Kick Off: Didier Drogba makes his mark in Montreal | USMNT, Canada thrive | FC Dallas' kids are alright

James Keep

Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:

1. DROGBA DAZZLES

Didier Drogba (photo below) made an instant influence on his first start in MLS, scoring a hat trick to help the Montreal Impact secure a willd 4-3 win over the Chicago Fire (HIGHLIGHTS). Amazingly, it turns out that the familiar orange banner which greeted the Cote d'Ivoire star at Stade Saputo made a very special journey across the Atlantic. The loss means the Fire remain rooted to the bottom of the table, but the team’s resolve remains strong.

2. YOUTHFUL DALLAS PUNISH CREW SC

FC Dallas fielded an MLS-record five Homegrown Players in their starting lineup on Sunday in an impressive 3-0 road win over Columbus Crew SC (HIGHLIGHTS). Afterwards, the young team drew plenty of praise from head coach Oscar Pareja, while Columbus were left to curse their own naiveté.

3. A NGUYEN-ING RUN

Lee Nguyen reached a new personal best with eight assists on the year as he helped the New England Revolution to a 3-0 win over Orlando City on Saturday (HIGHLIGHTS). Orlando are now winless in their last six games, but Adrian Heath chose to focus on the strong performance of New England, who are unbeaten in the same stretch.

4. UNION HALT THE QUAKES

The San Jose Earthquakes’ winning streak was stopped cold at four games after Conor Casey helped lead the Philadelphia Union to a shocking 2-1 win over the heretofore resurgent Quakes. (HIGHLIGHTS). However, Dominic Kinnear has a pretty good idea as to why his side surrendered a 1-0 lead.

5. FRIENDS REUNITED

Despite giving it their best effort, a shorthanded Toronto FC side came up short against the Seattle Sounders, losing 2-1 at CenturyLink Field (HIGHLIGHTS). Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid missed the game due to a health issue, and it was the reunited partnership of Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey that led the team to victory.

6. VICTORY FOR THE USA

7. CHANGES TO THE ROSTER

While the USA now look ahead to
Tuesday’s game against Brazil
at Gillette Stadium (8 pm ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN/UniMás/UDN), Klinsmann has made some changes to his roster,
with Michael Bradley and Jordan Morris called in
. The US also have another friendly to look forward to,
this time against Costa Rica in New Jersey, after next month's CONCACAF Cup game
.
8. CANADA EASE TO VICTORY

9. JAMAICA WITH WORK TO DO

In other international news, Gold Cup finalists Jamaica suffered a surprise defeat in World Cup qualifying, losing 3-2 at home to Nicaragua, while Mexico played out yet another entertaining draw with Trinidad & Tobago, with the Gold Cup rematch this time finishing 3-3.

10. FACING FRANCE

There were again mixed fortunes for the US youth national teams, with Tab Ramos’ U-20 side getting absolutely thrashed by France, 6-1 in the second game of the Stevan Vilotic Tournament. However, the U-17s fared much better against the same nation, continuing their World Cup preparation with a 0-0 draw against France.

11. DISHING OUT DISCIPLINE

There was some suspension news on Friday, with the Philadelphia Union’s Cristian Maidana having his punishment reduced while Toronto FC’s Collen Warner found himself hit with a two-game ban. It wasn’t just the players in the firing line either, with some notable coaches all getting hit with fines.

12. SECRET TO MY SUCCESS

No one can deny that Robbie Keane has been one of the most successful Designated Players in MLS history. According to the reigning league MVP, the reason for his success lies in embracing the culture. However, for one of his newer teammates, it’s a familiar sense of home that’s allowing him to enjoy success this year.

13. FROM ONE BROTHER TO ANOTHER

Kevin Ellis has emerged as a regular starter for Sporting Kansas City this year. It seems the 24-year-old might not have been a soccer player at all, however, if not for a big sacrifice made by his twin brother.