The opportunities came early Saturday for D.C. United, and before long came a goal, supplied by a player making his season debut.
Amid the cold and rain on Lake Ontario’s shoreline, though, United failed to fulfill an afternoon’s promise. It conceded an equalizer off a corner kick before halftime and lost its way in the second half, resulting in a 2-1 defeat to Toronto FC before an announced 21,501 at BMO Field.
“It’s very frustrating the way the game played out,” said midfielder Russell Canouse, United’s goal scorer in the 10th minute. “We had a great start, great mentality.