With team captain Michael Bradley away on International duty, a Toronto FC side missing two Designated Players from its starting eleven faced a major task in trying to defeat a D.C. United side unbeaten at home in a Saturday evening fixture at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.



TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney made only one change to his starting eleven, with Collen Warner back from injury and playing in place of Bradley. Backup keeper Chris Konopka got another start in net and classy midfielder Benoit Cheyrou wore the captain armband.

The Opening 45



Toronto came out a bit flat in the early going of the first half but got stronger as the match progressed.



D.C. had a the first chance of the match in the 5th minute when forward Fabián Espíndola attempted to chip Konopka from just outside the box and saw his effort his the crossbar.



The home team opened the scoring a minute later when some poor marking from the TFC defense saw Steve Birnbaum tap in a well-placed corner kick from Espíndola.



Toronto started to dominate the possession as the half continued and saw Giovnco come close in the 24th minute when he used some nice footwork to open up a shot that required a diving save from United keeper Andrew Dykstra.



The Reds had an excellent chance at an equalizer in the 27th minute when a scramble in the net presented Warren Creavalle with a great chance from in close, with Dykstra ultimately coming up with a big save.



TFC came close again in the 31st minute when Giovinco broke in on goal and saw his shot ricochet off both Dyktra and D.C. United defender Sean Franklin and then off the post.



The Reds were unlucky a minute later when a clear handball in the D.C. United box by Davy Arnaud went uncalled by the referee.



Toronto broke through and scored an equalizer in the 34th minute on a fantastic effort by Giovinco in which the crafty Italian beat his defender and then hammered a marvellous shot into the top left corner, with the D.C. United ball boy throwing his arms up in exasperation behind the play.



The Second Half



D.C. United came out of the half-time break with a renewed game plan, as the home side showed improved possession and movement in a second half that did not ultimately have a multitude of scoring chances.



Both Head Coaches attempted to kick start their respective offense with second half substitutions, with Vanney bringing on Jay Chapman and Jozy Altidore and Ben Olsen countering with ex-TFC midfielder Luis Silva.



With the match cruising along and looking very much like it was going to end in a stalemate, it was another moment of Giovinco magic that broke the camel’s back in the 83rd minute, when the Atomic Ant took advantage of a smart dummy from Altidore to unleash a blast from 25 yards out that beat Dykstra and stunned the crowd.



Outside of a couple of very shaky moments from Konopka, Toronto FC played a flawless defensive half to pick up a huge win over an Eastern Conference opponent, as well as put an end to D.C. United’s 20 game unbeaten streak at home.



Overall, this was a very impressive road performance from a Toronto FC side that is very much looking like not only a lock to make the postseason but also like a squad with a legitimate chance to make noise in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Outside of the single breakdown on D.C. United’s only goal, the Toronto back four was again very solid and effective.

#TFCLive Photo: Coach Vanney addresses the team following the big win in D.C. pic.twitter.com/nN1p5jqPnP — Toronto FC (@torontofc) June 7, 2015



Man of the Match



Giovinco



It’s getting to the point where you can just pencil in the Atomic Ant as the Man of the Match prior to kickoff. The Italian International has been that influential and unstoppable in recent weeks. Giovinco had two more marvelous goals on an evening in which your could feel the stress the D.C. United defenders were feeling every time he was on the ball.



As good as Giovinco was, there were plenty of other TFC players to write home about. Benoit Cheyrou had another fabulous performance breaking up plays, shielding the back four, moving the ball effectively and providing leadership on an evening when Michael Bradley was absent. Luke Moore had another fine intelligent game in which he held up the ball well and played off of Giovinco effectively. Special mention on the back line goes to Eriq Zavaleta and Ashtone Morgan for their especially solid defensive performances.



Toronto FC Line-up

1 Chris Konopka

38 Justin Morrow

24 Damien Perquis

15 Eriq Zavaleta

2 Ashtone Morgan

26 Collen Warner

8 Benoit Cheyrou

3 Warren Creavalle

21 Jonathan Osorio

10 Sebastian Giovinco

27 Luke Moore



Substitutions: Substitutions: Jackson for Collen Warner (46); Jay Chapman for Warren Creavalle (73); Jozy Altidore for Luke Moore (83). Who is your Man of the Match?