Dynamo travel with fuel-efficiency

Amid more high-scoring, high-profile, games elsewhere this weekend, Houston Dynamo quietly continued their early season extended road trip with another road win against Western Conference opposition. Before the season started everybody was looking at the lopsided schedule and trying to figure out the permutations for each team, but on paper at least, the five out-of-conference away games that Houston face this season were always likely to be amongst their most troublesome fixtures, given the respective strengths of East and West. Add to this the fact that Houston are opening their season with seven consecutive away games, as they wait for their BBVA Compass Stadium to be completed - with the first three of those games against Western opposition. Given all this their 100% start begins to look very impressive.

Last year's Eastern Conference winners, Sporting Kansas City, had a similar stadium-completion scenario and looked hopelessly cut adrift after a three-month winless stretch on the road, only to storm back to win the race as their backloaded home fixtures kicked in. If Houston were to mimic their new stadium form, or for that matter that of New York Red Bulls in Red Bull Arena the season before, they could go into their last away game of the season, at Colorado, sitting very prettily in the play-off race.

There's a long way to go before that, of course, and Houston have a lot of questions to answer beforehand. Their offense is still not quite clicking and looks a little static - both their games so far were won by single goals and the San Jose victory came through a penalty. Brian Ching might be a horrible player to mark and his physicality drew the penalty, as he hustled San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch into fouling him, but he and Will Bruin are not the most quick or dynamic of forward lines. As well as the victory, Dynamo will be just as glad that Brad Davis is off the mark for the season - unless some attacking fluidity enters Houston's play, his dead ball prowess still represents their most effective goalscoring threat.

A side note on the atmosphere at the San Jose game - it was played at AT&T Park instead of the usual Buck Shaw Stadium - San Jose still don't have a dedicated stadium of their own and this venue was in part an attempt to entice the San Francisco viewing public to embrace the franchise. Amidst the celebratory crowd scenes elsewhere on the opening two weekends (including Philadelphia fans' take on the 'Mass national anthem' theme) the sight of the advertising hoardings running across the baseball diamond at AT&T looked curiously anachronistic - a throwback to seasons past, when MLS existed almost entirely under sufferance within the North American sporting infrastructure.

The atmosphere too seemed a little surreal - a game looking mass of transplanted Casbah or 1906 Ultras fans were grouped in an isolated section behind one goal, while Houston's traveling support are laboring under a set of restrictions imposed by MLS in the wake of various incidents last season, so were barely represented at all. Incidentally, that conflict with MLS has become the first cause to be picked up by the newly formed Independent Supporters Council, who wrote an open letter to Don Garber on the issue last week. Watch this space.

And also watch this space for Houston's third consecutive away game to Western opposition, coming up on Friday night. Dynamo face their toughest test yet when they come up against Seattle in an NBC Sports nationally televised game - and we'll be covering it live on the Guardian website. San Jose meanwhile, will be traveling to Toronto on Saturday, with no permanent home to return to... GP

Oh Canada Part 2 (after the party, the clean up...)

Another week, another Canadian celebration. With the shockwaves of Toronto's defeat of LA in the Champion's League Quarter Final last week, still receding, another shockwave could be detected emanating from Quebec, in the 56th minute of Montreal's MLS home debut against Chicago Fire. The first tremor was felt a moment beforehand, as a huge cheer went up from the crowd when the scoreboard announced the day's record-breaking attendance of 58,912 - bringing the total attendances at the last fortnight's three top level Canadian games to more than 125,000. But even as the crowd were still congratulating themselves at this new high water mark, Montreal broke, and their newly appointed captain Davy Arnaud stormed into the box to glance a header over Paolo Tonaghi (with shades of Roy Keane in Turin) and in the process, shudder the foundations of the Olympic Stadium.

Chicago equalized through Dominic Oduro and Montreal were denied a dream finish when Josh Gardner's strike cannoned off the post deep into injury time, but little could dampen the enthusiasm of the Montreal crowd as they filed away from the stadium at the end of another extraordinary celebratory week for Canadian soccer - which seems reluctant to give up the limelight from MLS week one.

