An eighth-minute goal from Fred was all the offense D.C. United needed in on Saturday night at BMO Field for a 1-0 win against Toronto FC that saw the home side establish a new MLS record for scoring futility.
In spite of being outshot 12-5 by Toronto, D.C. managed to capitalize on its lone shot of the first half and extend the club's winning streak to five games. United improved to 10-0-1 this season when scoring first.
TFC, meanwhile, continued streaks of their own, though of a far less positive nature for the first-year Major League Soccer club. Toronto is now 0-5-3 in their last eight games, with their last win coming on July 4. Their last goal came on July 7 -- an MLS record 642 minutes played without a goal.
Toronto had two corners and three shots in the first six minutes, but it wasn't enough to the streak-breaking score. At the six-minute mark, TFC surpassed Real Salt Lake's 557 scoreless minutes in 2005 to officially become the league's new standard for lack of scoring. The BMO Field fans showed a sense of humor by counting down the seconds until the record was clinched, and then "celebrating" the event with streamers and applause.
The fans nearly had a more legitimate reason to cheer just a few seconds later. Maurice Edu, standing in front of the United net, made an acrobatic maneuver to collect a pass and release a hard shot at close range, but D.C. goalkeeper Troy Perkins knocked the ball away. A charging Danny Dichio, starting his first match since July 29 due to a hip flexor, collided with Perkins while jumping for the rebound.
While Toronto couldn't connect on any of their early chances, United scored on their first shot of the match. A long headed pass found midfielder Fred streaking down the left side of the field, but he encountered a rapidly approaching Jim Brennan at the top of the penalty area. Fred stopped short and sent a chip shot past Brennan and a diving Kenny Stamatopoulos that bounced into the Toronto net for the Brazilian's fourth goal of the season.
Fred's goal seemed to deflate TFC after their strong start. The Reds didn't manage as much as a shot in the next 20 minutes. Toronto's attacks seemed to follow the pattern of centering passes either finding no one to collect them, or being broken up by a leaping Perkins.
The lack of offense continued into the second half, as neither side could mount a significant scoring chance until the 57th minute. A caution issued to D.C. midfielder Brian Carroll gave Toronto a direct free kick from just outside the D.C. penalty area. Carl Robinson's kick arced in front of the net and found Dichio, but the striker's header went over the crossbar.
The missed chance seemed to stimulate the TFC attack. The 70th minute saw Toronto collect their best chance of the match. A nice series of one-touch passes moved the ball downfield and ended with Dichio passing the ball to midfielder Todd Dunivant coming down the left side. Again, however, Perkins thwarted the attempt, as the 'keeper ran to the top of the box to block the ball just as it left Dunivant's foot.
The play became heated in the second half, as each side earned three cautions in the final 45 minutes. The sides combined for 41 fouls in the game, and the physical play was part of the reason that neither club could sustain an attack.
The fouls led to four minutes of stoppage time, and Toronto pushed desperately to salvage a point from the match and end their goal drought. Though the Reds controlled the pace of play throughout the added minutes, their only chance came on a corner kick that was harmlessly deflected to the right of the D.C. net.
Toronto FC has two weeks before their next match, a Sept. 8 showdown at Pizza Hut Park against FC Dallas. In their last meeting, Toronto recorded the biggest win in club history when they beat Dallas 4-0 on June 17. Since that game, however, Toronto has gone 1-6-4 and scored just four goals.
D.C. United also have a date with FC Dallas next on their schedule, as they head to the Lone Star State on Saturday. A win against Dallas will give United their second six-game league winning streak in as many seasons.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
