Game thread: LA Galaxy 2-0 Toronto FC - FT

FT - Galaxy take all 3 points from this match. TFC held the majority of play for most of the night, but Irbrahimovic by any other name still smells as sweet, apparently. Week and a half off before Montreal Away.

90’ - Three minutes of added time

That 2-0 feeling...

89’ - IBRA-BRACE - Zlatan home alone and slots home the 2-0 match killer. 3 goals in 2 matches vs. TFC. His 13th on the season. 35 in 42 regular season MLS matches. Assisted By: Emil Cuello, Joe Corona

88’ - LAG SUB2 - F. Alvarez off - Carrasco on

82’ - LAG SUB1 - Boateng off - Cuello on

81’ - TFC SUB3 - Laryea off - Boyd on

The 1-0 goal...

75’ - ZLATAN IxxAHIMOVIC heads home the 1-0 opener to the far post. 2 goals in 2 matches v. TFC. Assisted By: Efrain Álvarez

74’ - TFC have had 60% of possession the entire night, and now have 3 shots on target.

72’ - TFC SUB2 - Osorio off - Hamilton on

68’ - TFC SUB1 - Endoh off - DeLeon on

62’ - Ibrahimovic doesn’t miss that shot. Irbahimovic apparently does.

Please someone ask him about this after the match...

57’ - Shaffelburg’s ankle taking knocks with regularity in this match.

54’ - Pozuelo owns a bike!!!

52’ - Pozuelo off the corner does a 360 and forces Bingham to tip it over for another corner!

46’ - Second Half underway, and it’s all to play for.

HT - VAR has gone a full 45 minutes without awarding a PK against TFC, which seems noteworthy. <—-- So this is the note.

HT - Toronto with a upbeat first half on the road. 63.1% of possession and completed 85% of their 349 passes. All four of their shots failed to ask a question of Bingham, and Westberg has the only save of the match thus far.

HT - NO SCORE in CARSON, CALIFORNIA. Stay tuned for analysis as I try to spell everything KJ says correctly...

45’ - One Minute of Added Time.

44’ - Fraser picks up Toronto’s first yellow card of the match.

41’ - Lovely weighted chip pass from Pozuelo to Osorio who rescues the ball from the end line and into Bingham’s mitts.

37’ - TFC with 60.2% of possession so far. 85% passing.

33’ - Hate myself for not having a Kind Bar beside me on the couch. Big oooof

28’ - Zlatan looks at the referee shocked for at least the 6th time in the match. Take the over, friends, take the over. Favio Álvarez collects his team’s second yellow.

Aforementioned woodwork...

22’ - Westberg laid out on the lawn and Galaxy find the woodwork and Layrea on the rebound!!

19’ - Toronto FC with a few touches inside the Galaxy box. Nothing much comes of it. ShaffelSoon...

12’ - We are coast to coast to coast on the TeeVee. Wileman sets the table like a pro! Let’s Goooo!

6’ - First yellow of the match to Daniel Steres (LA)

5’ Ti-Cats being checked by video review. Expect this to lead to a Galaxy PK...

3’ Delgado over the woodwark, but unfortunately Ti-Cats need 7, not 3...

That escalated quickly....

1’ - WE’RE UNDERWAY from almost Los Angeles!

-2’ - LUKE WILEMAN!!

-5’ - CFL doesn’t seem to understand that Endoh is starting. Mister First Minute!!!

-8’ - TSN4 is letting us know about their TSN Go App. Confidence levels are middling...

-10’ - This CFL game is gonna be over before kick-off, right?

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Lineups

Toronto FC:

LA Galaxy:

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Preview:

After picking up a point in D.C. on the weekend, Toronto FC are still on the road for this midweek tilt, an after-hours rendez-vous with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy.

Things have been... better lately for TFC, who deserved to win in two straight, hampered by some tough VAR luck. That’s been without key players like Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and Jonathan Osorio as well, which will be a factor again tonight in Tinseltown Carson.

The Galaxy have a few players out on international duty as well. with Jonathan Dos Santos and Uriel Antuna playing for Mexico, and Giancarlo Gonzalez suiting up for Costa Rica.

A few more important members of the squad are out with injury, as Romain Alessandrini remains out with a long-term knee injury and both Chris Pontius and Sebastian Lleget sit as questionable.

Still there’s that Zlatan guy (who’s probably healthy? maybe?). He played in LA’s brutal 3-0 Cali Clasico loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on the weekend, so he and the rest of his side should be fired up for a home rebound here.

Ibra has 11 goals and three assists this year, as he continues to tear it up. His side is second in the Western Conference with 31 points (still way behind LAFC). Their goal differential is much worse than you’d think, though, at +2 (and only 24 goals scored). They can shut an opponent down, but they’ve struggled to find any sort of scoring apart from Zlatan.

TFC are currently holding onto a playoff spot by one point, with a game in hand on eighth-placed Chicago.

This is a late one; will you be awake? Will TFC?

Team news: injuries, suspensions & international duty

Toronto FC: Michel Bradley, Jozy Altidore (USA), Jonathan Osorio, Ashtone Morgan, Noble Okello (Canada) all on international duty, although it’s possible the Canadians have rejoined the team by now. Drew Moor listed as questionable with a hamstring strain.

LA Galaxy: Jonathan Dos Santos, Uriel Antuna (Mexico), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Costa Rica) away at the Gold Cup. Romain Alessandrini out with a knee injury, while Sebastian Lleget and Chris Pontius are questionable.

How to watch

Time/date: Thursday, July 4, 10:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: TSN 1 & 4
Live stream: TSN GO, ESPN+
Radio: TSN 1050 (Toronto)