He moves a lot of guys around, and gives the group around him a lot of confidence and freedom to express themselves as players, and supports them,” Vanney enthused.
An open-ended first half saw both teams attack with purpose, although it was LA who produced the best two chances. Sebastian Lletget beautifully timed his run to beat Toronto’s offside trap, only to push his shot wide of the far post after cutting in from the wing. Moments later, the youngster fired a wicked, low shot from distance that forced Toronto goalkeeper Clint Irwin to push it just around the post.
TFC’s first chance came early in the second half when Cheyrou’s powerful shot from the top of the box was pushed over the crossbar by Rowe. Rookie Tsubasa Endoh picked out Giovinco with a sublime, long-range pass that the Italian controlled with a world-class first touch. The reigning league MVP broke in on goal, only to see Rowe cut the angle and come up with a smart save from in close. Moments later Rowe denied Giovinco again, this time on a curling free kick attempt.
Rowe had no chance on the winning goal, though, as Cheyrou delivered a dangerous ball into the box. With his back to goal, Zavaleta expertly flicked it towards the back post where Moor beat his man to the ball to head it home.
A former forward during his NCAA days at Indiana, Zavaleta showed the genuine awareness of an experienced attacker in picking out Moor.
“I saw him behind me after Benoit played the ball into me. I thought the only option I had was to play it to the back post and hope that he could get on the end of it,” Zavaleta said. “It’s fun to have two centre-backs connect on a goal.”
NOTES: Los Angeles leads the all-time MLS series against Toronto with six wins and six draws in 15 contests. Saturday was the only league meeting between the two sides this season… The Reds return to action on Tuesday when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship final. Toronto travels to Florida to take on Orlando City on June 25 in MLS play, and then meets the Whitecaps in the second leg of the Canadian Championship final on June 29 in B.C.
Sportsnet’s Soccer Central podcast (featuring Thomas Dobby, Brendan Dunlop, John Molinaro and James Sharman) takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues.