Somehow big sluggers TFC, Galaxy still have a view of the postseason

TORONTO - For Toronto FC and the LA Galaxy, the 2018 season has exposed more irritants than a sadistic chemist's storage cupboard. It came as a surprise to nobody, then, that Saturday's meeting at BMO Field was a carnival of calamity and confusion.

Even after some taekwondo trickery from Zlatan Ibrahimovic - the veteran now joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the third active player to notch 500 goals for club and country - before the break, a 3-1 lead looked comfortable for the hosts. Michael Bradley was able to bypass the midfield, threading balls nonchalantly to Jozy Altidore or Sebastian Giovinco, and the Galaxy duly lost shape at the back like a shabby, depressed accordion.

Then, TFC crumpled. Rather than one player getting blamed by his teammates for a defensive lapse, every Red in the vicinity of the two floated deliveries that the Galaxy converted early in the second half looked bewildered. No one seemed to know exactly what they were meant to do in each scenario.

With such disarray among both squads in Toronto FC's eventual 5-3 win, it's difficult to know what to make of two of the most spendthrift sides in Major League Soccer. According to the player salary guide released at the start of May, TFC and the Galaxy collectively splurge $43.7 million annually on players' pay packets.

"I'm here four or five months, and I can only judge from my four months," Ibrahimovic told theScore when asked what needed fixing in his team. "The loss today is not from today, it is something that's been going on for a while now. In four games, we've conceded something like 15 goals. If you want to win trophies, you don't concede 15 goals in the whole season."

Only Orlando City (62) have allowed more goals in MLS than the Galaxy (59) . The disorganization against TFC was pandemic, with Ashley Cole the sole member of the Galaxy's rearguard who couldn't be described as tentative during Altidore's second goal. Victor Vazquez's run to the near post and header to open the scoring was reminiscent of Michael Owen, but that was more a reflection of defensive dopeyness than the playmaker's predatory instinct.

"We get overconfident, we didn't stick to the plan, the organization, and they punish us," Ibrahimovic surmised after what he believed was a strong start from his side.

He added: "We have a big will, we have a very good moral in the team and good character, but still we do decisions and the simple mistakes that will get punished. Normally, sometimes when you do those mistakes, you don't get punished, you get away from it, but at the moment we get punished very bad."

Toronto FC's defending, meanwhile, was languid during the two goals after the half. What should have been an easy win was at risk of turning into something similar to the collapse at the Columbus Crew in June. For Ola Kamara's goal, there were a host of players who were static and helpless, allowing Jonathan dos Santos' 54th-minute free-kick to find the unmarked Norwegian.

"The set-piece goal is about concentration, responsibilities, guys fulfilling their roles within the set-piece scenario. Obviously we didn't do that to the level we want," TFC manager Greg Vanney said in the post-match press conference.

Citing injuries as an excuse for poor results - particularly for a squad as deep as Toronto's - seems a cop out, but for the Ontarian outfit, there may be some grounding. Chris Mavinga's elongated spells on the sidelines have been extremely harmful to his team's ambitions; his speed and ability to perform a last-ditch tackle have been sorely missing. Drew Moor, at 34 still a crucial and calming presence, was an unexpected absence in this weekend wrangle.

"We spent 10 days preparing for this game a certain way and two days ago Drew, in training, comes up with a calf (injury)," Vanney explained of the center-back's latest setback. "We were hopeful that it might be nothing and he might be able to recover. He was in our 19 (in contention for the 18-man squad) that we had for the day, but he didn't feel like he could go."

Vanney rued: "That's how the season has been."

Ibrahimovic noted that, such is the forgiving nature of MLS, playoffs are still within reach. It's "a little bit unfair," the Swede opined, but with rivals dropping points elsewhere, the stars may align for the chaotic Galaxy. TFC are in a similar situation. Maybe things won't be so bad for these teams come the playoffs.

For now, at least Zlatan - despite his loose assertions that the defeat was more important than his feat - can lay claim to another highlight in an enthralling career. The unorthodox pivot-and-prod from the Swede was a fitting way to reach a half-grand.

"Compliments to Toronto because they will be remembered for my 500th goal," he smirked.