Toronto FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy: Matchday
Good afternoon all. Toronto FC plays host to the Los Angeles Galaxy today (3:30pm) in a game featuring two teams missing several key players.
David Beckham, Amado Guevara, Laurent Robert and Carl Robinson are some of the headliners set to miss the match, with Landon Donovan a question mark due to injury.
For your preview on the match, turn to Friend of SBI Morgan Campbell of the Toronto Star, who details all the players missing from today's match.
If you will be watching the match, or if you want to know what's going on in the match, please feel free to follow along here. Share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the match.
Ives Galarcep is an American soccer columnist for ESPNsoccernet.com and creator of SoccerByIves.net.
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I'll have to revise my previous assessment of the game. With Robinson and Guevera out (I was wrong in assuming that they'd be available), TFC will be struggling for goals. Defensively, Sutton has shown that he can handle the job in goal better than most people think he can; he will be missed. Besides, with Donovan and Ruiz on the bench, the Galaxy has better depth (depending on whether Donovan can play and how match fit Ruiz is).
If the Galaxy's defense can hold on (always an iffy proposition), L.A. could get away with a one- or two-goal victory.
Posted by: Joseph D'Hippolito | May 31, 2008 at 03:46 PM
Bummer, y'all. Full strength, this game would have been fun. LA - Chi in August is going to be another good tilt ruined with MLS totally ignoring the international calendar.
Posted by: eric | May 31, 2008 at 03:56 PM
why did tebily get subbed in the 15th minute?
Posted by: chris L | May 31, 2008 at 04:22 PM
they said on the broadcast (CBC) that it was a lower right leg injury. they had his leg taped right after he came off.
glad to see julius james getting his debut though.
Posted by: Geoff | May 31, 2008 at 04:39 PM
is maruice edu missing for tcf too?
Posted by: fieldsy | May 31, 2008 at 04:49 PM
Yes, Maurice is playing. Julius James headed home the goal, 49th minute. 1-0 TFC through 60 minutes.
Posted by: Pat the Red Bulls Fan | May 31, 2008 at 04:56 PM
Edu is in, he has a yellow card. MLS has the play by play screwed up on line, listing the other TO foul to Harmse rather than Velez. Harmse is in Seattle.
TOR -- Maurice Edu (caution; Professional Foul) 37
TOR -- Kevin Harmse (caution; Dissent) 54
Posted by: tfcfan | May 31, 2008 at 04:59 PM
64th minute Jeff Cunnigham goal. 2-0 TFC.
Posted by: Pat the Red Bulls Fan | May 31, 2008 at 05:03 PM
The Galaxy should just forfeit games when Beckham and Donovan aren't playing. There is NO team in the league they could beat without those players. No sense in risking other players getting injured when you can't win anyway.:)
Posted by: aristotle | May 31, 2008 at 05:18 PM
Yeah, or maybe the League can spot us a goal in games where Becks and Donovan are unavailable.
Posted by: Rudy | May 31, 2008 at 05:26 PM
That's all she wrote 2-0 TFC.
Posted by: Pat the Red Bulls Fan | May 31, 2008 at 05:31 PM
@tfcfan: A little late, but Harmse is not in Seatlle--he started and played 90 minutes.
Posted by: Skinn | May 31, 2008 at 05:44 PM
great result for tfc considering basically all of their really dangerous attackers were not playing{guevara, robert, dichio}
Posted by: chris L | May 31, 2008 at 06:30 PM
Harmse played and wasn't terrible - Ricketts played great, Edu played well - LA is not very good without Landycakes and Becky.
Posted by: Mike | May 31, 2008 at 06:52 PM
tfcfan.....shhhhhh....don't say anything about Velez getting that yellow card. He's on my fantasy team this week and I need all the points I can get. :)
Posted by: SonicDeathMonkey | May 31, 2008 at 08:10 PM
so TFC's depth players beat LA's depth players. nice work by Mo johnston on constructing a team that isn't top heavy like LA.
I honestly didn't expect much after knowing that 6 of TFC's starting 11 were gone (Robert, Guevara, Marshall, Robinson, Dichio, Sutton). but the other players pulled out a solid win.
Posted by: satan | May 31, 2008 at 11:08 PM
Big win and could have been bigger had we not squandered the two or three other quality chances.
Also a lot of positives came out of this game: James looked good on defence, we proved that we can get good results with our bench and once again showed that TFC fans will sit through any weather to back the squad.
Also in a rare turn of events, the other teams in the east lost last night. It's again a tight race for the top spots in the East (league).
Congrats TFC!
Posted by: Mike Laba | Toronto Unplugged | June 01, 2008 at 09:06 AM
Need to retract my comment above after watching the highlights. I was wrong about Harmse being in Seattle. Thanks guys :)
"Neither side recorded a shot until the 23rd minute, when TFC midfielder Kevin Harmse launched a booming strike that sailed well over the Galaxy net."
Posted by: tfcfan | June 02, 2008 at 05:59 AM