TORONTO -- The LA Galaxy were minutes away from dropping their first defeat of 2013, but a moment of brilliance from 19-year-old Jose Villarreal kept the Galaxy undefeated in six games across all competitions and allowed LA to earn a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC.
Immediately upon entering the match in the 70th minute, Villarreal was a threat going forward with his clever passes and darting runs. The display from the teenager is all the more impressive after he missed several days of training earlier in the week due to an illness, but that did not stop him from scoring a stunning scissor kick finish in stoppage time to save a point for LA.
"It was a cross from Omar [Gonzalez], I don’t know if Mike [Magee] or the defender put it back in the box or something like that and it was just a reaction play by me," said Villarreal. "I’m just happy I can help out the team."
But when asked if he has ever scored like that before, Villarreal smiled, showcasing the same youthful exuberance that led to his goal before turning to his locker mate Sean Franklin.
"I had a couple against Sean in practice like that," said the beaming teenager. "But never in a game."
Villarreal's goal is below...
