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TORONTO - Reggie Lambe scored a goal in each half to lead Toronto FC to a comfortable 5-1 victory over CONCACAF Champions League debutante CD Aguila on Wednesday in the opening match for both.
Lambe, Luis Silva, and Terry Dunfield all converted in a dominant first half to earn Toronto its fourth win in its last six matches.
The goals were the first in three games allowed by Aguila, which due to flight problems arrived in Toronto only hours before kickoff.
Toronto, which made only one change to its lineup from Saturday's loss to Houston, dominated from the opening touch and had a goal by Logan Emory disallowed for offside in the sixth minute. But it went ahead three minutes later when Luis Silva used his head to redirect Torsten Frings' corner kick inside the left post.
Lambe added his first in the 17th, trading passes with Silva on the right side of the penalty area before the 21-year-old Bermudan finished with a low, right-footed drive.
Aguila generated very little offensively, but earned a free kick in the 37th and capitalized when Toronto goalkeeper Milos Kocic failed to hold Osael Romero's shot over the wall - enabling Cuban-born Yaikel Perez to pounce on the rebound inside the six.
Dunfield restored the two-goal advantage three minutes later, redirecting Ashtone Morgan's bouncing cross past Aguila goalkeeper Benji Villalobos with his shin. It was only the second goal scored by Dunfield in all competitions since he joined the club midway through last season.
Lambe, who has two goals in 18 games in Major League Soccer, added his second in the 48th - taking a ball near the top of the defensive third, dribbling unchallenged to just outside the area and driving a right-footed shot inside the left post.
Ryan Johnson scored his sixth goal in Champions League play in the 58th. Silva played a ball into the area and forced Villalobos to come off his line. Johnson easily dribbled around Villalobos to the left and finished by rolling into an open net.
Toronto's victory was a turnaround from its last Champions League match, when it lost 6-2 to Santos in the second leg of this past season's semifinals. After enduring an 11-game winless streak that didn't end until May 5, Toronto replaced manager Aron Winter with Paul Mariner in June, and revamped its player roster.
Since Mariner was installed as coach, Toronto has lost only three of 10.
Aguila will return to Champions League play on August 21, taveling to Mexico to face Santos Laguna, while Toronto will host the reigning Mexican champion a week later in rematch of last year's semifinals.
