Through the season’s first four games, Toronto FC showed flashes of brilliance.

The problem was that those glimpses were fleeting. A good 45 minutes was accompanied by lapses in which the team couldn’t score, defend or even complete multiple passes.

But on Sunday afternoon at a wet and windy BMO Field, the Reds turned in their most complete performance of the season. The result was a 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders before 18,394 fans.

“Every game we’ve played spurts. Today, we played a good 90 minutes and it’s real good to see,” said Dwayne De Rosario, who scored the winner in the 58{+t}{+h} minute and then set up O’Brian White in the 76{+t}{+h} minute to end the suspense.

“As a whole unit, it was first class.”

The Reds’ best players were their best on the day. De Rosario scored for the fourth straight game. Midfielder Julian de Guzman, who signed as the team’s first designated player late last season, played his most complete game in a TFC jersey. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei made some key saves in recording his first shutout of the season and sixth of his career.

After a host of roster changes through the late stages of the pre-season and the first couple of games that mattered, the Reds struggled to develop cohesion and comfort with each other.

“We’re overcoming that hump now,” said de Guzman, who blamed his “bone-headed error” on the decisive goal in a 3-1 loss in Colorado last weekend, said of the increasing confidence players have in the team. “We have a better understanding of each other.”

De Guzman controlled the play in the middle of the field. He made several good passes forward, generating scoring chances, and showed superb skill on the ball.

“I felt a lot more confident this game,” he said. “In total, I think everyone (did).”

On the first goal, Chad Barrett nicely worked the ball onto the left edge of the penalty area and got himself free only to hit referee Jorge Gonzalez with his cross. The ball bounced to Osvaldo Alonso who stumbled over it as he tried to clear it from harm’s way.

De Rosario stripped the ball from Alonso, stepped to his right and thumped a low, curling right-footed shot that goalkeeper Kasey Keller only got a piece of as it found the corner.

It was De Rosario’s fifth goal of the season.

White added the insurance less than 20 minutes later. Dan Gargan started the counter-attack with a long ball to De Rosario who played a perfect pass across the penalty area where White calmly stroked a left-footer past a helpless Keller to make it 2-0.

The goal, the third of White’s career, was the first TFC strike this season by anyone other than De Rosario.

The game was hard fought, especially the first half, when Jorge Gonzalez handed out three yellow cards — two to TFC players, one to Seattle. Tempers flared on both sides as the referee got an earful from each side.

Frei, who came into the game with the second-worst goals against average in Major League Soccer at 2.50, made four saves on the day. He had a point-blank stop off Nathan Sturgis in the 50{+t}{+h} minute to keep the game scoreless and then slid out to block a shot by Brad Evans who got in behind the defence just three minutes after De Rosario’s goal.

Frei also robbed Fredy Montero in close in the 84{+t}{+h} minute to preserve the clean sheet.

“Fortunately, I was able to make the saves when called upon,” Frei said. “But I thought the team played a great 90 minutes today.

“We all know that we can play but it’s great to finally put it together on the weekend and show everybody.”

TFC (2-3-0) has little time to savour the win. They return to BMO Field Wednesday night to begin defence of their Canadian championship against the Montreal Impact.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Coach Preki Radosavljevic called the scoreless first half “some of the best football we played all season.” His main concern was the side still pushing six men forward even after making it 2-0, noting “we can’t be that naïve” as it could have let Seattle back in.

“Overall, the commitment of the group was superb,” said Preki, noting it will give the team confidence heading into Wednesday and then a visit to defending MLS Cup champions Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.

“We’re going to make sure that we regroup, enjoy this win for the next five minutes and get ready for Wednesday night’s game,” he said.