Toronto FC started the season with back-to-back wins for the first time in franchise history with a 1-0 victory over DC United in front of a sellout crowd at BMO Field. Jermain Defoe put forth another Man of the Match performance scoring the match winner in the 60th minute. Defoe jumped on a poor defensive clearance after a Gilberto shot on the break and slotted into a wide open net for his third goal in two matches. It was a feel good day for the long-suffering Toronto FC supporters. The poor weather held off, and the sun even came out shortly before Defoes goal. The noise, the atmosphere, the smiles were back at BMO Field and theres good reason to believe more good times are on the horizon on the lakefront in downtown Toronto. Off-season hype has turned into regular season production. The match lacked the speed and tempo of the opening game win in Seattle but had similar combative elements and superior team shape, boding well for further progression as this group of new players continue to gel. Here are five thoughts on Toronto FCs home opening victory. Determined Defending – The group was simply dominant, worthy of the clean sheet. Proven MLS goal scorers Eddie Johnson and Fabian Espindola were forced to fall deep to get involved in the play. Pushing attacking players far away from Julio Cesars goal has been trademark through two matches. Absolutely no space was given. The partnership of Steven Caldwell and Doneil Henry has provided stability the team has lacked in recent seasons. They have proven an ideal duo to lead from the back – experience paired with sheer athleticism. Theres a lot to like. The off-season addition of Justin Morrow flew under the radar, yet the left-back has been among the teams best, a rock down the wing. And Mark Bloom has maintained positional integrity, solid on the night. Although DC United held 63 per cent of possession, TFC limited their opposition to only one legit goal scoring opportunity and two shots on goal. Last week in Seattle, the Sounders only had two truly good scoring opportunities. Keeping the possession to the outside is critical, with Caldwell and Henry being monsters in the air in defending crosses. It must be said goalkeeper Cesar hasnt been caught out of position, creating calmness at the back. Overall, the early season returns as a team defensively have been superior to expectations. Imperfect Pitch – The long and brutal Toronto winter made for soft, muddy and bumpy conditions, making it difficult to play the ball on the deck. Toronto FC took very few chances in their defensive end, choosing to clear more often than maintaining possession. This will have to change as the season goes on. Possession is critical to dictating the tempo and flow, while bringing Torontos skill players into the game. There was little flow Saturday. Im not sure if TFC will ever be a dominant possession team. Good news however, they are always dangerous on the counter. They have pace down the wings and creative movement up front through pacey strikers. No matter the conditions, this team will create chances. Give kudos to the team for adapting from one extreme on turf a week ago to succeeding on a soft, slow, choppy surface in Toronto. Defoe/Gilberto Potential – The duo is a work in progress but there is much to get excited about. Defoes resume and early production speaks for itself. Head Coach Ryan Nelsen commented post-match, "If I was Roy Hodgson, Id pick him in a heartbeat" when asked about his potential World Cup inclusion. If he continues on this kind of form, Hodgson will have a tough time keeping him out of his England side in a tournament all about timely goal scoring. Gilberto was always the mystery heading into the season. The 24-year-old designated player is a relative unknown commodity, but did score 14 goals in Brazil last season. His pre-season prediction of scoring 25 goals may be too ambitious, but he showed boatloads of promise in his Toronto FC debut. His movement off the ball is intelligent. And although 510, the striker plays much bigger, regularly getting his body in between the ball and his defender. His set up on Defoes chance off the post in the 42 minute was a well-timed run finished with proper service low to the front post. Gilberto doesnt speak English: another hurdle to developing chemistry with Defoe but both players have natural instincts. This relationship will be fun to watch as it develops. Referee Inconsistency – The replacement officials a week earlier did a better job than Silviu Petrescu and his crew Saturday. Regular MLS officials went back to work this week with the same inconsistencies in their play call that has frustrated MLS onlookers for years. Petrescu was a step slow throughout the match (literally when bowled over by Michael Bradley), but its a lack of consistency that will drive players crazy. In the second half, Alvaro Rey was taken down after beating two defenders down the left wing – no card was shown, yet moments later down the right hand side, Davy Arnaud was cautioned for taking down Jonathan Osorio on a similar play. Players, coaches and fans alike need to be clear on how a match is going to be called. The overall performance Saturday was subpar. Bravo, Bradley – Toronto FCs number four covers an incredible amount of ground. The pressure he puts on the ball sets the tone, giving little time or space for his centre-midfield opponents. There wasnt much room in the centre of the field Saturday, but Bradley expertly used what little he had, creating both short and long using his wingers to near perfection. Its the edge, blue-collar mentality that will easily win over supporters. The clash of heads with Arnaud that sent the DC United midfielder out of the game was a late challenge. Bradley was lucky not to be cautioned. But it was a challenge hed never back out of. Its not in his DNA to back out of 50-50 balls. The commitment is true leadership by example. With a gash split open on the back of the head, Bradley received some quick treatment, had a bandage cover the wound, and was back on the field, bossing the play and being combative as ever. The American international will continue to be the straw that stirs the drink. Its hard to imagine Toronto FC now without his presence. Lets wait until June to deal with that problem. gareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca@WheelerTSN Mousa Dembele Jersey . 