LA Galaxy 2, Toronto FC 2
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.
Scoring Summary:
LA -- Chris Birchall 1 (Miguel Lopez 3, Todd Dunivant 2) 2'
TOR -- Alan Gordon 3 (Danleigh Borman 3) 68'
LA – Juan Pablo Angel 3 (Unassisted) 91+
TFC – Alan Gordon 4 (Unassisted) 94+
Misconduct Summary:
TFC – Danleigh Borman (Yellow Card) 17’
LA – David Beckham (Yellow Card) 29’
TFC – Doneil Henry (Yellow Card) 57’
TFC – Alan Gordon (Yellow Card) 81’
LA – A.J. DeLaGarza (Yellow Card) 83’
Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Josh Saunders; Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant; David Beckham©, Chris Birchall, Michael Stephens (Bryan Jordan 81’), Miguel Lopez (Paolo Cardozo 81’); Chad Barrett (Mike Magee 71’), Juan Pablo Angel.
Subs Not Used:Brian Perk, Frankie Hejduk, Gregg Berhalter, Jovan Kirovski.
Toronto FC: Stefan Frei; Richard Eckersley, Ty Harden, Doneil Henry, Danleigh Borman; Nathan Sturgis, Tony Tschani (Joao Plata 34’), Jacob Peterson (Alan Gordon 43’); Nick Soolsma (Javier Martina 91+), Mikael Yourassowsky, Maicon Santos©.
Subs Not Used: Milos Kocic, Dan Gargan, Oscar Cordon, Gianluca Zavarise.
Referee: Mark Kadlecik
Referee’s Assistants Rob Fereday and Mike Kampmeinert
4th Official: Yader Reyes
Notes:
- With the draw, the Galaxy are now 8-2-7 on the season, leaving them with a league-best 31 points. LA remain in first place in the Western Conference and are now six points ahead of second place FC Dallas, who host Sporting Kansas City on Sunday night.
- The Galaxy are now unbeaten in their last eight games, going 4-0-4 in those contests for 16 of a possible 24 points.
- The Galaxy are also unbeaten at home this season, going 4-0-4.
- In 12 games against Eastern Conference teams this season, the Galaxy are 5-0-7 for 22 of their 31 points.
- Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena made two changes to the team that drew 0-0 with D.C. United last week at The Home Depot Center. Juan Pablo Angel and Michael Stephens each returned to the starting lineup in place of Juninho and Mike Magee. Magee started the game on the bench and entered as a second half substitute, while Juninho was not available for selection after returning to Brazil earlier in the week for his wedding.
- With Angel returning to the 18-man squad, Adam Cristman did not dress after making his Galaxy debut last week.
- In addition to Juninho, the Galaxy were also without Sean Alvarado and Leonardo who are each recovering from knee surgery.
- Chris Birchall gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in just the second minute of play. That goal was the Galaxy’s fastest since Jovan Kirovski scored in the 1st minute of a 4-1 home win over Houston on June 5, 2010.
- The goal was Birchall’s first of the season and the first of his MLS career and came in his 48th game.
- Birchall is the 10th different player to score for the Galaxy this season, equaling the most in MLS.
- Miguel Lopez was credited with his third assist of the season on the goal. It was his first assist since tallying two in the 2-1 win at Chicago on April 17.
- Juan Pablo Angel scored for the Galaxy in the first minute of second half stoppage time to make the score 2-1 in favor of LA. That goal was his third of the season with all three coming in the second half of games.
- Both of Angel’s goals for the Galaxy at home have come at the South end of the stadium.
- His goal in second half stoppage time was the latest goal scored by the Galaxy this season.
- Former Galaxy forward Alan Gordon came off the bench and scored two goals for Toronto. Since being traded from the Galaxy in August 2010, he has faced the club twice, scoring three times.
- Gordon’s first goal in the 68th minute tied the score at 1-1 and was the first goal allowed by LA since May 14. In between, the Galaxy went 479 minutes without allowing a goal. That is the second longest shutout streak in club history.
- The 479 minute shutout streak was also the second longest in MLS this season, beaten only by a 531 minute streak for FC Dallas.
