LOS ANGELES — Jeremy Ebobisse and Frankie Amaya capitalized on defensive mistakes to help Los Angeles earn its sixth straight win with a 2-0 decision over Toronto on Wednesday.
Despite the absence of star forwards Denis Buanga and Son Heung-min, LAFC could have scored more if not for Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who saved a penalty and made stops on Ebobise in the 74th minute and Alexandru Balutsa in stoppage time.
On the other hand, Hugo Lloris recorded his 11th clean sheet of the season. LAFC beat Toronto 18-10 (7-3 shots on target).
Toronto midfielder Alonso Coelho, nursing a wound, received a red card after the final whistle after a video review of a nasty challenge against Brazil's Jailson.
The loss ended Toronto FC's MLS-record run of eight straight draws, while extending their winless streak to 11 (0-3-8). TFC haven't won since a 1-0 win on July 16 in San Diego.
Los Angeles (17-7-8) has outscored opponents 18-4 for its best winning streak of the season since a 2-1 loss at San Diego on Aug. 31. And he hasn't conceded in 346 minutes since the 4-1 home win over Real Salt Lake City on September 21.
Toronto (5-14-14) conceded cheaply in the 13th minute when Coelho misplayed the ball under pressure from Ebobisse, leading to an unimpeded path to goal for the LAFC striker, who beat Johnson with a low shot for his fourth of the year.
TFC is 0-12-7 when allowing the first goal this season.
Another defensive mistake cost Toronto in the 60th minute after the loss of Jose Cifuentes, a former LAFC player. Amaya, who had entered the game three minutes earlier, wasted little time in beating Johnson on the short side.
Those two goals gave LAFC 499 goals in 258 regular season games. The club is on track to become the fastest team in MLS history to score 500 goals all-time, a mark currently held by DC United, who accomplished the feat in their 295th game.
Johnson saved Venezuelan international David Martinez's penalty in the 60th minute after Martinez was brought down by center back Kosi Thompson.
The game was originally scheduled for June 18, but was moved to October due to LAFC's qualification for the FIFA Club World Cup, which began on June 14. The make-up date at BMO Stadium fell during FIFA's October international window, meaning both teams were missing key players.
Buanga (visiting Gabon) and Son (South Korea) combined for LAFC's previous 18 goals. The last Los Angeles player other than those two to score was Canadian midfielder Mathieu Choiniere in a 2-0 win over New England on Aug. 16.
And Choiniere is also on a business trip for the national team. LAFC also missed forward Nathan Ordaz (El Salvador).
Bouanga has 24 goals this season, tied with Miami's Lionel Messi for the most in the league. The son has eight goals (in just nine matches).
In the penultimate game of the season, Toronto was without captain/midfielder Jonathan Osorio, defender/fullback Richie Larrieu, backup goalkeeper Luca Gavran (Canada) and forward Derrick Etienne Jr. (Haiti). Defenders Kevin Long, Zane Monlouis, Henri Wingo and Niksoen Gomis are out with injuries.
Gavran was called to camp in Canada as cover while he waited to hear from the Portland Timbers about whether James Pantemis had cleared concussion protocol.
Toronto coach Robin Fraser made four changes to his starting line-up with Raul Petretta, Maxime Dominguez, Theo Corbeanu and Jules-Anthony Wilson replacing him.
TFC were only able to manage a six-man bench with an average age of 21.2 years, including 20-year-old goalkeeper Adis De Rosario.
Toronto showed some patient play in the first half, but were unable to turn it into scoring chances. And after taking the lead, LAFC came close to dangerous crosses from wingbacks Artem Smolyakov and Sergi Palencia twice at the end of the half.
Cifuentes put on a show for TFC late in the half, winning the ball near the Toronto sideline and then running past three defenders. Although Toronto had nearly 55 percent of the ball in the first half, the only shot on target was Coelho's long-range shot just before halftime.
It was only the third meeting between the two clubs as Toronto (0-1-1) sought its first victory. Los Angeles won 4–2 when the teams met in Toronto in September 2018, and the teams tied 1–1 a year later in Los Angeles.
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 road wins.
TFC will conclude play on October 18 against visiting Orlando City and will be a playoff spectator for the fifth year in a row.
LAFC, which finished its campaign 11-4-2 at home at BMO Stadium, closes out the regular season with road games in Austin and Colorado.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2025.
