LOS ANGELES — Jeremy Ebobisse and Frankie Amaya took advantage of defensive blunders to help Los Angeles FC to its sixth straight win, a 2-0 decision Wednesday over Toronto FC.
Despite missing star attackers Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min, LAFC could have scored more had it not been for Toronto ‘keeper Sean Johnson, who saved a penalty and made highlight-reel stops on Ebobisse in the 74th minute and Alexandru Baluța in stoppage time.
At the other end, Hugo Lloris recorded his 11th clean sheet of the season. LAFC outshot Toronto 18-10 (7-3 in shots on target).
Rubbing salt in the wound, Toronto midfielder Alonso Coello was shown a red card after the final whistle, following video review for a nasty high challenge on Brazil’s Jailson.
The loss ended Toronto’s MLS-record run of eight straight draws while extending its winless streak to 11 (0-3-8). TFC has not won since a 1-0 decision July 16 at San Diego.
Los Angeles (17-7-8) has outscored the opposition 18-4 during its season-best win streak since a 2-1 defeat by visiting San Diego on Aug. 31. And it has not conceded in 346 minutes, dating back to a 4-1 home win over Real Salt Lake on Sept. 21.
Toronto (5-14-14) conceded cheaply in the 13th minute when Coello misplayed the ball under pressure from Ebobisse, resulting in an unimpeded path towards goal for the LAFC forward who beat Johnson with a low shot for his fourth of the year.
TFC is 0-12-7 when conceding the first goal this season.
Another defensive gaffe cost Toronto in the 60th minute after a turnover by Jose Cifuentes, a former LAFC player. Amaya, who had entered the game three minutes earlier, wasted little time beating Johnson to the short side.
The two goals gave LAFC 499 goals in 258 all-time regular-season games. The club is on track to become the quickest team in MLS history to reach 500 all-time goals, a mark currently held by D.C. United which accomplished the feat in its 295th game.
Johnson saved Venezuelan international David Martínez’s penalty attempt in the 60th minute after Martinez was taken down by centre back Kosi Thompson.
The game was originally scheduled for June 18 but was pushed back to October due to LAFC qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicked off June 14. The makeup date at BMO Stadium falls in the October FIFA international window, that meant both teams were missing key players.
Bouanga (away with Gabon) and Son (South Korea) had combined to score LAFC’s previous 18 goals. The last Los Angeles player to score other than those two was Canadian midfielder Mathieu Choiniere, in a 2-0 win at New England on Aug. 16.
And Choiniere is also away on international duty. LAFC was also missing striker Nathan Ordaz (El Salvador).
Bouanga has 24 goals this season, tied with Miami’s Lionel Messi for most in the league. Son has eight goals (in just nine games).
Toronto was without captain/midfielder Jonathan Osorio, fullback/wingback Richie Laryea and backup goalkeeper Luka Gavran (with Canada) and forward Derrick Etienne Jr. (Haiti) for its penultimate game of the season. Defenders Kevin Long, Zane Monlouis, Henry Wingo and Nicksoen Gomis are out injured.
Gavran was called into the Canada camp as cover while awaiting word from the Portland Timbers on whether James Pantemis had cleared concussion protocol.
Toronto coach Robin Fraser made four changes to his starting lineup, with Raoul Petretta, Maxime Dominguez, Theo Corbeanu and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint slotting in.
TFC could only manage a six-man bench with an average age of 21.2, including 20-year-old goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario.
Toronto showed some patient build-up play in the first half but failed to turn that into scoring chances. And, after going ahead, LAFC came close twice later in the half on dangerous crosses by wingbacks Artem Smolyakov and Sergi Palencia.
Cifuentes put on a show for TFC late in the half, winning the ball at the Toronto byline and then dribbling past three defenders. While Toronto had almost 55 per cent possession in the first half, its only shot on target was a long-range effort from Coello just before halftime.
It marked just the third-ever meeting between the two clubs with Toronto (0-1-1) searching for its first win. Los Angeles won 4-2 when the teams met in Toronto in September 2018 with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw a year later in L.A.
Toronto finishes the season with a 3-7-7 road record, marking the 12th time in its 19-year existence that it has failed to record more than three away wins.
TFC wraps up play Oct. 18 against visiting Orlando City and will be a spectator for the playoffs for the fifth straight year.
LAFC, which closed out the home end of its campaign with an 11-4-2 record at BMO Stadium, wraps up the regular season with away games at Austin and Colorado.
—
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2025
The Canadian Press
