who was making his United debut after being acquired from RSL in the offseason -- before finishing with aplomb.
• A year ago Real snatched a 2-1 victory against United with two penalty kick goals after the 90th minute, and United brought back those memories when Luciano Emilio scored in the 87th minute. A cross wasn't dealt with and bounced around the goalmouth before Fred poked it to Emilio to prod home from close range for his fourth goal in three games, but that was as close as D.C. got.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made three changes to the team that lost 3-2 to the Los Angeles Galaxy the weekend before. After the trade between those two teams, Robbie Findley started in attack in his first match in Utah, while Chris Klein had gone the other way. Jack Stewart came in for Daniel Torres in central defense, and Carey Talley returned to the lineup, as Chris Brown was dropped.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-1-3-2): Nick Rimando - Jean-Martial Kipre, Eddie Pope, Jack Stewart (Daniel Torres 46), Ritchie Kotschau - Atiba Harris - Carey Talley, Andy Williams, Mehdi Ballouchy - Robbie Findley (Jamie Watson 73), Alecko Eskandarian (Kyle Brown 84). Substitutes Not Used: Nikolas Besagno, Kenny Cutler, Chris Lancos, Kyle Reynish
• "It felt extremely good to go into halftime with a 1-0 result. That was a new feeling for me. Having a lead in the game was a new feeling for me. Thinking about making changes in a defensive manner, that was a new thing for me. A lot of new feelings for me tonight, but hopefully were going to have a lot more," Kreis said.
TEAM NEWS
• Of course, there was relief after a first victory in 16 league matches. "I said it really from the beginning, that it wasn't going to happen overnight. I would have liked to have come into this position and switch the light and say this is how we want to play and have it happen. You know it's not going to be that way; it's taken a long time," Kreis said. "If you went back and looked at the games, I do feel that there's been a steady progression. Of course the results haven't been what we wanted them to be over that stretch, apart from some road draws that were very important for us, mentally. And then to put the game we put in last week and attack the way we did and score those goals, I felt like things were continuing to move in the right direction."
• In the days before the United match, Real traded away veteran Chris Klein in exchange for Robbie Findley and Nathan Sturgis.
• "He made me look good there. We were very concerned because after the trade had been signed off on we found out that he had a small injury. So we were very concerned that he wasn't going to be able to start tonight. He came into training yesterday and we communicated with him and he said exactly what I wanted," said Kreis. "He said he wanted to start. At first he was unsure, but we went through a little bit of training and he said it felt good and he was going to go for it. And I was very glad for that because I said 'I brought you here to start and I'm glad to hear that you want to, so you're going to.'"
• Kreis said that Findley, in his first match, showed exactly why they made the move for him. "I thought him and Alecko [Eskandarian] on the second goal was one of the best combinations I've seen in a long time. For two players to have that kind of understanding in their first game together bodes very well for us. Robbie obviously showed tonight that his pace is going to be very exciting for us," Kreis said. He'll be the type of player that can get in behind defenses, and we've been lacking that a bit. So I think with both of those goals he really showed his pace, and what he showed more importantly than that was just a very calm sense of finishing."
• In his fourth MLS start, Findley became the 11th player to record multiple goals in a debut with a new team. "It went really well," Findley said. "It was a team effort. If it wasn't for the other guys it wouldn't have happened, but I was able to get the goals, so that's good."
• Also as a result of the deal, Carey Talley filled Klein's wide right role in the midfield with Mehdi Ballouchy remaining on the left and Andy Williams and Atiba Harris in the middle.
• "I felt fine. I think Jason [Kreis] knows that I feel comfortable anywhere on the field, and until my mobility comes completely back he felt more comfortable with me being in that area and helping to defend in the middle. I felt great and I was just happy to contribute and be a part of a win," said Talley.
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC remained winless on the road for their history, but still came back to claim a 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards on Sunday evening at Arrowhead Stadium. TFC is still in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 14 points from 13 matches, a point behind the Chicago Fire and three in arrears of fifth-place Columbus Crew.
