Jaime Moreno's penalty-kick goal gave him a piece of MLS history and gave D.C. United a 2-1 win against Toronto FC on Saturday at BMO Field.
Moreno stepped up to take the kick after TFC midfielder Marvell Wynne committed a foul on D.C. striker Luciano Emilio in the penalty area in the 79th minute. Moreno's kick sailed past Toronto 'keeper Greg Sutton for his third goal of the season and the 108th league goal of his illustrious MLS career. It ties Moreno with the recently-retired Jason Kreis for the all-time lead in goals scored in MLS.
The late winner was set up by goals on both sides of halftime. Alecko Eskandarian scored against his former club, putting TFC into the lead just before halftime, but an own goal pulled United level seven minutes into the second half.
A game-winning penalty kick was perhaps fitting for a physical game that saw both clubs combine for six yellow cards (Toronto with four, D.C. with two) and 38 fouls.
The chippy play was part of the reason for a first half that saw both clubs struggle on offense. Both teams began in a 4-4-2 formation, and all but cancelled each other out in play that saw a number of turnovers and a lack of sustained scoring chances. Each side managed just one shot in the first 40 minutes.
A quiet first half ended with a bang as Toronto scored just before the break. A kick ricocheted off Eskandarian in front of the net, and D.C. 'keeper Troy Perkins seemed to pause, looking for a flag to be raised for offside.
That allowed TFC midfielder Maurice Edu to sneak ahead of a defender and backheel the ball back to Eskandarian, and he settled before blasting it high into the goal. It was the striker's first score of the season, and perhaps carried a bit more satisfaction than usual, coming in his first game against D.C. United, with whom he played from 2003 to 2006.
United's offense came alive in the second half and controlled the pace of play in the half's opening minutes. A near breakaway by Emilio in the 49th minute, after a long clearance from Perkins found him racing alone behind the TFC defense, was foiled by a shot high and wide of the net.
Later, substitute Guy-Roland Kpene made a nifty move to evade a Toronto player, and his subsequent pass to Christian Gomez led to a shot on net, but Sutton got down well to hold the effort.
What finally put D.C. on the board, however, was a bit of luck. Gomez sent a free kick into the penalty area and in trying to clear from Facundo Erpen, who was forward for the kick, Toronto defender Kevin Goldthwaite headed it over Sutton for an own goal.
Goldthwaite, who scored TFC's first-ever game-winning goal last Saturday against Houston, now has the dubious honor of scoring the first own goal in Toronto history.
Playing a second game in four days, TFC could do little more than clear the ball in response to United's pressure throughout most of the remainder of the game.
But after Moreno's goal, Toronto had a brief offensive flurry in an attempt to tie the game. The best chance came in the 85th minute, when Ronnie O'Brien's hard shot from the right side was stopped by Perkins. Toronto managed two shots in stoppage time, but one was stopped and the other flew over the net.
United are now unbeaten in three games after losing their first three matches of the season. Their next match is next Saturday at RFK Stadium against defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo.
As for Toronto FC, the club welcomes its first-ever European opponent next Wednesday when Portuguese club Benfica arrives for a friendly at BMO Field. TFC then head on the road to Columbus to face the Crew in MLS action on Saturday.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