But as the streamers are tidied away, Jesse Marsch will be reflecting on the more significant lessons of this game for Montreal. They were good value for their point, and tried to play as a good home side and take the game to Chicago, but their defense and midfield were worryingly rigid. Chicago's Grazzini, playing in the advanced position in the Fire's midfield diamond, found a lot of space to work in, and their equalizer came from a combination of his deft inventiveness at the edge of the box and Montreal's defensive indecision about who should be picking him up. If Impact want to keep the record crowds coming they'll want to stop giving up goals like that.

Chicago, for their part, will be happy to leave the party with a point - having added to their curious list of recent MLS cameos at opening days (they were also the guests at the first games at Livestrong Park and Red Bull Arena - and their forerunners, The Chicago Sting, were the guests at the previous record-breaking attendance game in Montreal during the NASL days). Indeed their performance looked like a cameo one for stretches of the game, but they withstood the pressure of the occasion and will look forward to opening their own home campaign against Philadelphia next week.

For Montreal, the grind of what might be a long season starts now. They weren't the only Canadian team with hangovers either - Toronto's Champions League heroes were comprehensively beaten by a Seattle side who may have felt they would have been the more deserving semi-finalists in that competition. Only Vancouver were unequivocally happy - a captain's goal from Jay DeMerit giving them the win over Chivas USA and maintaining their 100% start. In securing their second consecutive win in the second game of the season, Vancouver did what it took them until October to do last year. Significantly, they also won their first ever away game in MLS in doing so. The parties the Canadian teams host might be fun - but it'll be the points they secure on their travels that may be the key to qualifying for the play-offs. GP

St. Hatricks Day

Seattle Sounders' David Estrada scores. Photograph: Ted S. Warren/AP

Possibly the happiest man wearing green on Saturday night could be found in the City of Seattle. CenturyLink Field to be exact. The man: Seattle Sounders striker David Estrada. Welcome to MLS, Mr. Estrada. We've been expecting you.

Estrada scored his first ever MLS goal after just 17 minutes against Toronto FC and followed up by casually stroking home two more in the second half to complete a St. Patrick's Day hat trick in front of a sea of green in Seattle. The Mexican-born striker hasn't had it easy since leaving UCLA in 2010. He was drafted with the 11th overall pick by Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid during the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Initially a lightning quick right-winger in college for the Bruins, the 24-year-old showed enough attacking potential for Seattle to transform him into a striker. That decision now looks likely to pay huge dividends. The youngster made just eight league and cup appearances in his first two years and many questioned his ability to cut it at the top level of North American soccer. However just one MLS appearance this season has changed that. His first-goal was scrappy after a goalmouth scramble between TFC's diving defender Terry Dunfield and 'keeper Milos Kocic led to the ball falling invitingly to Estrada who tucked it away. His second came as his electric speed allowed him to play on the shoulder of the last defender and race clear. Toronto could not live with his - or strike partner Fredy Montero's - speed and movement. Estrada's third came via a sublime one-two with Alvaro Fernandez. So Seattle have scored five goals in their first three games of 2012 (including the two CONCACAF champions league matches against Santos Laguna.) Estrada has notched four of them. He is surely a dead cert to win MLS player of the week for week two. With Eddie Johnson injured in the second leg of last weeks CCL clash against Santos, Estrada grabbed the opportunity as a starter for Seattle with both hands. If Estrada keeps this form up many people who questioned trading promising strikers Mike Fucito and Lamar Nagle to get former Fulham and US international Johnson may be forced to eat humble pie. Estrada, however, didn't lose faith. After Saturday's game he simply said: "It's been a long time coming." JPW

Psychic Spencer

There is impeccable timing…and then there's this.

