Toronto thrash nine-man Orlando City

Toronto have climbed up to fourth in the Eastern Conference after recording a 5-0 triumph over Orlando City, who finished with nine men at BMO Field.

Despite Orlando staying in touch with the hosts for much of the first half, a straight red card shown to Rafael Ramos proved to be the turning point as Toronto beat the Florida-based franchise for the second time in three weeks.

The early signs were promising for Toronto as Jackson tested Tally Hall with a powerful long-range strike, before Marco Delgado wasted a good chance by firing over from inside the box.

After soaking up long spells of pressure from the home side, a moment of controversy 10 minutes before the break damaged Orlando's hopes of claiming a positive result as the referee shocked the visitors by showing a red card to Ramos, who had caught Justin Morrow with a tackle from behind.

Toronto capitalised on having a man extra in the opening minute of the second half when Michael Bradley ended a fine run by picking the perfect pass to find Delgado, who kept his composure to break the deadlock with a simple finish.

Sebastian Giovinco stepped up to double the lead with a stunning free kick from the edge of the box as the Orlando challenge quickly faded after the interval.

It was one-way traffic for long spells as the Canadian fans enjoyed a dominant side, and the influential Bradley made an impact once again by evading a couple of challenges before crossing to allow Morrow to add the finishing touch to the third goal.

More disappointment would follow for Orlando late on as Adrian Winter became the second player to receive a red card for a second bookable offence after bringing down Robbie Findley in the box, which allowed substitute Jozy Altidore to fire home from the penalty.

Toronto completed an emphatic victory just two minutes later when Altidore reacted quickest to score his second after Findley had been denied.