TORONTO - Toronto FC played an inspired first half of soccer on Tuesday night to win its debut in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League, 2-1 over visiting Mexican side Cruz Azul.
Martin Saric scored in the opening three minutes of the first half and Miguel Angel Ferrer Martinez (Mista) scored moments before halftime to stake the hosts to a surprising lead at BMO Field. Toronto has not lost at home this season, aside from a shootout loss last month in an international friendly with Bolton Wanderers.
Toronto captain Dwayne De Rosario was once again the beating heart of the midfield, as the centre through which most of the offence coursed.
Toronto earned an invitation to the international tournament when it claimed the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, a domestic round-robin featuring the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact. The Ontario team progressed into the group stage of the Champions League for the first time with a preliminary round win over Motagua, a Honduran club.
The schedule will weave into Toronto's MLS regular season, with the group stage set to stretch into mid-October. Toronto has been drawn into Group A with MLS rival Real Salt Lake, Panamanian club Arabe Unido and Cruz Azul, a two-time finalist.
Toronto jumped all over its Mexican opponent on Tuesday night, racing upfield moments after the opening kick. Cruz Azul was on its heels when the ball was flicked into the box, flailing on a clearing attempt as the ball ricocheted to Saric.
The 31-year-old midfielder headed the ball into an undefended patch of the goal to give the hosts a 1-0 lead three minutes into the game. De Rosario had a shot on goal three minutes later, and should have doubled the lead with the ball at his feet another few moments after that.
De Rosario opted against taking a shot from close range, sliding a pass through the box to where he thought O'Brian White would continue a run. White was nowhere to be seen, and the opportunity evaporated.
Toronto was playing without a pair of regulars up front, with Chad Barrett nursing a sore hamstring and Maicon Santos dealing with a knee injury. The team also opted to rest regular goalkeeper Stefan Frei, giving backup Jon Conway a start.
He made his first appearance in the spotlight with a reflexive save in the 40th minute, stopping a crafty redirection from striker Alejandro Vela and maintaining Toronto's momentum.
That momentum carried the team moments after the save, when Toronto defender Raivis Hscanovics slid a pass to the top of the box for Mista, who fired low, and toward the far post.
His left-footed shot squirted beyond the fingertips of Cruz Azul goalkeeper Yosgart Gutierrez to give Toronto a 2-0 lead. It seemed to quell an uprising from the visitors, and it gave the BMO Field faithful a reason to sing into the break.
The supporters' sections behind the south end of the field were full, as usual, but several sections lay uncharacteristically empty. All four sections of seats under the scoreboard, at the north end, were almost entirely vacant.
It took the visitors 90 minutes to crack through, with substitute Christian Gimenez scoring on a free kick in the 89th minute.
Toronto will visit Cruz Azul -- and its 35,151-seat stadium in Mexico City -- on Sept. 15.
