MLS 2019: LA Galaxy vs Toronto FC

After winning only one game in their last 10, Toronto FC travelled to LA Galaxy in search of redemption. LA Galaxy sit in second place of the MLS Western Conference behind local rivals LAFC. Everything pointed towards an LA Galaxy win, and the game predictably ended two goals to nil for the home team.

Despite the predictable scoreline, Toronto FC held Guillermo Barros Schelottos men off until the 75th minute. Find out exactly what went wrong for Toronto FC during this MLS match, and why it took so long for LA Galaxy to break the deadlock in this tactical analysis.

Lineups

While the following image indicates that both LA Galaxy (left) and Toronto FC (right) lined up in the same formation, the positioning of players changed mid game. Zlatan Ibrahimović remained the furthest man forward for LA, while Alejandro Pozuelo dropped deeper to act as a playmaker. One notable inclusion in the Toronto FC lineup was Liam Fraser over Michael Bradley who is currently playing in the Gold Cup with the USA. Striker Jozy Altidore was also unavailable for Greg Vanney.

Alejandro Pozuelo

After the departure of Toronto FC club legend Sebastian Giovinco, Alejandro Pozuelo was brought in to try and fill the void of the missing franchise player. But the Spaniards style of play and incredible passing range makes him a more like for like replacement of Víctor Vázquez who also left Toronto last winter.

Pozuelo can score goals, as he proved on his Toronto FC debut, but he cant score the goals and set them up at the same time. With star forward Jozy Altidore away on international duty, added pressure has been put on Pozuelo to score and assist. The absence of Altidore was evident in this game, as Pozuelos brilliant playmaking resulted in little to no chances for Toronto FC.