CARSON, CA (September 16, 2017) – Toronto FC won their sixth game in a row on Saturday night. Behind a Tosaint Ricketts brace, the league leaders defeated the LA Galaxy 4-0. They are now 11 points clear of New York City FC in their quest for the Supporter’s Shield. On the other side, the Galaxy have now lost nine home games in 2017.
Los Angeles Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Jon Kempin — Dave Romney, Michael Ciani, Hugo Arellano — Bradley Diallo, Jonathan dos Santos, Joao Pedro, Ashley Cole — Giovani dos Santos (C) — Gyasi Zardes, Bradford Jamieson
Toronto Starting XI (5-3-2): Alexander Bono — Nicolas Hasler, Eriq Zavaleta, Drew Moor, Chris Mavinga, Justin Morrow — Marco Delgado, Michael Bradley (C), Víctor Vázquez — Tosaint Ricketts, Jonathan Osorio
Red Wedding: Toronto FC Blow Out LA Galaxy 4-0 Off Tosaint Ricketts Brace
The Galaxy started on the right foot, controlling the play and having a good opening 20-25 minutes. Jonathan dos Santos had a great chance early in the match that was just feet over the bar. Then everything fell apart on a set piece.
In the 24th minute, Vázquez took a free kick from just outside the box quickly. It caught Goalkeeper Jon Kempin off guard, but the curling shot went off the post. Drew Moor ran in, beating Diallo to the ball and heading it in.
Toronto then took LA to the woodshed. Michael Ciani made his MLS debut, and the Reds used their speed to get around him in space. Ricketts got a step on him in the 37th minute to beat Kempin on a rough angle shot. The half would end 0-2. If not for Kempin, Toronto could have been up by three or four goals. Diallo had to come out in the first half, adding to the Galaxy’s injury woes.
Ricketts put the game on ice with his second goal in the 76th minute. Vázquez slipped a ball to him to help him get around Cole, who was out of position. Ricketts then got around Ciani and scored to make it 0-3.
Vázquez added a fourth just minuted later after Ciani mistimed a long pass by Bono. The match ended 0-4.
Scoring Summary:
24′ Toronto – Drew More, unassisted
37′ Toronto – Tosaint Ricketts, assisted by Nicholas Hasler
76′ Toronto – Tosaint Ricketts, assisted by Víctor Vázquez and Jonathan Osorio
78 – Toronto – Víctor Vázquez, assisted by Alexander Bono
Last Words:
As I’ve argued before, I think Toronto FC is the best team in league history. They showed it in this game. No Jozy Altidore, no Sebastian Giovinco, no problem. With several bench players starting, they steamrolled their opponents. This team is going to win the Supporter’s Shield. Anything less than hosting and winning MLS Cup would be a failure at this point.
On the other side, it was just more of the same for the Galaxy. The defense has a lot of issues. Granted, they were playing a new formation in this game (their first time starting three at the back this year, I believe). The offense continues to sputter. Giovani dos Santos is having a very poor season. He’s not creating chances for himself or others. This is a bad team who’s had a bad year. They’re waiting for the off-season at this point.
