TORONTO – In a sea of youngsters, it was a pair of Toronto FC's experienced players who combined to earn a 1-0 victory over LA Galaxy on Saturday night at BMO Field.
With only 15 minutes left to play and LA's defense having held Sebastian Giovinco and company off the score-sheet, responsibility fell to Benoit Cheyrou. Playing as his side's midfield conductor in place of the absent Michael Bradley, who is still on international duty in the Copa America Centenario as the USMNT prepares for their Semifinal appearance against Argentina on Tuesday, Cheyrou excelled in his first start since April 2.
Given a moment to lift his head in the LA defensive third of the field, Cheyrou guided a perfectly weighted ball into the penalty area - ultimately leading to Drew Moor’s diving, headed game-winner.
“Ben has been fantastic,” Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney said in his post-match press conference. “He brings a nice calm to the group. He's very composed, disciplined, reads the game well, and gives the guys around him a lot of confidence. He really supports them.”
“Maturity,” was the word Vanney used to sum up the 35-year old Frenchman. “[It's] not just what he does on the field in his space, but it's also how he helps propel other guys to have good performances.”
On the other end of Cheyrou's pass was Moor, registering his second goal for the club after joining as a free-agent in the off-season.
“Drew is a very stable, consistent performer. He helps the guys around him,” said Vanney.
“I played with him when he was young and I was the old guy,” recounted the Toronto boss. “Now he's the old guy, playing with the young guys. Guys [like Moor], who can do their job, play outside of themselves, communicate with others to help deal with plays – it's great for guys like Eriq [Zavaleta] and Nick [Hagglund] to play with Drew.”
The goal held special meaning for Moor, whose newborn son, Joey, was on the pitch pre-match for anthems.
“Father's Day tomorrow,” noted Moor. “I've only been a father for about two-and-a-half weeks now, so it will be fun to call my father, let him know how much he means to me and then to hold my little boy for a little bit as well.”
Admittedly, they experienced duo had some help, from the aforementioned Zavaleta, who got the crucial flick, connecting the two.
“He showed some of his forward skills – he was [one] in college,” joked Vanney. “When he flicked that ball that found Drew – we needed that.”
