TORONTO -- D.C. United dropped a crucial three points in the Eastern Conference playoff race, handed a crushing 2-0 decision by rivals Toronto FC on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.The win vaulted Toronto two points ahead of D.C. into third place with nine games remaining in the regular season for United.Toronto FC opened the scoring in the 30th minute when unmarked Canadian international midfielder Dwayne De Rosario rushed into the D.C. penalty area and connected with a Sam Cronin cross at the top of the 6-yard box.De Rosario’s well-placed header glanced off the side of his head, past the outstretched arms of D.C. goalkeeper Josh Wicks and into the side of the net to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.Toronto then made the score 2-0 in the 66th minute when 2009 MLS SuperDraft first-round pick O’Brian White struck for his first MLS career goal. Toronto defender Nana Attakora brought down an Amado Guevara corner kick and slipped the ball to White, who made no mistake firing the ball through a crowded penalty area past Wicks.Toronto dominated the run of play in the first half and had nearly broken the scoreless deadlock in the eighth minute when a cross by Cronin was headed toward goal by defender Jim Brennan, but the Canadian international’s header struck the goal post.United were limited to just a couple of solid chances on goal in the opening half.In the 10th minute Fred collected a pass from Luciano Emilio at the top of the Toronto penalty area and unleashed a hard shot which appeared to have goalkeeper Stefan Frei beaten but the ball hit the side of the goal.In the 36th minute Emilio beat the Toronto offside trap and rushed towards the Toronto goal but Frei came off his line and cleared the ball into the stands snuffing out United’s last clear-cut scoring opportunity of the half.United came out looking more organized after the halftime break with coach Tom Soehn electing to replace midfielder John DiRaimondo with Andrew Jacobson.Soehn continued to look for a way to further spark his offense and just before Toronto’s second goal replaced midfielder Fred with veteran striker Jaime Moreno.A free kick by Christian Gomez in the 51st minute forced Frei to come up with a fingertip save and seconds later Bryan Namoff stuck the post with a header but was ruled offside on the play.Striker Quaranta found himself all alone in front of the Toronto goal after a through ball from Moreno in the 84th minute but struck his shot well over the crossbar.A thunderous turnaround volley by Quaranta was then cleared off the goal line by Guevara as United pressed for a consolation marker deep into stoppage time.Despite Saturday’s loss D.C. United still enjoys a 5-2-1 record in all-time meetings between the two teams over three seasons. Toronto and D.C. tied 3-3 in their only other match of the season on May 9 at RFK Stadium.United plays their next game on Tuesday night when they travel to San Pedro Sula, Honduras for their opening CONCACAF Champions League group stage match against CD Marathon (10 p.m., EDT). The team then returns to Washington to prepare for next Saturday’s game (Aug. 22) at RFK Stadium when they play host to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
SCORING SUMMARY
TOR: Dwayne De Rosario 9 (Sam Cronin 3, Jim Brennan 1) 30TOR: O'Brian White 1 (Nana Attakora 4, Amado Guevara 5) 66
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TOR: Sam Cronin (caution; Reckless Tackle) 17DCU: Dejan Jakovic (caution; Reckless Foul) 22TOR: Carl Robinson (caution; Reckless Foul) 24TOR: Amadou Sanyang (caution; Reckless Tackle) 45TOR: Jim Brennan (caution; Reckless Tackle) 58DCU: Clyde Simms (caution; Reckless Foul) 72Referee: Alex PrusReferee's Assistants: Greg Barkey; Eric Boria4th official: Mathieu BourdeauTime of game: 1:53Attendance: 20,638Weather: Clear -and- 82 degrees
