Jermain Defoe again served a timely reminder to Roy Hodgson of why he should have been included in England's World Cup squad as he scored from the penalty spot in Toronto's win over San Jose Earthquakes.

The Canadian side's opportunity came when Nick Hagglund was fouled in the box by Alan Gordon midway through the first half, and Defoe made no mistake from 12 yards, calmly tucking the ball beyond Collen Warner.

The former Tottenham Hotspur forward could have given Toronto the lead earlier when his shot from the edge of the area was kept out by the Earthquakes stopper as the hosts looked to stamp their authority on the game.

Hagglund almost gave the hosts breathing space on 68 minutes when he headed the ball narrowly wide of Jon Busch's goal.

In the end, Toronto held on for the slender victory that moves them further away from the foot of the Eastern Conference.