Toronto FC built on early momentum and beat Club Deportivo Motagua of Honduras 1-0 on Tuesday night in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League qualifier.
Dwayne De Rosario earned an assist on Chad Barrett's first-half goal and created several chances of his own.
"It was fun," De Rosario said. "We saw a lot of the ball in the midfield, guys were moving, guys were on the ball, and I think that was a big key to our success."
Toronto earned an invitation to the tournament with its successful defense of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship in May. The CONCACAF Champions League - comprised of North American, Central American and Caribbean teams - takes part in three stages, and sends its champion to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup.
A win or a draw in the second leg next week would put Toronto into the tournament's group stage.
Toronto was eliminated from the preliminary round of last year's tournament after failing to score a goal in two games against the Puerto Rico Islanders.
After a flourish of early movement Tuesday, forward O'Brian White was nearly the first to score in the 19th minute, but was thwarted with a last-second deflection from Motagua defender Ivan Guerrero.
The visitors had four World Cup players in their starting lineup - a group headlined by former Toronto midfielder Amado Guevara - but were sluggish early. They were still on their heels after White's attempt when De Rosario took over.
Toronto's captain hit Barrett on the run, sending the forward in alone on goal in the 20th minute.
Toronto is set to fly to Honduras from Kansas City following its MLS game against the Wizards on July 31. It will face Motagua in Tegucigalpa on Aug. 2.
"It's a great result, it's a positive thing to take a win out of here," Barrett said. "In Honduras, it's going to be tough. They're going to be just as good, if not better, on their own field."
