Toronto FC edges expansion Philadelphia Union 2-1

TORONTO - A new grass field and new hope for Toronto FC after winning its home opener.

Toronto (1-2-0) needed a late penalty to register its first victory of the MLS season Thursday by edging the expansion Philadelphia Union 2-1. And new coach Predrag (Preki) Radosavlijevic had to endure a dire first half.

But Preki liked the outcome -- and the fact that he was able to throw some more of his new recruits out on BMO Field.

"It was important for us to get three points just because we've got a lot of new guys and for them to get some confidence going forward," he said.

Injuries have also hampered the Toronto cause early in the season.

"It feels almost like a pre-season for us because we finally have 20 guys that we're training regularly with," he said. "It's going to take us some time. We're far away from where I want us to be."

Captain Dwayne De Rosario scored on an 81st-minute penalty to give Toronto the win before 21,978.

Union goalkeeper Chris Seitz, who will rue both Toronto goals, took down an onrushing O'Brian White in the penalty box and De Rosario took advantage by putting away the spot kick for his second goal of the game.

De Rosario, who has all three of Toronto's goals this season, missed his hat trick in injury time when he hit the bar on a two-on-one with Chad Barrett.

After 80 minutes, it looked like Philadelphia (1-2-0) was destined to collect its first ever away point, despite losing its captain to a red card in the first half.

"Up until the penalty, we were feeling pretty good about things," said Philadelphia coach Peter Nowak. "It's very frustrating to walk away with no points out of this match."

Said Preki: "To give credit to Philadelphia, they're not a bad team. "They're a lively team, they keep the ball well and they gave us some problems.

"But I thought the second half, we have something to build on, hopefully."

After a slow start, the game heated up in the 34th minute when Philadelphia skipper Danny Califf was sent off for sticking out an arm to fell Toronto's Julian de Guzman, preventing him from racing past to latch onto a back pass.

Referee Baldomero Toledo showed the mohawk-wearing central defender a straight red card for violent conduct. The foul was glaring -- with de Guzman's Afro flopping as he tumbled to the ground -- and seemingly unnecessary.

Nowak declined comment on the incident.

Toronto scored on the ensuing free kick from outside the box as Seitz failed to hang onto De Rosario's shot. Seitz blocked the ball, only to see it trickle past him.

The goal, against the run of play, was a gift from the Philadelphia goalie but Nowak elected not to point the finger.

"There's no question about Chris Seitz," he said of the 23-year-old. "He is our goalie, he is extremely talented, he is a rookie in the sense that this is his first true opportunity to be a starter in this league and he needs these experiences.

"He's going to make some mistakes. We knew that coming into this but we have full confidence in him."

There were positives for Nowak, whose team showed character in coming back to tie the game and then holding off Toronto until the penalty.

After Califf's departure, the visitors switched to a back three and defender Jordan Harvey tied it up in first-half injury time, coming in off the wing to control a deft cross from slick Colombian midfielder Roger Torres and send it past a stranded Stefan Frei.

"A soft goal," Preki said with disdain.

Still, Torres opened up the Toronto defence like a locksmith.

Just five foot five and 140 pounds, Torres played a big role in midfield.

With Toronto loading up on attack to start the second half by introducing Barrett and White, Nowak eventually withdrew the little man for defensive help.

"Purely tactical," Nowak said of the substitution. "I told him when he came off, I said 'This has nothing to do with you, Roger, you played great."'

Toronto's tackling was anything but soft, with several Philadelphia players scythed down in the first half.

"Well if you want me to bring a lot of ballerinas I will," said Preki when asked about it. "This is a hard game. We've got to be tough."

The game was the first on the newly installed grass at BMO Field, whose north end now features a new stand of some 1,400 seats. The TFC home also featured proper team dugouts.

Preki rang in the changes for the home opener, inserting newcomers Maksim Usanov of Russia and Canadian Adrian Cann into the backline.

De Guzman returned to the starting midfield after battling flu that limited him to a substitute's role on the weekend.