At this point, United fans would welcome a goal from anyone on the squad, but defender Julius James must have been on few people’s minds to snatch the only goal in an otherwise dour affair at Toronto’s BMO field.

The former Toronto big man had netted only two previous goals in MLS before settling Branko Baskovic’s 81st minute free kick on the six-yard box, feigning—maybe tripping, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt—and slotting home past Stefan Frei, much to the chagrin of the 20,000+ fans in attendance.

It was a welcome turn of late-game fortune for United, who have let in an astounding 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of their 23 games this season.  The squad was buoyed by the returns of the Montenegrin Baskovic and Canadian Dejan Jakovic from International call-ups, Jakovic not having to travel far to meet up with the team after a series of Canadian friendlies. 

The Montenegrin Maestro and veteran Canadian had little calming effect on the side in the first half however, as possession was given away far too often and Toronto displayed early signals of intent when Dwayne DeRosario smacked a shot off Troy Perkins’ post.  But the Canadians’ attack soon fizzled as the game degenerated into a series of fouls and sloppy passes before the halftime whistle.

In a welcome sign of actual leadership in the squad, team captain Santino Quaranta delivered an unequivocal answer when questioned on his team’s chances in the second half: “We are going to win this game.”  His words seemed more in hope than reality before James’ late strike, but it was certainly refreshing to see the captain stand up and offer some leadership for this otherwise desperate team.

The late goal put United in the particularly unfamiliar position of defending a lead late in a game and their inexperience was certainly laid bare.  The contest was full-blown Keystone Cops by the end, with bodies flying every which direction and Perkins seemingly constantly over-reaching for loose balls in his area. 

United persevered however, and now leave their Canadian foes further on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture; a small victory, but given results this season, we’ll take any victory. 

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