- Gordon’s two goals were the first two goals allowed by the Galaxy in the second half at home this season.
- Gordon’s second goal was the first that the Galaxy have allowed in second half stoppage time this season. The last time the Galaxy allowed a goal in second half stoppage time was on May 6, 2009 in a 2-2 draw at Real Salt Lake.
- That night was also the last time that both the Galaxy and their opponent scored in second half stoppage time.
- Despite allowing the two goals, Josh Saunders finished the game with three saves and is now 2-1-3 on the season.
- He made his sixth appearance of the year in tonight’s game, equaling an MLS-career-high.
- David Beckham was shown his league-high seventh yellow card of the season in the 29th minute. He is now one caution away from a mandatory one-game suspension. Beckham was already suspended this season after collecting his fifth yellow card of the year against Toronto FC on April 13.
- A.J. DeLaGarza was also booked in the second half. This was his second caution of the year.
- Todd Dunivant once again started and played the full 90 minutes at left back. He is the only Galaxy player to start every game this season and is the only one to play the full 90 minutes in each as well.
- Chad Barrett and Sean Franklin each started the game as well and join Dunivant as the only three Galaxy players to have each appeared in all 17 of LA’s games this season.
- The Galaxy are now at the halfway point of the regular season, having played 17 games. They are the first team in the league to reach this point.
- This was the second and final game regular season game between LA and Toronto FC this year. The Galaxy took two points from the series with a pair of draws.
- Against the four teams that they have finished their season series with; D.C. United, New England, Philadelphia and Toronto FC, the Galaxy are 2-0-6.
- Bruce Arena remains unbeaten against Toronto as the Galaxy head coach, going 2-0-4 against them.
- This was the fourth time this season that the Galaxy dropped points in the final 10 minutes of a game. LA has given up late goals at D.C. United, at FC Dallas, at Philadelphia and again tonight, costing the team seven possible points.
- The attendance for tonight’s game was 20,675.
- The Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, June 18 when they travel to take on the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. That game, which kicks off at 6 p.m. (PT), can be seen on tape delay at 8 p.m. on FOX Sports West.
Quotes:
LA Galaxy Head Coach Bruce Arena
On tonight’s game:
“Disappointing result, certainly to work as hard as we had to work in this game, give Toronto a lot of credit I thought they played real hard. We have to manage the game at the end of the game it’s quite simple. Give Alan Gordon a lot of credit, great goal at the end. We had a bunch of guys standing around we got out competed at the end of the game in that play. Give him a lot of credit he did well he took that chance well.”
On giving up a late goal:
“I don’t think they switched off I think certainly they didn’t switch off. I think oddly enough the call by the referee, the foul at the end on [Juan Pablo] Angel, I don’t think they switched off but I think you see a lot where they say statistically teams are often scored on after they score a goal. I don’t think we necessarily switched off but obviously it’s in the 93rd, 94th minute everyone is tired and Gordon had a special effort on that play. We didn’t do well but give Gordon credit.”
On the team’s performance:
"We had our chance to get two goals. I thought Toronto in the first half did well with their pressure, turned us over a couple of times and created some chances. We had some chances in the game to get that second goal but it was a hard game. They played real hard and we worked so hard to get that second goal and to have the three points and to lose our concentration in the end is very disappointing."
LA Galaxy Midfielder David Beckham
On The Ending To The Game:
“Obviously, when you score a goal that late, we thought we won, but obviously they get a freekick and knock it up there, we don’t defend well, and Gordo (Alan Gordon) scores probably one of the best goals he’s ever scored. It happens, but we have to be a bit smarter than that. And maybe stand over the ball, maybe mark a bit better in the last minute of the game.”
On The Result:
“I think there was a lot more energy between the team and within the players. We played better than we played last week, but we didn’t finish the game off. We’re disappointed, obviously, with just two points in the last two games, especially them being at home, but we have to pick it up.”
LA Galaxy Forward Juan Pablo Angel
On The Result:
“Disappointed, we didn’t play particularly well. And, when you manage to score a goal that late in a game, that should have been enough to get the three points, but we were unable to hold on to the result. So, disappointed.”
