Sandwiched between two high-profile Copa Sudamericana matches, D.C. United's encounter with Eastern Conference cellar dwellers Toronto FC on Saturday had all the makings of a "trap game" that could all too easily be overlooked in relation to the glamour and intensity of the international stage.
That scenario -- a disastrous one given D.C.'s ongoing chase of the Supporters' Shield trophy and first place in the East -- began to unfold when United's lackluster first half allowed the Canadians to jump ahead on a 14th-minute free kick from Carl Robinson.
"We got our butts chewed pretty good [at halftime], and we were expecting it," said United goalkeeper Troy Perkins, who used words like "lazy" and "lackadaisical" to describe his team's first 45 minutes. "We knew that we were not playing well. We lacked a lot of intensity in that first half."
But an infusion of veteran experience helped right the ship as Jaime Moreno and Ben Olsen came off the bench to spark D.C. after the break. A sudden torrent of four goals in 18 second-half minutes enabled the Black-and-Red to surge past TFC for a comfortable 4-1 result that runs their unbeaten streak to 10 games.
"You know, it's a fine line playing so many games, resting guys and finding which pieces are going to work together," said United coach Tom Soehn. "Some days it works and some days it doesn't. Thankfully today we were able to inject some key guys and change the flow of the game."
Wracked by injuries that have deprived coach Mo Johnston of several impact players -- the former Scottish international was forced to start two defenders in midfield against United -- TFC fought gamely against the league leaders but in the end had no answer for the attacking class displayed by their hosts.
"[Toronto] got a good goal, and we knew that's what they were going to try to do: get a goal and just sit back," said Devon McTavish, who took over D.C.'s right back duties with Bryan Namoff injured. "First half, we couldn't really break their pressure at all, couldn't get to them. And then we had big players like Moreno and Olsen coming off the bench at halftime, and that's a huge plus for us. They made the difference."
Having been sent off in the first half of Wednesday's 2-1 win over Chivas, United left back Marc Burch made amends by scoring his first professional goal against Toronto, a long-range rocket in the 52nd minute that drew D.C. level before Fred, Moreno and Luciano Emilio sealed the deal with classy finishes of their own.
"It's the fifth shot I've taken this year and I finally put one on frame," said Burch afterwards. "All the guys have been telling me to shoot and getting my opportunity to finally get up there and hit one, it felt good."
The converted striker revealed that the United coaching staff had offered only positive reinforcement after Wednesday's ejection, using the incident as another building block in his development, and their faith was duly rewarded on Saturday night.
"It's a lesson that I need to learn," he said. "I think it was a little bit of me talking to the ref during the game, and I don't feel like I deserved the second yellow, but it happens and [Soehn] just wanted me to learn from it and make sure it doesn't happen again."
Having dispatched Toronto, United fly to Mexico on Sunday afternoon for the second leg of their clash with Chivas de Guadalajara at the Estadio Jalisco on Tuesday night -- and even with their 2-1 aggregate lead, the Black-and-Red know that the occasion will demand another illustrious performance.
"It's going to be a very difficult game," said Emilio. "We can't go in thinking that we have any type of advantage. We have to go in thinking that the game is 0-0, which it is. That's the type of mentality we need to have success."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
