Toronto FC forward O'Brian White heads a ball against Los Angeles Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter (R) during the first half of their MLS soccer game at the BMO Field stadium in Toronto June 26, 2010. REUTERS/ Mike CasseseMIKE CASSESE/Reuters
Los Angeles Galaxy veteran Clint Mathis was watching at home when teammate Landon Donovan scored to send the United States into the round of 16 at the World Cup. His son, who is not quite two years old, went on a tear around the house, clapping his hands while screaming, "gooooaaal."
Mathis watched the U.S. from afar again on Saturday, when it was eliminated from the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Ghana, but he is confident that earlier dose of excitement will linger and help grow the game in his corner of North America.
"Just to see all the media hype, and to have everyone have a little buzz about it, it's great to see," Mathis said after the Galaxy, back to work without Donovan and Edson Buddle, plodded to a scoreless draw with Toronto FC on Saturday night.
"Every time the World Cup comes around, it is talked about and has a little more media coverage. But I think this has been the most that I've seen ... this has definitely had the most PR, for sure."
Fan reaction to Donovan's extra time goal against Algeria last week have been plastered across YouTube. It has been estimated that 8.6 million Americans watched that game, which sent the U.S. into the knockout round with its first group win at the World Cup in decades.
It was not immediately known how many Americans watched their team fall on Saturday, but it was known that many of Donovan's Los Angeles teammates caught the game on television. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, a former U.S. national team coach, said he saw the entire game, even though it ended only a couple of hours before Los Angeles kicked off in Toronto.
"I think U.S. soccer, over the last 12 years, has improved greatly," Arena said. "There's going to be positives from this World Cup and, certainly, there'll be people who'll be critical, as well. But I think getting into the final 16 is good progress."
Progress was a little tougher to come by in Toronto, where both teams showed rust from their break in the MLS schedule.
Toronto (5-4-3) and Los Angeles (10-1-3) each managed a lone shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes, with the hosts enjoying only marginally better chances.
Toronto midfielder Nick LaBrocca sent a curling shot wide across the face of goal in the 35th minute after a few unsteady touches on the sideline with teammate Jacob Peterson. It was followed minutes later by a speculative drive from captain Dwayne De Rosario, who fired from 30 yards out.
Toronto coach Predrag (Preki) Radosavljevic shuffled his cards early in the second half, substituting forward Chad Barrett and midfielder Julian de Guzman onto the field. The changes, however, had little effect, and the game ended in a stalemate.
"It was a typical game after three weeks of not playing," Preki said. "I don't think either of the teams was very sharp. It was a tough fight. I thought if anybody made a mistake, that was going to be how the game was decided. But neither team really made any big mistakes."
Some of the most interesting developments unfolded just over the horizon.
Evidence of the nearby G20 Summit hung over the stadium, with a thick plume of black smoke rising from downtown Toronto. There were reports it was from the latest in a string of police cars set ablaze by protesters, and it would have been burning a 20-minute walk from the upscale hotel where the Galaxy had been staying.
Subway shutdowns, altered bus routes and the uncertainty over road closures contributed to a lighter-than usual crowd. Attendance was announced as 18,809, though it did not reflect the actual number of fans in the stands.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment issued a statement to offer absent ticket holders the chance to attend another game this season. Tickets to that other game will be subject to availability.
"We made a decision to hold this game based on the security information we were receiving and given the location of BMO Field," MLSE executive vice-president Bob Hunter said in the release. "With the Galaxy and officials all in the city, there was never any thought given to cancelling the game."
For the Galaxy, the thoughts after the game drifted toward their teammates. It is not known when Donovan and Buddle will return to action for Los Angeles, which has only lost once in 13 games this season.
"They've had a long, tough World Cup," Mathis said. "Those guys have been on a whirlwind, so it's time to bring those guys back down to earth, a little bit."