MLS

• Toronto edges L.A., Beckham for first win

  
  

  Carson, CA (Sports Network) - Jeff Cunningham scored in the 88th minute and Toronto FC edged Los Angeles, 3-2, in Major League Soccer on Sunday for its first win of the season.

  Danny Dichio and Jarrod Smith also scored for TFC, which won despite a pair of goals from L.A.'s Landon Donovan.

  Toronto (1-2-0) dropped its first two matches to Columbus and D.C. United, and had just one goal while allowing six.

  But midfielder Maurice Edu scored Toronto's first goal in the final minutes of a 4-1 loss to D.C. last week and Dichio started the three-goal outburst in the first half against L.A.

  Los Angeles (1-2-0), which won its first game last week against San Jose, tied the game twice after falling behind, but had no answer for Cunningham's goal.

  Donovan's two-goal performance, which gives him three on the young year, could have easily have been a memorable four- or five-goal outing.

  Donovan had three great chances in the first 40 minutes of the match, the last one when he dribbled through two defenders and around Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton but missed an open net.

  TFC took advantage and grabbed the lead in the 42nd on Dichio's first goal of the season. Amado Guevara, a former MLS MVP signed this week, made a long pass to Dichio in the penalty area and the English striker buried a shot by Galaxy goalie Steve Cronin.

  L.A. answered in less than a minute when Chris Klein sent a David Beckham-like cross in from the right side to Donovan. The U.S. national striker controlled the ball outside the area, faked to his left, then touched the ball into space on the right and buried a shot into the lower left corner.

  Toronto FC jumped back in front early in the second half when Jarrod Smith, a New Zealand striker, headed a deflection from Cronin into the right side with the goalie out of position. Toronto FC midfielder Laurent Robert took the free kick that forced Cronin to make the initial save.

  Los Angeles only trailed for five minutes this time, tying the game on penalty kick in the 58th minute. Toronto's Marco Velez played the ball off his hand in the box to give L.A. the penalty, and Donovan converted for his second goal.

  Cronin made one of his best saves in the 60th minute on a shot from Velez, but couldn't stop Cunningham in the final minutes.

  Cunningham had a chance for the tying goal earlier in the half but was pushed off the ball by Beckham, who provided a number of good passes for Donovan in the first half, and no call was made.

  Cunningham, who has 97 career goals, didn't waste his second chance. He won a ball just outside the area while jostling with Klein, then easily beat Cronin on a one-on-one situation with a shot into the lower left corner.

  L.A.'s Edson Buddle, who like Cunningham didn't start but came on after half, nearly tied the match in extra time but drilled an open shot wide left.

  Los Angeles will try to get back in the win column when winless Houston visits April 19. Toronto returns to Canada for its home opener against Real Salt Lake on April 19.

  04/13 17:58:14 ET