CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Toronto FC coach John Carver was going to make sure history did not repeat itself this year.
A year ago, Toronto FC came to the Lowcountry of South Carolina with high hopes, but left the Carolina Challenge Cup embarrassed and with a badly bruised psyche after going winless in three matches during the week-long tournament. This year, Carver was determined to make a better showing.
So far, so good.
Dwayne De Rosario scored in the first minute and Rohan Ricketts added a goal in the 83rd minute as a 10-man Toronto FC defeated the USL First Division's Charleston Battery, 2-1, in the opening round of the Carolina Challenge Cup Saturday night.
Real Salt Lake blanked D.C. United, 3-0, in the opening game of the tournament at Blackbaud Stadium.
After going 0-2-1 in last year's tournament, which included a 2-0 loss to the Battery, Carver was resolute in getting a better showing this time around.
"Before we came down here all the talk from me was about coming down here and doing really well," Carver said. "We were disappointed in our showing last year and I think that had a lot to do with the players we had last season. I've got a different squad of players this year and I think everyone can see from our performance on the field and we've got a huge upgrade.
"I was a little bit embarrassed by what happened last year. We had a lot of fans come down, who paid their good money to support us and I felt as if we let them down. I wanted to come down here this year and put on a better showing. On the evidence tonight I think we've already done that."
Toronto FC didn't make it easy on themselves as they were forced to play the entire second half a man down. Toronto FC defender Adrian Serioux received his second yellow card after a hard challenge on Charleston forward Darren Spicer in stoppage time of the first half.
"He has given away a penalty shot, got two yellow cards and was sent off in his debut," Carver said. "I'm hoping he's getting it out of his system in the preseason."
The game got off to a quick start as the newly acquired DeRosario made his presence in the lineup felt almost immediately.
Toronto midfielder Amado Guevara played a through ball to De Rosario, who muscled his way past an off-balance Nelson Akwari. Akwari, the Battery's captain a year ago, slipped on the play and De Rosario had a clear path to the net. De Rosario beat a charging Keith Wiggans for the score.
"We got off to a good start and got a goal in the first couple of minutes, which is always a coach's dream," Carver said. "But an early goal can also bite you in the backside because you can become a little bit complacent and I thought that happened to us."
The Battery tied the game 12 minutes later on Tyler Hemming's penalty kick in the 15th minute.
The Battery earned the penalty kick after Serioux pulled down Spicer from behind as he was making a run on net, which resulted in his first yellow card of the game. Hemming, who played for Toronto FC last season, calmly made the penalty kick to tie the match.
Toronto FC got the game winner in the 83rd minute off a nice pass from Fuad Ibrahim. Ibrahim chased a ball down deep in the left corner of the field and fed Ricketts just outside the 18-yard box.
Ricketts hit a low shot that curled around Wiggans for the score.
"Ibrahim made a good run into the corner and got the ball," Ricketts said. "He turned and I called for it. He got me the ball and I had one thing on my mind and that was to get a shot off. I shifted it to the outside. I just put my head down and hit it. My intentions were good and the result was good and that's all that matters."
In the night's opening game, Real Salt Lake defeated D.C. United, 3-0, as Luis Escalada, Yura Movsisyan and Andy Williams all scored for Real Salt Lake in the second half.
It took Salt Lake only four minutes to find the back of the net after the start of the second half when Escalada scored off a Raphael Cox cross from the left flank, tucking the ball just inside the far post past goalkeeper Louis Crayton.
Former University of South Carolina star Clint Mathis found Movsisyan with a beautiful pass that he easily scored on for RSL's second goal of the match.
After Dejan Jakovic had been sent off after 35 minutes, in the 90th minute, D.C. United lost a second player to ejection when Anthony Peters was called for a hard challenge. Williams scored on the resulting free kick just inside the far post.
D.C. United will take on Toronto FC to open the second leg of the tournament Wednesday night, while the Battery face Real Salt Lake in the second game of the doubleheader.
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