In a meeting between the last two MLS Cup champions, it was Atlanta United that got the last laugh, beating Toronto FC, 2-0, at home on Wednesday night.

Atlanta, now with three straight wins and clean sheets, continues to surge under head coach Frank de Boer, and it was Josef Martinez who stole the show. However, it wasn’t for his goalscoring exploits.

In the 17th minute, he collected a rebound off a Pity Martinez free kick and smashed it across goal. Hector Villalba bundled home the cross inside the six-yard box for his first of the year to make it 1-0.

Come the 67th minute, Josef then collected a squared pass atop the 18-yard box, only to slip it wide to Julian Gressel. The right winger took a touch inside and made no mistake in smashing his strike past Alex Bono. A Justin Morrow deflection helped double the lead to 2-0.

Toronto failed to register a single shot on target, though generated some promising chances early on. The club is still playing without star striker Jozy Altidore.