Toronto FC scored three goals in a 20-minute span of the second half to beat undermanned D.C. United 4-1 Saturday in a meeting of the two worst teams in MLS.
The win snapped an eight-game league winless streak for Toronto (5-15-11). D.C. United (3-21-6) now hasn't won in eight games.
Bright Dike, Alvaro Rey and Darel Russell scored for Toronto, which also got an own goal. Midfielder Jared Jeffrey replied for D.C. United.
Dike's goal came in the 67th minute after referee Ted Unkel played advantage when a D.C. United defender pulled a Toronto player down. Defender Mark Bloom motored past the wreckage and sent in a cross that Dike volleyed home for his first goal in a Toronto shirt.
Toronto made it 3-1 four minutes later after Rey's cross from in close bounced in off D.C. United defender Conor Shanosky. Rey than dribbled around a string of defenders before slotting the ball home in the 87th minute to pad the lead.
With United playing in the U.S. Open Cup final Tuesday against Real Salt Lake, coach Ben Olsen shuffled his entire starting lineup to rest his starters. That meant no Dwayne De Rosario, Luis Silva, Chris Pontius, Dejan Jakovic, John Thorrington, Nick DeLeon, Bill Hamid or any other starter that featured in last weekend's loss in New England.
United dressed just 16 players, two short of the maximum. Five of the starters were substitutes last week against New England.
The starting lineup included 17-year-old forward Michael Seaton, making his league debut.
Toronto FC was without suspended defender Steven Caldwell, midfielder Jonathan Osorio, manager Ryan Nelsen and assistant coach Fran O'Leary. Assistant coach Jim Brennan, the franchise's first player and captain, ran the sidelines.
Goalie Joe Bendik, resplendent in pink as part of MLS's breast cancer awareness campaign, captained Toronto in Caldwell's absence. Bendik won the starting job after Frei was injured in the first pre-season game.
Devon Sandoval scored in the ninth minute to lift Real Salt Lake to a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
Using a mostly a second-team lineup, Salt Lake (15-10-6) gained a share of first place in the Western Conference.
The Whitecaps (11-11-8) saw their playoff hopes fade some more as they remained four points behind fifth-place Colorado with only four games remaining. Only the top five teams qualify for the postseason.
Camilo was in Vancouver's starting lineup after scoring two goals as a second-half substitute a week earlier in Montreal. Whitecaps striker Kenny Miller missed the game a groin injury.
As a result, Tommy Heinemann took his place after impressing in a win over Montreal. Heinemann, rarely used for most of the season, made his second consecutive start, and third overall. Before last week, he had not started since April 20.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis went with 10 new additions to his starting lineup as he rested key players in preparation for Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup final against D.C. United. The winner of that game will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.
The absentees included starting goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfield stalwart Kyle Beckerman.
The moves paid off early as Sandoval bounced a header past Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted. It was the third goal of the season for Sandoval, who put in a cross from Lovel Palmer on a counterattack after the Whitecaps had controlled the run of play in the early going.
The Whitecaps came close to tying the score in the 36th minute, but Salt Lake goalkeeper Jeff Attinella knocked Russell Teibert's volley of a pass from Heinemann over the net.
Heinemann had a chance just seconds before halftime, but he headed Young-Pyo Lee's long lob wide of the goal.
Heinemann was hurt early in the second half as he was blindsided by Salt Lake defender Chris Schuler well ahead of the play. Although Heinemann stayed in the game, he and Gershon Koffie were later replaced by Kekuta Manneh and Darren Mattocks, respectively.
Salt Lake had a chance to go ahead by another goal around the 61st-minute, but Ousted made a sensational save on an attempt by Yordany Alvarez. Ousted lunged to get his hand on the ball, knocking it away for a harmless Salt Lake corner kick that went untouched before going out of bounds.
Ousted made another nice save in the 68th minute on Sebastian Velasquez, diving and catching the ball in his mid-section. The Whitecaps' goalkeeper made yet another excellent save a little while later as he leaped to get his body on Olmes Garcia's shot from the right side of the area.
Mattocks had another chance to draw the Whitecaps even in the 86th minute, but sailed a shot from 19 yards just wide of the post.
Will Bruin scored in the 76th minute to lift the Houston Dynamo to a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday night.
Bruin's goal was his eighth of the season and second in two games, and moved Houston (12-10-8) into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Saer Sene gave New England (11-11-8) the lead in the 65th minute, sending a hard shot off the right wing to the far top left corner of the net.
Houston nearly took the lead on Giles Barnes' header in the 23rd, and again Bruin's shot by Bruin went just left of the post in the 83rd.
New England, 3-1-1 in its last five at home, nearly took the lead in the first half on a curling drive by Chris Tierney after a free kick in the 39th minute, and again in the 89th minute on a bicycle kick from Juan Agudelo.
Marco Di Vaio and Maxim Tissot scored goals as the Montreal Impact rallied to a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night and reignite the Impact's season after consecutive MLS losses.
Di Vaio's league-leading 19th goal had given the Impact a 1-0 lead in the 25th, before Fire forward Mike Magee scored twice in a 16-minute span, putting Chicago ahead 2-1 in the 73rd. Magee spurned his hat-trick opportunity sending a penalty kick off the crossbar.
Tissot salvaged a point for Montreal in the 87th minute, after he was left alone in the penalty area, he took a loose ball and deftly headed it past sprawling goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
The draw brought the Impact its first point in three matches, while the single point for Chicago left the Fire two points out of the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with four matches remaining.
In Vancouver, Devon Sandoval scored the only goal of the game in the ninth minute to lift Real Salt Lake to a 1-0 win and a share of first place in the Western Conference.
Toronto FC scored three goals in a 20-minute span of the second half to beat undermanned D.C. United 4-1, in a battle between the two lowest ranked teams in the MLS.
Bright Dike, Alvaro Rey and Darel Russell scored for Toronto, which also got an own goal. Midfielder Jared Jeffrey replied for D.C. United.
In Foxborough, Massachusetts, Will Bruin scored in the 76th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw for Houston at New England to move the Dynamo into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