On The Emotion Of His Goal…
“Those goals are very important, especially that late in the game. I thought it was the winning goal, so it meant a lot. It was a very tight game, we didn’t have anything else going and then that freak chance went in and I was very happy, very excited like anybody else on the field. But, unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
LA Galaxy Defender Todd Dunivant
On giving up the lead:
“We have done it a few times this year where we have given up leads and that is very uncharacteristic of us, but it has been a little bit too characteristic of us this year. It was a great finish, but those kinds of things happen to you when you do not really play all that well. I don’t think that we did again tonight. It is two games in a row where we kind of let ourselves down and those kind of plays go against you when you are not playing at your best.”
On the last two results:
“Yeah, these were two home games against D.C. and Toronto that on paper, we should win but these are always the toughest games. They are coming in with nothing to lose and they can defend and fight. You have to play for 90 minutes which both teams did. Tonight again, we let two points slip away and it comes back to bite you in the end.”
LA Galaxy Defender Sean Franklin
On missed chances and then giving up the goal…
“What was good about that was that we did not put our heads down when they scored. We wanted to win this game and we went out and tried to do that. At times, the execution was good and at times it wasn’t. We finally got that second goal and things seemed to be going right and to give a goal like that kind of killed it. On the day, our effort was a lot better then last week.”
On Alan Gordon’s goals:
“It was two great finishes, I don’t know if he will ever hit another goal like the second one again but credit to him and their team for sticking with it for the whole 90 plus minutes.”
On the team’s play in the last two games:
“We still need to sharpen some things up. We talked about it the whole year that’s probably like one of the last things that we need, the final third, to make smart passes. I think if we focus on it we will be fine for the rest of the season.”
LA Galaxy Midfielder Chris Birchall
On his goal:
“It’s nice. It has been a long time coming, two years. The guys have been giving me a bit of stick in the locker room but a few people tonight said I would get my goal and it came to me in this game so I’m happy.”
On the midfield alignment:
“It was something different. We have got depth in the squad where different players can play in different formations. We are probably still trying to find out what is our best formation. We have lost Juninho and Landon tonight, two influential players, but we have got good players to fill in. We passed it around but we gave it away a bit too much in positions where we did not want to. Overall, it was better than last week but we are just disappointed to concede the goal in the last minute.“
Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter
Overall Thoughts On The Game:
“Very interesting. It was a game of two halves. First, bad. But the first goal, yeah, was a little but dumb. That changed that momentum of the game because at that moment we were not playing bad, but good. The second half even more, and we only get one point, even though we were the better team. We created a lot of opportunities.”
On Toronto FC’s resiliency:
“Yeah, that wasn’t always, but what we showed in the second half, the way we battle, and didn’t hurt ourselves, so that when we are working like a team, and want to help each other, maybe we can play very good football and it showed. Now, the most important thing that we have to do is that every game we bring the same focus like in the second half.”
On Alan Gordon’s performance:
“Well, first goal it must have given the whole team a big compliment, because we are missing some players with injury and some players from the Gold Cup. And today, big compliments for everybody, also for Doneil Henry, because he defended very well. And, second, for Alan Gordon, because he was away for awhile, because he was injured, and today it shows that if he’s fit he’s a very good striker.”
Toronto FC Forward Alan Gordon
On playing against the Galaxy:
“It was fun it was another game. It was just another game, it’s nothing special. It’s just a game in the league. I scored two goals. It was a good point.”
On his goal in stoppage time:
"It was just special because I don't score goals like that. So to get it against my former team in the 94th minute, of course it was special."
On the team fighting back:
“At halftime we got together and we needed to come out with some pride, some heart and some fight. It’s something that we haven’t been doing a lot of lately and we really did it today. In the second half we played 45 good minutes we now have to now build on that and put together 90 minutes, get some points and move up the table.”
Toronto FC Forward Maicon Santos
On tonight’s game:
"It was great. It was a great result for us. I thought we deserved more. We fought hard and took our chances, so I think it was a good result for us."
On his performance:
“I think I played well. I have been progressing every game so it is important for every game you are going to play. I think I helped a lot throughout the game and helped my teammates. I think I did pretty good.”
On the team’s performance:
"It was good. We fought for every ball so it was great."
