Barrett scores twice as Toronto FC beats Fire 4-1

TORONTO -- Chad Barrett scored twice over a three-minute span of the second half to lead Toronto FC to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Barrett, acquired in a trade with Chicago two years ago, scored in the 66th minute and again in the 69th for Toronto (3-4-0), which is unbeaten at home and winless on the road.

Barrett thought about sliding across the grass on his knees to celebrate after his first goal, but decided against it out of fear the rain-soaked, wind-swept playing surface at BMO Field "would catch my knee on the turf, and I'd go forward and look like an idiot."

So he did it after his second goal instead.

Nick LaBrocca and O'Brian White also had goals for Toronto (3-4-0), which totaled just seven goals in its first six matches.

Logan Pause scored for Chicago (2-3-2).

Gusts of up to 53 miles per hour combined with rain to make life miserable for fans, with temperatures dropping below 50 degrees.

"I thought it was real tough," Toronto coach Preki Radosavlijevic said. "Sometimes, playing with the wind makes it difficult to control the game and control the ball. Chicago made it a little difficult for us."

LaBrocca benefitted from the conditions in the 24th minute, as his kick deep on the fringe on the left wing drifted in the wind, which turned it, gave it some speed and popped it into the back of the Chicago net to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.

Chicago goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra had to make a lunging save on a wind-aided volley from Barrett 10 minutes later, and watched as one of his goal kicks curled high in the air minutes later, landing no more than 15 yards away.

Toronto scored its second goal about 2 minutes after halftime, with Dwayne De Rosario charging into the wind to slide a pass across the box to White.

Chicago pulled to 2-1 about 3 minutes later when midfielder Logan Pause, with the wind at his back, fired the ball into the top right corner of the net behind Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei.