Two quick second-half goals for Toronto FC proved the difference in a 3-1 victory against the New England Revolution on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.
Dwayne De Rosario broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 68th minute, and Amado Guevara followed up two minutes later with a brilliant direct free kick that found the upper right-hand corner of the net. It was Guevara's second goal of the game, after he and New England's Sharlie Joseph traded goals a minute apart in the first half, and the third time that the midfielder has scored a brace as a Red.
The win was Toronto's first over New England in six all-time meetings, and it temporarily elevated Toronto to first place in the Eastern Conference pending the remainder of the weekend's results. For the Revolution, it was another step in the wrong direction, as the New England side stretched their winless streak to six games (0-3-3).
Marvell Wynne returned to the Toronto lineup after missing last Saturday's match due to a leg contusion. Wynne took his usual spot at fullback, while Nana Attakora (who left the last game with a mild concussion) got another start at center back. Striker Danny Dichio, who has been hampered by a stomach virus in recent weeks, started at forward in place of Pablo Vitti.
The Revolution just made one change to the starting XI that took the field last week against Colorado. Regular goalkeeper Matt Reis was back between the posts after missing last week's match with a concussion.
New England had the first major chance of the match in the third minute. Midfielder Wells Thompson crossed to captain Steve Ralston in front of the Toronto net, and Ralson delivered a one-touch header that required a quick save from TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
TFC didn't record its first shot until the 10th minute, when a nice passing play in the New England end concluded with Carl Robinson taking a shot from 25 yards that Reis was able to block with a falling save.
The first 10 minutes were evenly matched, but the Revs jumped out to the lead in the 12th. Midfielder Chris Tierney crossed to Joseph inside the penalty area. Joseph just barely got his head on the somewhat errant pass, but his connection redirected the ball enough to fool Frei, and the ball just barely curled into the right side of the net.
It was the team-leading third goal of the year for the New England veteran, who has played a larger role in the offense this season after being moved to forward. Joseph has three goals in nine games this season, making 2009 already the third-highest scoring year of his seven-year MLS career. Joseph scored a career-high six goals in 2005.
Facing an early deficit, it took TFC barely over a minute to equalize. The Reds took the ball into the New England end, and Wynne got things started with a centering pass from outside the penalty area. The ball ping-ponged from Dichio to Chad Barrett, and back to Dichio, who delivered a short touch to Amado Guevara. The Honduras international made no mistake with a strike from just outside the penalty area that found the back of the net.
The goal was the fourth of the year for Guevara, and also the fourth of his career in 17 regular season matches against New England.
Any doubts about Wynne's fitness were erased in the 28th minute. Wynne took a pass from Barrett at midfield, sprinted down the right side, then put the ball through the legs of NE defender Emmanuel Osei in a nifty move that brought the Reds fullback to the edge of the goalkeeper's box. With two defenders and Reis bearing down, Wynne could only manage an off-balance shot, but the deflection found his foot again a moment later. Wynne's second attempt, however, went high over the crossbar.
Wynne's fellow fullback, Jim Brennan, showed some quality of his own a few minutes later, except in the other end. Center back Adrian Serioux fell down while taking a pass, leaving the ball open for Joseph inside the penalty area. With the Grenadian star bearing down on Frei, Brennan rushed to his 'keeper's aid by getting alongside Frei and deflecting Joseph's shot out of play.
Though the Revolution constantly threatened with long pass attempts in to Joseph, Toronto controlled the majority of play in the first half. The Reds had seven shots on goal to New England's three, and outshot the Revs 10-5 overall. De Rosario led TFC with three shots in the first half, including an effort in the 41st minute that was preceded by an impressive run down the middle of the field.
While New England came out strong to start the second half, possession began to even up as the half progressed, though neither side was able to generate much of anything on attack until TFC struck again in the 68th minute.
Dichio corralled a deflected pass in the center circle and managed to chip the ball ahead to De Rosario rushing down the right side. With Barrett coming down the left, De Rosario used the striker as a decoy and took the shot himself from inside the box after a little stutter-step to freeze Reis. The shot found the back of the net for De Rosario's fourth goal of the season.
De Rosario's goal again tied him with Guevara for the team lead, but the Honduran went back ahead in his personal competition just two minutes later. Following a booking given to Wells Thompson, Guevara lined up for a free kick from 40 yards out on the left side. The set-piece specialist delivered a beautiful curving shot that sailed into the right corner of the net to give the Reds a two-goal lead.
Dichio assisted the first two goals and also played a role in this third score as well. Dichio was standing in the box and jumped at Guevara's kick, which seemed to fool Reis, who may have thought that the big forward was trying to re-direct the ball. With Reis' attention focused on Dichio, the goalkeeper didn't have the time to make an attempt at stopping Guevara's free kick.
With the game seemingly in hand, the only suspense remaining was if Toronto would score a fourth goal to match the club's single-game high. Things became a bit chippy, as both Guevara and Ralston were booked in the 80th and 81st minutes, respectively.
TFC heads to Houston on Saturday for a match against the Dynamo. It will be De Rosario's first game against his old side since the December trade that brought him to Toronto. The Revolution head back to Gillette Stadium for a two-game homestand, beginning on Saturday against D.C. United.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
