Zlatan Ibrahimovic put his side on his back once again with two late goals against Toronto FC on Thursday night. Here are three takeaways from LA’s 2-0 win.
Toronto FC failed to win for the second match in a row with their 2-0 away loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Although the Reds had their share of possession in the attacking third in the first half, the home side manufactured the best chance when Efrain Alvarez hit the post after receiving a driven ball across goal from fellow winger Emmanuel Boateng.
The second half was an end-to-end affair, but TFC lacked imagination in the final third, setting the stage for Zlatan Ibrahimović to steal the show as the charismatic Swede’s two goals in the last 15 minutes secured three points for his side.
Toronto FC are now only one point ahead of eighth-placed Chicago Fire heading into the Fire’s trip to Children’s Mercy Park this Saturday, whereas the Galaxy have narrowed the gap between themselves and conference topping city rivals LAFC to six points.
Here are three things we learned from Thursday’s match at Dignity Health Sports Park.
3. Liam Fraser continues to impress
Liam Fraser has excelled covering for captain Michael Bradley in the central defensive midfield role since the American’s departure for the Gold Cup. And he did so again against the Galaxy.
Operating at the base of Vanney’s 4-1-4-1 formation, the 21-year-old’s performance enabled his side to out-possess their opponents 58%-42%. Fraser found space whether the Galaxy dropped off or pressed high, dictating play from deep and functioning as a release valve when TFC faced pressure during their build-up. The youngster was on the ball nearly 100 times (98 to be exact), connecting on 90% of his attempted passes, and contributing one key pass despite his deep-lying role.
Fraser was not outstanding defensively, making only two tackles and one clearance. Nevertheless, he managed to hold his own in aerial duels against Zlatan, winning two of his four battles in the air against the Galaxy’s star striker.
With Bradley set to return in time for next Saturday’s Canadian Classique, it will be interesting to see whether Vanney will attempt to play Bradley and Fraser alongside one another in central midfield given the latter’s recent form.