It was an opening to remember for the San Jose Earthquakes.
Goals from Fatai Alashe and Ty Harden powered the Quakes to a 2-1 win over Chicago at Avaya Stadium.
The newest soccer specific stadium in MLS is now open. Here’s what else we learned on MatchDay Three in Major League Soccer.
Rivero steals one for Vancouver
So far so good for Octavio Rivero. Vancouver’s hitman has been as good as advertised through three games.
Vancouver stole three points in Orlando thanks to Rivero’s header deep into added time.
Aesthetically this wasn’t a game that will be remembered when the season ends, but it’s the second week in a row the Caps have found a way to take points on the road against Eastern Conference opponents. For a team that finds itself in a very tough Western Conference that’s huge.
"Was it smash and grab? I'll have to look at it again,” said Vancouver manager Carl Robinson following the game. They had a couple of chances in the second half and David [Ousted] made a fantastic save. Every manager will want to win comfortably and 3 or 4-nil, but in this league that doesn't happen."
BWP picks up where he left off
There weren’t a lot of goals to be had on MatchDay Three, but one familiar face opened his 2015 account in style.
Bradley Wright-Phillips notched his first of the season in the Red Bulls’ 2-0 win over D.C United. Supporters voiced their anger over the dismissal of head coach Mike Petke, but the new boss refused to apologize for his presence.
“My goal is the team,” new Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch said. “And if the team is right, people will like the team and they’ll like me in turn. I’m not trying to win a popularity contest. I’m trying to coach a football team to be the best in the league. That’s my sole mission. When we get there a lot of people will appreciate the work that’s been done.”
It’s hard to blame Marsch for being slightly ruffled but the results will speak for themself.
Power Index
Every week we’ll list our top five teams in the league. In the interest of keeping our heavy bias at arm’s length, TFC will be excluded from the rankings.
1. FC Dallas (Last Week: 1st) - Nine points from three games. Not a bad start for the Toros.
2, LA Galaxy (Last Week: 2nd) - The football has been exciting at times but the defending champions have yet to hit full gear.
3, Seattle Sounders (Last Week: 4th) - They did little to warrant moving a spot up but the bye week means nothing was lost.
4. San Jose Earthquakes (Last Week: NR) - The sounds coming out of the new digs was very impressive. The team is also giving supporters reason to celebrate.
5. Columbus Crew (Last Week: 3rd) - Their game against the Red Bulls this week will tell us a lot about the makeup of the Eastern Conference.
Goal Of The Week
Shout out to former Red Ty Harden for scoring his first MLS goal. Not a bad time to do it either.
