and unscored upon -- and are tied atop the overall table with two other teams who were also victorious over the weekend, all with seven points on the season. The Chicago Fire won for the second time at home this season, defeating the Kansas City Wizards 2-1, while FC Dallas won in their home debut, knocking off the Colorado Rapids behind a pair of goals from Ramon Nunez.
Also on Saturday, Chivas USA continued their strong early-season form, Ante Razov scoring a landmark goal in a 4-0 rout of Real Salt Lake, while the Columbus Crew came back to claim a late 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution -- the third draw of the season for the Crew -- to kick off the week's play.
At Giants Stadium, the Red Bulls came in with a win and a draw from two matches, still to concede a goal, facing a Houston Dynamo team that had scored just once in their opening two games in defense of their MLS Cup title, though they had allowed just one themselves.
While Claudio Reyna was making his Giants Stadium debut for the Red Bulls, the match turned in the 36th minute when Clint Mathis -- who scored a goal and set up another the weekend before -- was sent off by referee Baldomero Toledo with a straight red card for a challenge on Ryan Cochrane.
But Jozy Altidore, who had been dangerous all evening with little to show for it, finally converted one of his chances when he took a pass at the edge of the area, spun around defender Eddie Robinson and hammered a shot over goalkeeper Pat Onstad, off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net for the game's lone goal.
Goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus kept a clean sheet for the second time on the season (he also played the first half of the win against FC Dallas) as the Red Bulls became the second team in MLS history to open the season with three consecutive shutouts. The first -- the Dallas Burn in 1999 -- allowed a goal in the 74th minute of their fourth match.
At Toyota Park, the Fire came into the game undefeated, getting a goal to tie a 10-man Colorado Rapids the week before, while the Wizards were also unbeaten, a 4-2 win at D.C. United their only league match on the year.
The Fire struck first in the 36th minute as Chad Barrett scored his second goal in as many weeks. Chris Armas dribbled forward from midfield, found Chris Rolfe, who slipped Barrett in behind the Kansas City with a quick pass, and the third-year striker slotted home past Kevin Hartman.
The teams then traded penalty kicks over the final 20 minutes. The Fire doubled their lead in the 73rd minute when Ivan Guerrero was hauled down after a strong run into the right side of the area. Rolfe converted from the spot for his first goal of 2007.
Then in the final minute, Diego Gutierrez hooked down Carlos Marinelli in the area. The recently-signed Argentinean -- who was making his MLS league debut after coming on as a halftime substitute -- sent Chicago 'keeper Matt Pickens the other way in converting his own penalty, the first goal allowed by the Fire at home on the season.
At Pizza Hut Park, FC Dallas were finally back home after opening the season with three road matches and a cross-country trip -- from which the Hoops took four points -- while the Rapids were on the road for the first time in 2007 after opening the season with a win and a draw in their new Dick's Sporting Goods Park home.
Before a sellout crowd in Frisco, Ramon Nunez -- who earlier in the week had received his green card -- put the Hoops in the lead in the 29th minute with a fine goal. Dax McCarty sprung Nunez with a long pass out of midfield, and after Nunez slipped around a defender at the edge of the area he banged home a low shot past Bouna Coundoul.
But five minutes later the Rapids pulled level. Terry Cooke launched a long ball from well in his own half, and Jovan Kirovski chased it down with a defender on his back. Despite a hint of a handball, Kirovski brought the ball down and looped a perfect volley over the onrushing Shaka Hislop.
Yet Nunez gave FCD the lead for good 12 minutes from the end with his second goal on the day. After the Honduras-born midfielder won a free kick outside the left corner of the area, he drilled a low drive past the wall and off Coundoul's hands inside the far post for the go-ahead strike.
Then in stoppage time, FC Dallas finished off the match. Dominic Oduro set off on a loping run down the left flank and found Kenny Cooper in the area. While the Dallas native stood on the ball, Oduro continued his run behind Cooper into the heart of the area, and banged home Cooper's short pass for his second career MLS goal.
At The Home Depot Center, the expansion class of 2005 was meeting for the first time on the season, Chivas with a win and a loss, while RSL had yet to lose -- or win -- on the new league season.
But an historic night got off to a fast start. A long ball from Alex Zotinca on the right found Cuban striker Maykel Galindo on the right side of the area, and after he rounded RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando well out from goal, he banged home a low shot for his first career MLS goal. The goal came after just 28 seconds, the sixth-fastest in MLS history.
Then eight minutes later, Galindo's pace again got the better of the RSL backline. Again he raced down the right flank, and after skipping through a tackle in the area, turned the corner and raced at goal before toe-poking an angled shot past Rimando to double the Chivas lead.
Just before the halftime break, the historic night continued as Razov made it 3-0. Galindo knocked the ball out to Francisco Mendoza on the left, and he dribbled into the box before lofting a perfect cross to the far post, where Razov rose up to powerfully head down into the goal for the 100th league goal of his MLS career. He joined just two other players to reach the century mark in league play: Real Salt Lake's Jason Kreis (108) and D.C. United's Jaime Moreno (105).
The Red-and-White finished off the match in the 89th minute. A flurry in the RSL goalmouth saw Matt Taylor blast a shot goalward, only for Eddie Pope to somehow keep it out on the line. But Taylor latched onto the rebound and sent it back into the back of the net to complete the 4-0 scoreline. The win equaled Chivas USA's most lopsided victory, a 5-1 rout of Real Salt Lake in July 2005.
At Crew Stadium, the Crew had yet to lose on the season after starting the year with a pair of draws, while the Revolution hit for their first victory of 2007 the weekend before in their home opener.
The Crew also had yet to score -- or allow a goal -- on the season, but that all changed quickly. In just the eighth minute, Columbus took the lead. From a turnover, Joseph Ngwenya received the ball on the right and picked out Ricardo Virtuoso in the area. He calmly laid a square pass to Ned Grabavoy and he hit for the Crew's first goal on the campaign as his shot took a deflection on its way to goal.
But the Revolution pulled level just two minutes later. A nifty passing sequence between Andy Cristman and midfielder Andy Dorman saw Dorman collect pass in the heart of the penalty area and he drove it home, claiming honors as the first man to beat Crew 'keeper Andy Gruenebaum this season.
The Revolution took the lead seven minutes before the break. Taylor Twellman intercepted the ball near the center circle and went haring forward unmolested, letting fly from 25 yards out with a shot that beat Gruenebaum inside his right-hand post. It was the third goal of the season for Twellman, who hit for a double just five days prior in a 4-0 rout of Toronto FC.
But the Crew showed resiliency, getting the equalizer four minutes from the end. Brad Evans freed Frankie Hejduk on the right flank and after getting to the corner, his rolling cross slipped under the boot of a Revolution defender. Kei Kamara was on the other end and he hammered his shot off the underside of the bar into the goal to give the Crew a third draw in as many matches on the season.
