TORONTO – LA Galaxy came into BMO Field with a plan: grab some points, any points, on the road. But instead they make the cross-continental journey back home empty-handed after a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC at BMO Park.
“It was a pretty even game,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said afterwards. “Neither team was particularly good. It was hard fought. They took their chance and we didn’t take ours. It's as simple as that.”
“It’s real frustrating,” admitted Galaxy goalkeeper Brian Rowe, who made four saves on the night. “We had a good first half, took it to them; had the bulk of possession and opportunities. In the second half, we died off a little.
“It’s one of those ones where we’ll go back and be frustrated traveling this far and not being able to get that point,” Rowe concluded.
Both Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes were unavailable for the Galaxy – on international duty for their respective countries – and they were also denied the services of Giovani dos Santos and Steven Gerrard, who were listed as 'questionable' due to hamstring and quad concerns.
After the game, Arena gave no updates regarding their availability for Wednesday's match against Colorado.
The loss extended LA's winless streak to five matches and saw them shutout for the second consecutive match in league play. A frustrating result given the veteran-heavy lineup that the Galaxy still were able to field.
“We’ve got to do better at the end of games,” emphasized fullback A.J. DeLaGarza. “Once you get to that 70-minute mark, we've got to get out of here with at least a point. I thought we played well enough to get three, we had chances to get three.”
Away from the comforts of home and without four high-profile players, Arena opted for a side packed full of experience in both MLS – Mike Magee, Jeff Larentowicz, Alan Gordon, Baggio Husidic, and DeLaGarza – and internationally – Ashley Cole, Jelle Van Damme, and Nigel de Jong.
But despite holding out for over an hour and facing a Toronto side without two of their own designated players, LA could neither find a goal, nor register the clean-sheet.
“You'd like to think that [having so much experience in the team would be an asset], but we walked away losing the game,” said Arena. “You'd like to think that with a more veteran team, those kind of games, at least you get a point on the road. We failed to do that tonight.”
