TORONTO - When a weary Dwayne De Rosario finally arrived in Toronto on Thursday, he didn't know if he could even play, let alone contribute.
But in a game that was touted as David Beckham's long-awaited debut in Toronto, it was the city's own De Rosario that wound up the hero of the 2008 Major League Soccer all-star game. The Canadian's penalty kick in the 69th minute gave the MLS All-Stars a 3-2 victory over English Premiership squad West Ham United at BMO Field, in the annual soccer spectacle's first foray into Canada.
"It's a great feeling, especially being in my hometown," De Rosario said. "Can't ask for any more. Fans were great, atmosphere was great. Scoring in my hometown is a dream come true for me playing a game of this importance."
Christian Gomez of the Colorado Rapids and Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who earned game MVP, also scored for the All-Stars, while Dean Ashton scored both goals for West Ham.
De Rosario was a late arrival in Toronto as he and Vancouver goalkeeper Pat Onstad were delayed in Washington, D.C., where their Houston Dynamo were playing a makeup game against D.C. United. A power outage Tuesday bumped the game to Wednesday, and then the players had to sit through a three-hour weather delay after the 50th minute.
The game ended at nearly 1 a.m., and De Rosario figures he had 90 minutes of sleep before arriving in Toronto.
"Pre-game, (All-Stars coach Steve Nicol) spoke to me and asked how long I want to play," De Rosario said. "I was like, 'Man, I don't know, my mind is wiling but my body isn't. It wasn't until I got here with the fans and the atmosphere that I was basically rejuvenated."'
The MLS is now a perfect 5-0 since the all-star format was changed to bring in an international opponent.
While De Rosario secured the win after he was subbed into the game in the 59th minute, Beckham certainly didn't disappoint the record crowd of 20,844 fans at BMO Field that had waited nearly a year to see the former England captain take the pitch. Beckham was just weeks into his stint in the MLS and still nursing an old ankle injury when the Galaxy visited here Aug. 5 last summer. Becks sat on the bench in a suit and tie. He then missed L.A.'s game in Toronto earlier this season to play for England.
"I was kind of nervous going into the game tonight because obviously it was my first one and I'd read about the last five years, not losing, so I was kind of nervous and hoping we were going to win the game," Beckham said afterward. "But as soon as we started the game I knew we were capable of winning it because of the quality we've got in the team."
The night was Becks-Mania at its best as the stands were dotted with No. 23 jerseys of all sorts -- England, Manchester United, Real Madrid and the Galaxy. Fans crowded along the front rail snapping pictures as Beckham launched cross after cross during the warmup, and once the game began, each time the 33-year-old set up to take a free kick or corner kick, the stands were awash in a sea of flashing bulbs.
"We knew it was going to be good before the game," Beckham said of the crowd. "I've not played here before but I've been here before and seen the atmosphere, so I was looking forward to it and all the players were looking forward to it and that's what made it extra special.
"I think crowds and people and kids have fun when there's a lot of activity on the field, when there's a lot of goals, and tonight there were a lot of special occasions, special moments."
West Ham got on the scoreboard first in the 26th minute, when Ashton ran onto a through ball from Carlton Cole and slipped it past New England Revolution 'keeper Matt Reis to score his first of two goals on the night.
The All-Stars responded in the 27th minute when Gomez took a back-heeled pass from Blanco and launched the ball past Hammers 'keeper Robert Green.
Blanco scored the goal of the game in putting the All-Stars up 2-1 in the 43rd minute. The Mexican national team star took a pass from Dallas midfielder Juan Toja, switched the ball from his left to right foot to deke around a defender, and fired the ball to the right corner past Green.
Ashton scored his second of the game in the 67th minute to pull the London visitors even, firing a shot that glanced off All-Star defender Jimmy Conrad's head and into the net.
But De Rosario gave the All-Stars back the lead when he was taken down in the box by West Ham's Lucas Neill. The national team veteran coolly connected on a penalty shot that bounced up inside the crossbar before hitting the back of the net. De Rosario did a dance behind the net before being tugged an embrace by Toronto's Jim Brennan.
"I was going in for the rebound. Kind of hesitant and then I was like, 'Wait, wait, I think it's in.' I heard the fans cheering Thankfully it went in the net," said De Rosario, who scored the lone goal for the All-Stars in a 1-0 win over Chelsea. "Before the 'keeper was kind of talking trash to me, but I said I'm not missing this penalty in this game in my hometown."
None of the three Canadian all-stars were in the starting lineup. The Toronto crowd grew impatient waiting for Brennan, breaking into chants of "We want Brennan!" Brennan and De Rosario -- both Toronto natives -- were finally subbed into the game to a standing ovation in the 59th minute, while Onstad, a Vancouver native, went in in the 70th.
Beckham, who's scored five goals this season and notched a league-leading seven assists, had several scoring chances on the night, including a free kick in the 40th minute that looked on a direct path to the net, before a West Ham defender headed it off the goal line. He fired a shot in the 60th minute that flew just wide of the left corner. Beckham ran back up the field shaking his head in disbelief.
"If you go to Toronto FC games, they come support regardless of whether Beckham is here or not," De Rosario said of the hype surrounding the England star. "But he adds a different element, he adds maybe all you guys that wouldn't be here. He's a world-class player, he deserves the attention, deserves the credit, deserves what he gets."
The night got off to an ugly start, when fans erupted into O Canada during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. The fans booed when the flags of the United Kingdom and the U.S. were marched out onto the field, and not the Maple Leaf, and the British and American anthems were performed.
But it was perhaps just a bit of bad planning. The Maple Leaf was then marched onto the field by RCMP officers, and the Canadian anthem performed.
It was the only mishap on an otherwise entertaining evening, and after the game, both teams strolled around the pitch applauding the crowd.
"I was quite surprised at just how good the support was, that could have been any ground in England, it was that strong," Ashton said. "If I was a Toronto player, I'd love to play in front of that every week."
A good portion of fans in the end zone came clad in black T-shirts as a protest the possible expansion of the field to accommodate the Toronto Argonauts.
MLS commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday he agreed with the fans, saying the league's goal was to have every team in a soccer-specific stadium, but added he hoped they wouldn't turn out wearing black.
West Ham was using the game as part of early-season training, and was coming off a 3-1 win over the Crew at Columbus on Sunday.
"Obviously we're two weeks into a six-week program of pre-season so we needed the fitness work and we certainly got that tonight," said manager Alan Curbishley. "The MLS players certainly with a couple of goals they scored, terrific goals, it was a good evening. I think everyone can be well-pleased with their efforts."
