TORONTO — It was about as sweet as a tie can get: one point that almost felt like three thanks to Alan Gordon’s last-minute goal against the LA Galaxy on Saturday.
“Yes, for sure it feels like a victory,” defender Danleigh Borman said Tuesday after training at Cherry Beach. “LA’s top of the league right now. Especially coming so far to get a point away is unbelievable and obviously the same situation we were down 1-0 and then 2-1 and we came back.”
Gordon, who entered the game late in the first half after Jacob Peterson was injured, scored both goals against his former team after missing six games because of a groin injury.
The big striker pulled one back for the Reds after they went down in the second minute. Later, he sunk one in four minutes into second-half stoppage to counter the Galaxy’s 90th-minute tally.
Thus, what Borman – and the rest of the guys, for that matter – would like to see is better play earlier in the game so the team isn’t always trying to come back in games.
“I think that’s our biggest problem is when we start in games, we start off very slow,” said Borman, who played well on Saturday and was responsible for the perfect cross that Gordon headed in for TCF’s first goal. “I don’t know what it is. We need to work on that. That kills us because they’re scoring early goals and we always have to come back and then we’re chasing the game. If we can start much better, I think we finish really strong.”
Toronto FC will have a chance to show that they have gained more than a point from the big draw at Los Angeles when they play the New England Revolution on Wednesday in Foxborough, Mass. (8 pm ET; watch LIVE online)
“[The Revs are] one point below us,” Borman said. “This is an opportunity to get three points on the road and get our third win of the season. We’re going to try to take advantage of that the best we can.”
With injuries on the back line to center backs Adrian Cann and Nana Attakora, there is added pressure on the remaining defenders, including 18-year-old Doneil Henry, who all played well against the Galaxy.
Borman accepts the responsibility.
“That’s my job,” he said. “We have to take it on ourselves. If we don’t that’s a bad thing.”
Borman believes Saturday’s feel-good draw can be something to build on.
“It gives us confidence,” he said. “As you can see, we can play good soccer – we just need to be more consistent with [starting and ending strong].”
TFC trio to miss New England match
Tchani suffered a bruised leg in the first half against the Galaxy and will not make the trip to face the Revolution on Wednesday.
Peterson, who aggravated a hamstring injury, and Attakora, who suffered a thigh injury in a scoreless draw with Sporting Kansas City on June 4, also will not make the trip.