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Finlands Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves to lead Dallas over the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 Saturday night. He received plenty of help from the Stars defence and got goals from Ray Whitney and Russias Valeri Nichushkin. Fernando Llorente Jersey . 1. Lions WR Calvin Johnson (6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD, 10 targets) leads receivers with 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns, though his 118.1 receiving yards per game ranks second behind Clevelands Josh Gordon. Gordon (10 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD, 15 targets) is emerging as a superstar, putting up huge numbers even with Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden at quarterback. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Juan Perez hasnt gotten many at-bats in the majors. He didnt need a whole lot of experience to know what was coming this time. Left-hander Tony Cingrani was going to throw a first-pitch fastball. The young outfielder got it and hit it out. Perez and Michael Morse homered with two outs in the sixth inning on Wednesday night, rallying the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 victory that ended the Cincinnati Reds longest winning streak of the season at four games. San Francisco won for the 10th time in 13 games, improving the best record in the majors to 38-21. Morse hit a solo shot and Perez had a two-run homer off Cingrani (2-6), who has lost all of his four starts since returning from shoulder tendinitis. Cingrani relies on his fastball -- he threw it 81.7 per cent of the time last season, second-most in the majors -- and threw one to Perez to start the game-changing at-bat. Perez, making only his fourth start this season, was ready to swing. "I was looking for a fastball in and I got a fastball down the middle," Perez said. Perez is in his second stint with the Giants this season. He was only 1 for 21 heading into the game on Wednesday, struggling to adapt to his limited playing time. "Hes probably had the toughest job of anybody since hes been here because he doesnt get many starts," manager Bruce Bochy said. "Their guy shut us down. Hes got a good, live fastball. He was throwing very well. So Perez came through for us." Ryan Vogelsong (4-2) extended his recent streak of solid pitching by giving up two runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings while fanning a career-high nine. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in last four starts. "I just really kept doing what I was doing," Vogelsong said. "I felt the stuff was there, I just need to keep making pitches." It was a rare win in Cincinnati for the Giants, who had lost 11 of their last 12 at Great American Ball Park during the regular season. San Francisco won all three there while taking the division playoff series in 2012. Vogellsong gave up Todd Fraziers team-leading 11th homer in the third inning, a ball that hit the screen on the left field foul pole.dddddddddddd Jay Bruce added a run-scoring double, his third RBI in the last two games. Bruce came into the series with no RBIs since April 25. Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances. He had allowed a run in each of his last three outings. Billy Hamilton had three singles off Vogelsong, matching his career high. It was his sixth three-hit game. Cingrani has been trying to get back into form after being on the disabled list for 17 days because of tenderness in the left shoulder. His velocity has been inconsistent -- the left-hander throws mostly fastballs -- while hes gone 0-4 with a 5.16 ERA in his four starts. With Cingrani trying to hold a 2-0 lead with two outs in the sixth, Morse hit his team-leading 12th homer on the first pitch. Cingrani gave up a single by Brandon Hicks, and Perez hit his first homer of the season and the second of his career for a 3-2 lead. It was only the fourth time in 28 career starts that Cingrani allowed more than one homer. Hamilton ran the Giants to distraction again, but this time they prevented him from scoring. Hamilton had two infield singles among his three hits, forced two throwing errors and was caught by catcher Buster Posey while he trying to steal third base. The Giants have seven errors in all during the two games. NOTES: LHP Madison Bumgarner (7-3) faces Mike Leake (3-4) in the final game of the series. Bumgarner is 5-0 in his last six starts, matching the longest winning streak of his career. Leake is 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA in his last four starts against the Giants. ... The Giants have scored 122 runs with two outs, the most in the majors. ... Giants OF Hunter Pence extended his hitting streak to five games. ... RHP Mat Latos made what the Reds had hoped would be his final rehab start before hes activated, but he had to leave the game for Triple-A Louisville with a cramp in his calf after only 67 pitches. ' ' '