D.C. United Vs. Toronto FC: Chris Pontius, Back Line Earn High Marks In Match Grades

D.C. United took care of business against Toronto FC, scoring twice in the game's opening stages to roll to a 3-0 win. Chris Pontius scored two goals, and Charlie Davies added a third. The Black and Red is now 2-2-1 on the season. Here are our match grades.

STARTERS

Bill Hamid: 3/5: Got his first clean sheet of the season, but only needed to make one save in accomplishing that achievement and also required a timely save from Ethan White when Jacob Peterson's second-half header eluded him.

Marc Burch: 4/5: Looked much more reliable than he did last week, a phrase which can admittedly be applied to the entire United back four. Did very well in containing Javier Martina on Toronto's right side.

Dejan Jakovic: 4/5: Another player whose performance improved over last week. Looked much better on the ball in the center of defense.

Ethan White: 4/5: Has shown an uncanny ability in his first two games as a starter to know exactly what to do with the ball when he gets it in his defensive penalty area. He wasn't afraid to concede a corner rather than attempt to dribble the ball upfield in a panic. And that's before we get to his above-mentioned block.

Chris Korb: 4/5: Looked good going forward, though his services were barely required in that area once United went up 2-0.

Dax McCarty: 2/5: As happened last week, McCarty looked off the pace and many of United's most effective offensive moves seemed to bypass him altogether. Martin Shatzer at Black and Red United pointed out one instance where his overdribbling cost United a scoring chance, which will hopefully serve as a reminder that an attacking midfielder shouldn't be a ball-stopper.

Chris Pontius: 5/5: My man of the match, for obvious reasons. Showed the attacking instinct that United missed all of last season and at the start of this season. The finishes weren't bad, either.

Fred: 4/5: Filled in very well on the right in place of the suspended Santino Quaranta and the unwell Andy Najar. Made a great run and pass to Pontius to set up United's third goal.

Clyde Simms: 3/5: Looked very good as a holding midfielder and did a good job of disrupting Toronto's attack.

Charlie Davies: 4/5: This rating is mostly because Davies was able to go the full 90 minutes Saturday, which is a good sign for both him and United. Looked very good playing up front with Josh Wolff and perhaps should have scored a second. But his 10th-minute poacher's finish notwithstanding, Davies also went missing for large parts of the second half.

Josh Wolff: 3/5: Played the supporting striker's role to perfection and showed good anticipation to get into space for the shot that rebounded right to the feet of Davies for the latter's goal.

SUBSTITUTES

Perry Kitchen (on for Jakovic, 64th minute): 3/5: Eased back into the squad while the team was holding a two-goal lead, Kitchen put in a perfectly solid performance in central defense.

Branko Boskovic (on for McCarty, 74th minute): 3/5: Like his fellow sub Kitchen, Boskovic was solid in the middle of the park and seems to be working his way back into the squad, judging by his relatively early appearance in Saturday's match after coming on in the 81st minute against Los Angeles.

Joseph Ngwenya (on for Fred, 86th minute): No Grade: Wasn't on the pitch long enough to make any appreciable impact on the game, positive or negative.