TORONTO (AP) - Jermain Defoe and Luke Moore scored and Toronto FC snapped its three-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Defoe, who has 19 goals and 55 caps for his country, was relegated to England’s seven-man World Cup taxi squad on Monday. Defoe, who could still be called up in the event of an injury, admitted to being baffled by his omission from the 23-man main England squad.
“Every day I wake up, it’s still frustrating and it’s still baffling (as) to why I wasn’t selected,” he said Saturday. “But you’ve got to move on.”
Defoe made his case on the pitch Saturday, showcasing his ability to find space.
On a day where Arsenal won the FA Cup at Wembley, former Gunners star Thierry Henry - while showing flashes of his brilliance - was relegated to a supporting role as the Red Bulls had their 10-game unbeaten streak against Toronto snapped.
Both Defoe and Henry made their names scoring goals for north London clubs in the English Premier League.
Defoe had 153 goals for Tottenham while the 36-year-old Henry had 228 for Arsenal. The New York attack also featured English forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, who came into the game leading MLS with nine goals this season.
Toronto (4-4-0) had lost four out of its past five games after opening the MLS season with two consecutive wins.
New York (3-4-5) was coming off a 5-4 loss to the previously winless Chicago Fire, which snapped its four-game undefeated streak.
And the Red Bulls looked sloppy Saturday, turning the ball over in the early going.
“Obviously, the first half we weren’t good enough,” New York coach Mike Petke said. “The pitch was a bit bobbly but that was no excuse for how bad on the ball we were. We had too many giveaways, too many loose passes and too many instances where we gave them the ball back too easily.”
A poor pass from fullback Kosuke Kimura led to Toronto’s first goal when Bradley Orr beat Dax McCarty to the ball in midfield and drove forward. He spotted Defoe and slotted a perfect pass, with the striker hammering a right-footed shot into the top of the net in the 12th minute.
It was Defoe’s fourth goal in five MLS games.
Defoe didn’t even see his goal go in. He hit it and went flying as a defender clattered into him.
“It was funny because I was on the floor,” he said. “I looked at the crowd and everyone was celebrating it so I thought ’OK, it went in.’”
“That’s exactly how I thought he would react,” Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen said. “A brilliant goal, wasn’t it?
“That’s Jermain Defoe. And that’s why England will miss him dearly, I think, come World Cup time.”
Henry also had praise.
“Jermain Defoe has been doing this since he was 14 years old and as long as he plays he will do that,” said the French forward.
Moore, in his home debut, scored his first goal for Toronto with a tap-in in stoppage time after a defensive miscommunication.
Still it was far from a complete performance from an undermanned Toronto squad.
Toronto wobbled early in the second half and New York missed an opportunity to tie it in the 62nd minute when Wright-Phillips, facing an empty goal, skied the ball after Joe Bendik palmed away a dangerous cross.
Bendik, who collided with a Red Bull on the play, needed treatment but stayed in the game.
Substitute Daniel Lovitz had a chance to make it 2-0 in the 69th minute, but failed to convert after Jonathan Osorio found Mark Bloom with a nice pass and the fullback raked the ball across the 6-yard box.
Toronto’s Kyle Bekker shot wide in stoppage time.
Both teams have lost stars to the World Cup: fullback Roy Miller (Costa Rica) and midfielder Tim Cahill (Australia) for New York and midfielder Michael Bradley (U.S.) for Toronto. Goalie Julio Cesar, who had been slated to play for Toronto on Saturday before joining Brazil, was out with the flu.
The Red Bulls had not lost to Toronto since June 24, 2009, a 7-0-3 stretch that saw them outscore TFC 25-5.
Toronto improved its career mark against the Red Bulls to 5-11-4.
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