Defoe, Defoe, Defoe. England star scores third MLS goal as Toronto wins home opener

TORONTO – England star Jermain Defoe scored his third MLS goal in two games to lift Toronto FC to a 1-0 win over D.C. United in Toronto’s home opener Saturday.

Defoe, who scored twice in his MLS debut last week in Seattle, could have had four goals on the day before he finally scored in the 60th minute after Brazilian strike partner Gilberto was sent in alone by a beautiful through ball from Michael Bradley.

Goalie Bill Hamid made the save but the ball was cleared only as far as Defoe, who got the ball out from under his feet and hammered home a right-footed shot.

The goal, before an announced crowd of 22,591 at BMO Field, featured all three of TFC’s designated players and helped Toronto (2-0-0) to its best ever start to a season. D.C. United (0-2-0) has yet to score this season after being beaten 3-0 by the Columbus Crew in its season opener two weeks ago.

Defoe’s three goals would have tied him for third overall in Toronto FC scoring over the entire 2013 season.

The 31-year-old forward played provider in the 76th minute but Canadian Dwayne De Rosario was unable to beat Hamid. Defoe had another yet chance in stoppage time but he shot high and wide as a fan ran on the pitch during the attack.

After a brutal winter that included one last snowfall overnight, the ravaged grass at BMO Field made for a choppy game. It might as well have been played on a cowpatch.

At one point in the first half, an attempted cross by Brazilian winger Jackson turned into a moonshot on the loose, bumpy surface. That did not stop one of TFC’s sponsors, which sells lawn fertilizer and other products, from setting up signs on the field at halftime.

Still Toronto — wearing its new onyx kit — had the better chances, with Bradley pulling the strings in midfield and Defoe and Gilberto showing signs of a promising partnership up front.

Toronto won its season opener 2-1 last weekend in Seattle while Gilberto nursed a quadricep injury. That means just two games into the 2014 schedule, TFC has already one-third of the victories it collected last season when the team went 6-17-11.

Toronto has never before opened the season at 2-0. The previous best was a 1-0-1 start in 2009.

In 2012, it took the team 14 games to record two victories.

Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen made just one change to his starting lineup, inserting Gilberto in place of De Rosario (who replaced Gilberto in the second half).

While an overnight snowfall had dissipated by kickoff, fans had to contend with a partial shutdown of the subway system as well as an AHL game and the National Home Show on the Exhibition grounds.

The crowd was announced as a sellout, but there were some empty seats.

It was two degrees at kickoff although a stiff wind did little to make it a pleasant afternoon. Neither did the pitch, which started cutting up in the first half.

The raggedy surface did not bother Bradley, who literally ran over referee Silviu Petrescu in the first half, knocking the official down as he steamed towards the visitors’ penalty box.

Defoe seemed destined to score in the 20th minute on a nice setup from Gilberto but Hamid somehow got a leg to his right-footed shot from inside the penalty box. Defoe had another chance in the 24th when Jackson sent in a nice angled pass from the by-line, missing out several defenders, but Hamid made the save.

Toronto winger Alvaro Rey, who had made a nuisance of himself down the left flank, shot high in the 35th minute.

Defoe threatened again in the 42nd minute, poking a Gilberto pass off the post. It was more of the same in the 48th when he snuck in and sent the ball just wide.

Jackson received a yellow card in the 50th minute for what looked like an elbow off the ball.

Bradley needed medical attention for a cut after a clash of heads midway through the second period with Davy Arnaud, who was also left bleeding and exited the game. Bradley returned with his head bandaged.

D.C. United was the worst team in the league last season at 3-24-7 but made wholesale changes during the off-season.

NOTES — Former Toronto FC striker Robert Earnshaw has joined English second-tier team Blackpool FC.