TORONTO -- Goals from Julius James and Jeff Cunningham highlighted a dominant second half for Toronto FC in a 2-0 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.
After an opening 45 minutes largely devoid of scoring chances for both sides, TFC came out firing after the break. Rookie defender James, who entered the match after an injury to Olivier Tebily in the 18th minute, headed in a free kick just 30 minutes into his first-ever MLS game. James' first goal was followed by Cunningham's 98th career league goal, as the fourth-leading scorer in MLS history finished off a deft passing play with his second goal of the season.
The victory improves Toronto's unbeaten record at BMO Field to 4-0-2 this season, and 5-0-3 overall since their last home loss on Sept. 22, 2007.
The Reds came out attacking and nearly scored just 16 seconds into the match. Marvell Wynne found some room down the right wing after Toronto took the opening possession, and sent a looping cross that found Cunningham in front of the Galaxy goal. Cunningham, however, didn't get much of a touch on the ball thanks to a partial block from L.A. goalkeeper Steve Cronin that caused the shot attempt to go off target.
Toronto kept the pressure on in the opening minutes, largely controlling play though not connecting on any actual shots. The attack was undercut by a good defensive effort from the Galaxy, who broke up several TFC passes with fine sliding tackles.
The game's quick pace early on belied the fact that both clubs were finishing busy stretches of the schedule (it was L.A.'s sixth game in 22 days, TFC's fifth game in 15 days) and were also playing with depleted rosters. The Galaxy were missing Ante Jazic and David Beckham to international competition and striker Landon Donovan was on the bench to start the game due to a nagging groin injury suffered last week against Kansas City.
While the Galaxy were missing their top two playmakers in Beckham and Donovan, TFC was missing more than half of their regular starting XI. Carl Robinson, Amado Guevara and Greg Sutton were away on international duty, Danny Dichio and Tyrone Marshall were injured and midfielder Laurent Robert was serving a suspension after being sent off last Saturday in Washington.
The lineup situation got more dire for the Reds in the 18th minute. Defender Olivier Tebily's first MLS start was cut short when he had to leave the field with what was described by team officials as a lower right leg injury. Taking his place was James, making his MLS debut after being drafted ninth overall by Toronto in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.
With all of this missing talent, it was perhaps unsurprising that both clubs looked disorganized on attack. While the Reds and Galaxy kept up the pace of play with several passes, it seemed that every possession was halted by a foul or turnover before it could develop into a real scoring chance. 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.
The number of chances increased as the half came to a close. In the 37th minute, the Galaxy's Alan Gordon found fellow striker Edson Buddle on the left side of the Toronto net. Buddle shot from an unusual angle, and the ball sailed over a jumping Brian Edwards and the crossbar. A few minutes later, Cunningham recorded the game's first shot on goal on a close-range strike that was blocked by Cronin.
A cloudburst near the end of the first half soaked the BMO Field turf, but the slippery surface didn't slow down the Reds. Like the start of the first half, Toronto came out quickly, with two shots on goal in the opening minutes of the second period. In the 47th minute, Rohan Ricketts drew the attention of two L.A. defenders and then completed a back-heel pass to an open Todd Dunivant. The former Galaxy player struck a curving shot that required a leaping save from Cronin.
TFC's next attempt proved more fruitful. Ricketts' direct free kick in the 49th minute was headed by James into the bottom right-hand corner of the Galaxy net. An ecstatic James rushed over to the Toronto bench and was mobbed by teammates in celebration of the rookie defender's first career goal.
The goal seemed to inspire the Reds, who poured on the pressure over the next few minutes. Perhaps the best chance came in the 55th minute, when striker Jarrod Smith carried the ball deep into the penalty area with Cunningham, Dunivant and Maurice Edu all in pursuit. Smith, however, somehow sent his cross between all three players and the chance failed to materialize.
TFC's attacking persistence paid off again in the 65th minute. After the Reds completed a series of sharp passes to bring the ball into the L.A. penalty area, it was Cunningham who found the last touch and struck the ball home. It was an important goal for the veteran striker, who had largely been relegated to a reserve role this season due to the success of Dichio and Guevara up front.
In fact, Cunningham was just inches away from scoring his 99th and 100th MLS goals after two close chances in the next few minutes. The forward was against the recipient of a passing series and kicked a line drive that sailed just wide of the bottom right corner of the Galaxy net. Then, Cunningham nearly collected a long pass for a breakaway, but Cronin rushed past the penalty line to break up the play.
Smith actually did find himself in on a breakaway in the 74th minute, but the New Zealander's shot was blocked wide by Cronin. By this point in the match, it seemed as if TFC was taking target practice on an almost non-existent Los Angeles defense. The Reds had outshot L.A. 8-0 in the second half before Gordon finally managed a shot in the 82nd minute that required Edwards to make his first save of the game.
Toronto FC head south next Sunday for their first match of the year against the Houston Dynamo. The second-year Reds are unbeaten against the two-time defending MLS Cup champions after a win and a draw in their inaugural season. The Galaxy head back to The Home Depot Center for a Saturday meeting with Colorado. L.A. have dropped their last two meetings to the Rapids --- a 4-0 loss in the season opener and a 1-0 loss last Tuesday in a U.S. Open Cup first-round match.
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