LAST MATCH
• The Wizards and Toronto FC were meeting for the third time on the season, both trying to reverse recent trends. The Wizards had lost their last two matches and were shut out for the first time on the season in their previous game, while TFC were still looking for a first road victory ever, after starting their current six-game road swing with a loss in New England the week before.
• For the first time in eight games, it was the Wizards who took the lead. From a quick counter, Carlos Marinelli latched onto a loose clearance and raced forward. He played the ball forward to Michael Harrington, and his shot from the right corner of the penalty area eluded the dive of TFC 'keeper Sam Reynolds inside the back stick.
• But in the first minute after the halftime break, TFC pulled level. Ronnie O'Brien worked himself free on the right and hooked in a cross for Danny Dichio, who had escaped his marker to head home for his fifth goal on the campaign.
• Toronto went down a man for the final quarter-hour when Andrew Boyens was sent off for a second bookable offense after a tackle on Sasha Victorine in midfield.
• But the story of the night was goalkeeper Reynolds, the league pool goalkeeper assigned to Toronto for "extreme hardship" who was making his professional debut on the night. He made six saves on a total of 25 Wizards shots, four of those saves coming after TFC went a man down, including a wonderfully acrobatic dive on a Scott Sealy blast and a parry on a point-blank header from substitute Ryan Pore.
• TFC head coach Mo Johnston made four changes to the team that lost 3-0 to New England the last time out. Sam Reynolds was chosen ahead of Srdjan Djekanovic in goal, while Todd Dunivant replaced Kevin Goldthwaite in the back four after the two were traded for each other (in the deal with New York). Chris Pozniak came in for Marvell Wynne, away on international duty, while the newly signed Collin Samuel came in for Andy Welsh on the left side of midfield.
• Here's Johnston's team (4-4-2): Sam Reynolds - Chris Pozniak, Andrew Boyens, Jim Brennan, Todd Dunivant - Ronnie O'Brien, Maurice Edu, Carl Robinson, Collin Samuel (Andy Welsh 80) - Jeff Cunningham, Danny Dichio (Marco Reda 80). Substitutes Not Used: Adam Braz, Miguel Canizalez, Srdjan Djekanovic, David Guzman, Joey Melo
• "I thought both teams created a lot of chances," Johnston said. "I think that we had the clearer of chances in front of goal. They had some things from out wide. They got some headers and we were blocking some other things. They are a very good team, and we played 20 minutes with 10 men."
TEAM NEWS
• Reynolds isn't even a permanent member of Toronto FC. A pool goalkeeper who is signed by the league, he is assigned to the team that needs him because of "extreme hardship." The 26-year-old last saw regular action in 2004, his final season at Cal State Fullerton. He was a backup for the USL First Division (second tier) Portland Timbers in 2005, but didn't make a single appearance. Reynolds did see action in a few games in the MLS Reserve Division for Chivas USA last year.
• "He's been sitting on benches. He's been flying across the country sitting on benches hoping to get a chance," Johnston said. Said Reynolds: "I was confident. Every time I looked up everybody in front of me were in good positions making plays," Reynolds said. "Guys at the top, Danny (Dichio) and Jeff (Cunningham) were chasing the ball around like mad making plays. The midfielders were making plays and the guys are solid in the back."
• While the Reds are still winless on their travels, it was a second draw in their last three road games. Four more games are ahead in a row on the road before the return to BMO Field, following the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
• "Honestly we are making progress. The young goalkeeper (Sam Reynolds) was playing great. We are waiting for some players to come back," Johnston said. "There are still improvements to be made though. You can see we don't look like a makeup team. We can open teams up when we want. But it is all about getting the monkey off our backs and getting three points. Hopefully we will do that Wednesday."
• For Dichio it was his fifth goal in nine games - he scored the first goal in TFC history on May 12. But it was his first that came from a Ronnie O'Brien cross.
• "We knew it was going to be a hard game coming to Kansas City. We wanted to get a goal in the first half, but we didn't get one. We dug in though and got one right after halftime. We don't want to put any added pressure on us, but we know that we have to dig in as a team and stay strong. It will come eventually. We have two draws in our last three on the road; that can be a stepping stone for us."
