Toronto FC used a timely own-goal to break their 12-game winless streak, defeating the New York Red Bulls by a score of 2-1 at BMO Field on Thursday night in a game that saw two red cards issued within three minutes.

Looking for their first victory since July 4th, Toronto jumped in front early by virtue of a first half Maurice Edu goal and got an added cushion in the second half when Chris Leitch misfired into his own net just after Joe Vide was sent off for his second caution. Dane Richards tallied a late goal as both sides ended the match with 10 men following the sending off of Andrew Boyens in the 67th minute.

Needing a win to lock up a playoff spot, New York was out of the gates quickly, getting the first chance of the game came in the 12th minute when Richards beat Gabe Gala in a footrace between rookies to get on a ball over the top from Dema Kovalenko. From the right side, Richards moved in on goal, using a cutback move to elude Boyens before TFC captain Jim Brennan could break up the play, tapping the ball back to Toronto keeper Kenny Stamatopoulos.

The first shot of the game was registered by Toronto FC in the 18th minute, and it was a well worth the wait for the home fans, with two #1 draft picks hooking up to create the first goal of the night. Moving up the right side of the field with the ball, 2006 first overall pick Marvell Wynne hit a pass with the outside of his right foot that was corralled by a charging Edu, with the 2007 first pick cutting a hard shot past New York netminder Ronald Waterreus for his fourth goal of the season to give Toronto a 1-0 advantage.

The Red Bulls nearly came charging back in the 25th minute, however, when Clint Mathis stood over a free kick from the left side of the box. His in-swinger, hit with pace, was met by the head of Jozy Altidore inside the six-yard box, but the 17-year old's effort flew harmlessly over the crossbar, letting Toronto off the hook for the time being.

The speed of the game slowed considerably over the remainder of the first half, with Toronto maintaining their one-goal advantage though the break.

New York would come out firing in the second half, attempting four shots in the first 10 minutes of half number two, none of them particularly threatening - that is, until a 55th minute blast from Mathis. With Altidore laying the ball back outside the box for him, Cletus launched a rocket that spun just wide of a diving Stamatopoulos and the TFC goal.

Regaining momentum as the second half wore on, the Red Bulls' comeback hopes would be blunted in the 64th minute as Vide picked up a second caution for his reckless challenge on Wynne.

On the subsequent free kick from the top of the box, Robinson lifted his shot over the New York wall but could not repeat last week's goal as Waterreus moved to his right to easily make the save at the near post.

In the 66th minute, the man-advantage would pay dividends when Toronto pushed forward in search of a second goal. Again with Wynne leading the charge, the defender's slow-rolling shot from the right side made it all the way through the box to the back post and into the path of Red Bulls defender Leitch.

Appearing to attempt a difficult chip over his own net while running towards the goalmouth, the New York defender's end result came off more like a brilliant shot into his own goal, giving Toronto a 2-0 lead.

Less than a minute later, referee Mauricio Navarro saw fit to even the sides up once again, sending off TFC defender Andrew Boyens with a straight red card, a somewhat retaliatory call made possible by a harsh tackle on Altidore.

With both sides reduced to 10 men, Jeff Cunningham came within inches of stretching Toronto's lead to three goals in the 70th minute when his 25-yard shot sailed just wide of the far post before crashing into the advertising boards.

Waterreus came up with a big save in the 72nd minute on a Samuel half-volley from distance, keeping his club within two goals as time continued to wind down.

Continuing to fight despite the two-goal deficit, the Red Bulls pulled one back in the 75th minute when a Dave van den Bergh corner kick was headed home by one of the smallest players on the field, Dane Richards. Sneaking in front of his marker in the box, Richards remained unchallenged as the kick came into the six-yard box, calmly slotting the ball past Stamatopoulos with his head to cut the lead in half with 15 minutes remaining.

Richards got another look in the 84th minute, but his attempt at a second goal in 10 minutes sailed over the crossbar and out of play.

Two minutes later, second half substitute Francis Doe tried a bicycle kick on frame, but Stamatopoulos had the shot covered, making the save less than five minutes from full-time on the last solid chance New York would get to level the score.

Despite earning an 11-6 advantage in shots on the night, the Red Bulls could not capitalize, going down to defeat to put their playoff clinching aspirations on hold for another day. Next up for New York is a clash of teams looking to lock up their place in the postseason with the Red Bulls hosting Kansas City on October 13th.

With the postseason out of reach until 2008, Toronto FC heads on the road for the next two weekends, with road games scheduled in Colorado and Los Angeles as the curtain comes down on their inaugural season.

Scoring
TOR - Maurice Edu 4 (Marvell Wynne) 18'
TOR - Own Goal (Chris Leitch) 66'
NYRB - Dane Richards (Dave van den Bergh) 75'

Line-ups
NYRB - Ronald Waterreus; Dave Van Den Bergh, Seth Stammler, Jeff Parke, Chris Leitch, Clint Mathis, Joe Vide, Dema Kovalenko (Francis Doe 60'), Dane Richards, Juan Pablo Angel, Josmer Altidore

TOR - Kenny Stamatopoulos; Todd Dunivant, Jim Brennan, Andrew Boyens, Adam Braz (Tyler Hemming 76'), Gabe Gala (Chris Pozniak 70'), Carl Robinson, Maurice Edu, Marvell Wynne, Collin Samuel (Andrea Lombardo 90+2'), Jeff Cunningham