By The Associated Press
Associated Press Sports
updated 12:08 a.m. ET March 18, 2012
SEATTLE (AP) - David Estrada scored three times and the Seattle Sounders beat Toronto FC 3-1 on Saturday night in the Major League Soccer opener for each club.
Estrada's impressive performance was the third hat trick for the Sounders, joining Lamar Neagle on August 27 and Blaise Nkufo on Sept. 18, 2010, both against the Columbus Crew.
Estrada scored in the 17th and 51st minutes to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead. After Ryan Johnson replied for Toronto FC in the 62nd minute, Estrada struck again to complete the league's first hat trick of the season.
Estrada's first three MLS goals came in front of a crowd of 38,709, the largest MLS opening-night total in the Sounders' four-year history.
Toronto captain Torsten Frings injured his hamstring in the 24th minute. He will be re-evaluated in Toronto.
FIRE 1, IMPACT 1
MONTREAL (AP) - Davy Arnaud scored the first Major League Soccer goal in Impact history before a crowd of 58,912 at its home opener in Olympic Stadium.
Arnaud's goal in the 56th minute helped give the Impact (0-1-1) their first point since joining MLS as an expansion team this season. Dominic Oduro tied it in the 71st for the Fire, who were opening the season.
The Impact, who opened with a 2-0 loss at Vancouver last weekend, broke the previous record for attendance at a professional soccer match in Montreal. The Manic drew 58,542 for a North American Soccer League playoff game in 1981.
WHITECAPS 1, CHIVAS USA 0
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - The Whitecaps earned their first road victory in franchise history, snapping a streak of 17 winless matches.
The Whitecaps broke through in the 68th minute when Jay DeMerit easily beat goalkeeper Dan Kennedy from close range.
Chivas dominated the possession for wide stretches of the match, but was unable to exploit a stingy Vancouver defense. Chivas' finest opportunity came in the 32nd minute when rookie forward Casey Townsend launched a curling shot from nearly 25 yards that was tipped over the crossbar by goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
Cannon was replaced by backup Brad Knighton after straining his left quad in a first-half collision.
REAL SALT LAKE 2, RED BULLS 0
SANDY, Utah (AP) - Fabian Espindola and Luis Gil scored to lead Real Salt Lake to the victory in its home opener.
Salt Lake (2-0) came into the game banged up, with veteran starters Will Johnson and Nat Borchers both sidelined. Johnson had a strained groin and Borchers a strained quadriceps.
Injuries also caused two other regular starters, Javier Morales and Alvaro Sabario, to only play as second-half substitutions.
New York (0-2) struggled to get on track offensively and defensively and Salt Lake took advantage in a hurry.
Espindola got Salt Lake on the board in the 39th minute after Paulo Jr. found him all alone on a breakaway. Gil tacked on a second goal in the 58th minute.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 3, REVOLUTION 0
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - C.J. Sapong scored for the second time in as many games, and Sporting Kansas City beat the short-handed Revolution in its home opener.
Graham Zusi and Kei Kamara also scored for Sporting (2-0), and Jimmy Nielsen made six saves in his second shutout.
New England (0-2) is winless in its last eight league matches since a 2-0 victory over FC Dallas on Sept. 10.
New England had to play a man down after the 14th minute, when Stephen McCarthy was given a straight red card for a bad foul on Sapong.
DYNAMO 1, EARTHQUAKES 0
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Brad Davis converted a penalty kick in the 14th minute to give Houston the victory.
With two road wins in as many weeks to open the season, the Dynamo already have matched their 2011 total in that category. Houston (2-0-0) is on a seven-game road trip while awaiting completion of the club's new stadium.
San Jose (1-1-0) took 22 shots, but only put five of those on goal, and the Earthquakes could not break through against Houston's defense, which has yet to give up a goal in 2012.
TIMBERS 1, FC DALLAS 1
FRISCO, Texas (AP) - Darlington Nagbe scored in the 51st minute to lift the Timbers into a tie with FC Dallas.
Blas Perez posted his first MLS goal in the 22nd minute for Dallas, which beat New York 2-1 in its season opener last Sunday. Perez had two assists against the Red Bulls.
Kris Boyd, a Scottish star playing just his second MLS game, had two good chances to give Portland the lead, but was denied by FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman in the 59th and 71st minutes.
Portland was coming off an impressive 3-1 victory over Philadelphia in its season opener on Monday.
Dallas was without star forward Brek Shea, who was called to the U.S. under-23 men's national team training camp.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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AFP - Getty ImagesSource: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46773917/ns/sports-soccer/
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