MLS: Kansas City Wizards 2-3 Toronto FC

My new-found fascination with Major League Soccer has meant I've been looking forward to this weekend. Having seen Fredy Montero's superb brace in Seattle Sounders' debut win over New York, I sat down at 00.30 UK time to watch Kansas City Wizards host Toronto FC.

For the benefit of our UK-based readers, Toronto were founded as recently as 2006, then coached by one Mo Johnston, former player at Everton, Celtic and Rangers, and...Kansas City Wizards.

Familiar faces at Toronto include Englishmen Danny Dichio and Rohan Ricketts, and Welsh international Carl Robinson. Argentine Claudio López is one of the Wizards' bigger names.

Tonight's game was Kansas City and Toronto's first game of the 2009 MLS season, and both teams were looking to get off to a winning start.

The first half saw Toronto take the lead in an end to end game. Their lead was probably just about deserved, but the Wizards were equally capable. Kansas City played prettier football while Toronto combined attractive play with more urgency than their hosts.

The home side came close to opening the scoring in the seventh minute from a cleverly worked free kick by López and Graham Zusi. A dummy run and cheeky pass neatly created a chance but the final shot crept wide. Chad Barrett wasted a great chance for Toronto seconds later, and again in the 12th. His finishing early on was truly appalling - a bad sign.

In the 33rd minute Toronto skipper Jim Brennan thundered his side ahead. Zusi was dispossessed and Dwayne De Rosario broke from the half way line. Toronto had men spare on the counter, and De Rosario played through Brennan who stepped into the area and duly cracked his shot into the roof of the net, clipping the crossbar as it flew past Hartman.

The game had been opening up before the goal and continued to do so after. Kansas City briefly had the better opportunities but it wasn't long before Barrett had Hartman at full stretch to prevent a second.

By half time, it was clear that both sides are able to play very tidy, quite quick passing football, but the quality in front of goal - and occasionally at the back - is where these two MLS teams miss out. Adrian Serioux was very neat at the back for Toronto, but his team-mate Ricketts regularly came up short when a tidy touch was needed.

After the break Kansas City, operating a more attacking line-up following the introduction of Honduran Roger Espinoza, quickly seized the momentum by picking up the pace and taking the game to Toronto.

On 52 minutes Kansas City put together the best move of the game. Espinoza broke after mugging Ricketts and the one-touch move was wasted by Lopez who fired over from distance.

Thirty seconds later it was 2-0. Carl Robinson clipped a diagonal ball to the edge of the Wizards' box which found Amado Guevara with enough time and space to turn before sweeping a right-footed shot inside the far post.

In truth, it was against the run of play, and sure enough Kansas City pulled one back three minutes later. And judge Major League Soccer all you like, but this was world class no matter how you look at it. The superb Davy Arnaud touched the ball down all of 25 yards from goal and hit an absolute screamer into Stefan Frei's top left-hand corner.

Almost instantly, goalkeeper Hartman had to stand up to Robinson as the Welshman broke into the box and he made a vital save to keep Kansas City in it.

But it was Hartman's error on 61 that allowed Toronto to restore their advantage. A long ball from Robinson fed De Rosario, whose shot from a narrow angle was palmed right into the middle of the box where Amado Guevara was waiting to pass into the empty net for 3-1.

But Davy Arnaud woke the game back up in the 76th minute with another screamer. This was a little closer in but equally assured. Game on.

Dwayne De Rosario had a chance to put it right back to bed, but skied an awful penalty with 11 minutes left. As it happened, had the spot kick been on target (i.e. ten yards lower), Kevin Hartman had guessed exactly where it would have wound up anyway.

With the clock running down, Kansas City went all out for the equaliser but were unable to create the golden chance and Toronto held on.

What an advert this was for MLS. It was end-to-end and very entertaining - plenty of goals, a missed penalty and a little bit of spice. Two of those goals, Davy Arnaud's brace, were incredible, and came off different feet just for good measure. But the best bit, of course, was the late introduction of Danny Dichio, QPR cult legend.

All in all, very exciting and well worth watching.

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Posted by Chris Nee