John Spencer's Portland were 0-1 down at half time to FC Dallas. With the Timbers struggling away from home in their inaugural season in 2011 - winning just two away from JELD-WEN Field - the fiery Scott decided to make a change of personnel at the break. On came youngster Darlington Nagbe, a second year player who came through the ranks at the prestigious Akron University ranks, to replace big Colombian forward Jorge Perlaza. Within four minutes of the restart, and just as announcers John Strong and Robbie Earle asked Spencer "what does Nagbe provide differently from Perlaza with the half time switch?" "This one here," replied Spencer with a certain calmness about his raised tone of voice. No sooner had he uttered those three words, than the ball broke to Nagbe who calmly slotted home. A piece of managerial - and TV - magic. As the ball rolled over the line Spencer added while punching the air with delight, "that's what he provides. That one there!" In Spencer's second MLS season in charge of Portland he has made his desire of making the playoffs no secret. Spencer and owner Merritt Paulson have an exceptional understanding at both boardroom and field level and have both talked at lengths about which direction the club intends to go. Onwards and upwards. Yet if no real progress is made this year, the hugely loyal fans in Portland would still love Spencer — for many reasons other than his imperious goal calling ability. Yet "Spenny" himself may become frustrated at not replicating the success of fellow recent expansion outfits Seattle and Philadelphia. With the firepower of designated player Boyd, Perlaza and Saturday's goalscorer Darlington Nagbe waiting to finish pinpoint deliveries from Kalif Alhassan, Spencer must be hopeful. But there is criticism that there is no plan B, if a big defensive team like Dallas can withstand the aerial bombardment from the flanks then they will sneak at least a point from Portland. The former Chelsea and Scottish national team forward, who had a standout career in MLS with the Colorado Rapids, learnt his coaching trade as an assistant with the hugely successful Houston Dynamo side who won two-straight MLS Cup titles when entering the league in 2006. His knowledge of MLS is exceptional and his passion for the game is clear for all to see in the video above. And if his tactical switches during this campaign continue to have the success of Saturday's, you won't find many betting against the Timbers and their psychic coach when the playoffs roll round in November. JPW

Revs/Refs

So week two, and the significant refereeing decisions are beginning to mount. Jon Busch's foul on Brian Ching for the decisive penalty was clear enough in the San Jose Earthquakes game, and Lamar Neagle probably deserved his yellow card, for simulation in the penalty area, with the scores tied at Montreal. But the real game-changing decision (notwithstanding the relative current statuses of the teams) came in the Sporting KC vs New England Revolution game, with the straight-red sending off of Revs defender Stephen McCarthy, after less than quarter of an hour. There didn't seem to be that much danger as McCarthy tangled with Sapong outside the corner of the box, but in impeding the Kansas City striker and conceding the foul, he also attracted the attention of a referee determined to apply the letter of the law. As a disbelieving Revs side looked on, referee Silviu Petrescu reached for his back pocket and sent McCarthy off - adjudging him to have obstructed a clear goalscoring chance by committing the foul as the last man. Never mind that Sapong's momentum may have been taking him away from goal, or the location of the incident, Petrescu's decision (or McCarthy's foul depending on what way you look at it) cost the Revs what little chance they had in the game. KC duly ran up a comfortable 3-0 score and consigned New England to their second consecutive defeat.

It's not that the Revs needed the additional handicap of playing with ten men. With their second successive defeat they are already struggling to make their impressive pre-season form translate into the start of their MLS campaign. RSL's Sebastian Velasquez has temporarily stolen the thunder from Kelyn Rowe as the hot rookie prospect, while Jay Heaps' attempts to build by overhauling the defense are clearly a work in progress (not that having one of the back line ejected after 15 minutes helps in assessing the latter project...).

Just as pertinent an issue raised by the Sporting KC game, is the rather more general ongoing question about the standard of MLS refereeing - which in fairness, tends to cause a somewhat kneejerk reaction in even the most avid of MLS observers. Last season, the high profile injury to Steve Zakuani put the spotlight on MLS and in turn referees to protect players from reckless challenges - and that debate tended to be framed within a general discussion of overall refereeing standards. And while the MLS executive might deny that there has been any problem with the standard of refereeing, Commissioner Don Garber did make a big preseason deal of touting the formation of the Professional Referees Organization (PRO), along with increased retrospective powers for the MLS disciplinary committee. Some eyebrows were raised when it was announced that PRO would be overseen by an Englishman, Peter Walton - with the story even making the English press. Said press actually paused their routine sneering at MLS, to note that the reported wages on offer topped those of senior officials in the Premier League.

Aside from the fact that it had a significant, if not decisive, effect on the SKC v NE game, it would be unfair to suggest that Petrescu's determinedly-by-the-book decision on the McCarthy foul was swayed by the increased scrutiny on, or implied shift in standards of accountability for, referees in North America. But expect that sort of discussion to consistently recur as the season progresses - and expect Peter Walton to be asked to justify what he's doing to earn his corn, every time there's a controversial decision in a game from here on out. GP

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