Castrol Index: Estrada's hat trick propels him to the top

This week, your eyes did the math for you.

Seattle forward David Estrada climbed to the top of the Castrol index, netting a hat trick in his 87 minutes on the pitch against Toronto FC this past Saturday. Estrada’s performance means he’s banking 2,194 points per 90 minutes – an astronomical number that not even Lionel Messi could maintain over the course of a season.

Castrol Index Top 10 - Week 2

But for one week, Estrada was Messi, and the numbers bear it out. The question now is will he be the 2012 version of Dominic Oduro (2011) or Chris Wondolowski (2010), a forward who comes out of relative obscurity to produce double-digit goals? He’s off to a good start, obviously, and Sounders fans will certainly hope it continues what with the subpar fitness of Sammy Ochoa and Eddie Johnson.

Three other attackers follow Estrada: Sporting KC’s Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong, then the LA Galaxy’s Robbie Keane.

Kamara has arguably been the league’s best player this season, putting in 180 rugged minutes on both sides of the ball. His finishing hasn’t been clinical, but he did grab a goal in SKC’s 3-0 win over the Revs, and banked the game-winning assist as well.

Sapong, meanwhile, now has two goals in just 106 minutes for Sporting this year, and looks to be building upon his impressive 2011 Rookie of the Year campaign. He’s looked much more comfortable and dangerous in the middle of the SKC front three (he spent a good chunk of his rookie season on the left of that formation), and holds the ball up as well as any forward in the league at this point.

Keane seems to have broken through his finishing woes after dropping a brace on D.C. United on Sunday, but, in truth, could have had three or four. Timbers defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste keeps his place in the top five despite being an observer in Portland’s 1-1 draw at FC Dallas.

Chicago Fire goal scorer Oduro debuted at No. 7, while Real Salt Lake’s Luis Gil made the weekend’s biggest jump, moving up 127 spots to No. 29. RSL only place five players in the top 100, but have produced two convincing, multi-goal wins against LA and New York.

The Revs, as mentioned, had a pretty rough weekend, and it’s reflected in their Index numbers. Right back Kevin Alston tumbled 115 spots to No. 163, while Stephen McCarthy – whose early red card meant New England played a man down for nearly 80 minutes – fell even further, dropping 131 spots to No. 189.

Another who saw his Index rating fall, and surprisingly so, was Houston central defender Geoff Cameron. The fifth-year man dropped 88 spots to No. 139 despite leading a defense that’s yet to concede a goal in two road contests. Cameron’s goalkeeper, Tally Hall, is the highest rated, climbing five spots to No. 6 overall.

Colorado's Drew Moor, who led the Index after Matchday 1, also saw his stock slip. He ended Matchday 2 at No. 25 overall, but will happily take the 2-1 road win at Philadelphia in exchange.