Toronto FC's Danny Dichio bowls over Clyde Simms in Wednesday's 1-0 win. (Rick Madonik/Canadian Press)

It's a classic case of trading places, with one team coming of age and the other losing its way.

Danny Dichio scored the lone goal and goalkeeper Greg Sutton recorded his fourth shutout of the season in Toronto's FC's 1-0 victory over D.C. United on a cool Wednesday night before 19,791 fans at BMO Field.

Far from pretty, Toronto's play was, nevertheless, effective.

"I have to be honest and say we won tonight in a scruffy way. We weren't at our best … but that's a good sign because when a team isn't playing well and still wins games, that’s a sign of a good team," Toronto coach John Carver said.

Toronto, sporting a 4-2-2 record with 14 points, moves into fourth place in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference and extends its franchise-record unbeaten streak to six games (fours wins and two draws).

Wednesday's contest served as a reminder of how the fortunes of both clubs, which meet again Saturday night in Washington, have drastically changed in a short period of time.

It wasn't long ago that Toronto was struggling and United looked like the class of the East.

But since rolling to a 4-1 home victory over the Canadian club on April 5, United have lost six of seven games — conceding a whopping 15 goals along the way — and are stuck in the East basement with a lowly 2-7-0 record.

Toronto, on the other hand, hasn't lost since that April night in Washington.

Toronto's defence continues to impress. After giving up eight goals through the first three games of the season, the back four have conceded just one goal and registered four shutouts in the last five games.

United's South American quartet of attackers — Luciano Emilio and Fred (Brazil), Jaime Moreno (Bolivia) and Marcelo Gallardo (Argentina) — were kept in check all night by Toronto's defensive foursome, led by captain Jim Brennan.

Praise must also be given to Welshman Carl Robinson, who was a bulwark in the centre of midfield for Toronto, breaking up the opposition's attack and linking up effectively with his forwards.

"It was our day today. We didn't play as well as we have in the past, but what we did do was work our socks off," Robinson said.

Toronto's early pressure paid off when Dichio scored his second goal of the season after seven minutes. United defender Devon McTavish tried to pass a dangerous ball played into the box back to his goalkeeper but Dichio stripped him of possession and just as he was being dragged down to the field, the Toronto forward whipped out his foot and poked the ball into the empty net.

"It was a loose ball that I chased down, and the defender didn't make the pass back to his goalkeeper. I just managed to capitalize on his mistake and get my toe to the ball and it went in," Dichio said.

After a quiet opening 45 minutes, United came alive at the start of the second half and nearly knotted the score in the 63rd minute. Fred connected on a dangerous cross with a header on the edge of the six-yard box, but Sutton was equal to the task, making an outstanding save to deny the Brazilian, while Dichio cleared the rebound.

"Danny [Dichio] made that great block to win us the game. That's as good as a goal," Carver said.

Asked about the remarkable stop made by Sutton after the goalkeeper had little to do prior to that play, Carver said, "That's what we pay him for."

United pinned their opponents inside their end of the field for most of the final 25 minutes, but they lacked a cutting edge around the box and Toronto, who hit back several times on the counter-attack, held on for the win.

After Saturday's game in Washington, Toronto travels to Quebec Tuesday (CBCSports.ca, 7 p.m. ET) to take on the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer First Division in a Canadian qualifying tournament match for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

Toronto returns home on May 31 to host the Los Angeles Galaxy (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 3:30 p.m. ET).