5 things we learned in MLS Week 2: Impact soar, league minnows roar

The second week of MLS action provided an opportunity for some of the league's top teams to grab a foothold in the early parts of the campaign, highlighted by a number of straightforward matchups that should have led to an easy three points.

Instead, the bottom-feeders of MLS flexed their muscles of parity.

Giants fell hard this week. No one was safe, not even the mighty LA Galaxy. Fans in California were, however, treated to a peach of a goal from Quincy Amarikwa, perhaps one of the best of the year.

Here's what you need to know from an upside-down second week in MLS:

The Houston Dynamo just dominated Texas

There's only one team in Texas worth talking about these days, and it ain't FC Dallas. The Houston Dynamo utterly devastated their Texan rivals in this, the first of three Texas Derby matches this season, putting up a convincing 5-0 win at BBVA Compass Stadium to earn all three points against their bitter foes.

Houston did benefit slightly from an own goal by Matt Hedges, a fact the club was quick to point out when one fan asked if Dallas even "showed up":

The last time the Houston Dynamo put up five goals in a regular season match was back in September 2013, against the now-defunct Chivas USA. In the years that followed, the Dynamo have struggled mightily.

But head coach Owen Coyle made a huge statement this week, announcing to the rest of MLS that his project in Houston is finally taking shape. Perhaps the Dynamo will raise some more eyebrows this season, though, they weren't the only team defying expectations in Week 2 ...

League minnows flip the script

Quick! What do the Colorado Rapids, the Philadelphia Union, Real Salt Lake, and the San Jose Earthquakes have in common? Besides all missing the playoffs last year, these four teams each picked up a win against some of the league's top dogs.

RSL, Philadelphia, and San Jose each posted 2-1 wins over the Seattle Sounders, Columbus Crew, and Portland Timbers respectively, while the Rapids pulled off this last-gasp victory over the LA Galaxy with 20 seconds to go in the match:

You can't write this sort of thing (well, you can, but still - awesome!)

Montreal is the real deal

Didier Drogba? Who needs him. Certainly not the Montreal Impact, who, inspired once more by Ignacio Piatti, thoroughly made short work of the New York Red Bulls at Olympic Stadium.

While Drogba rests and recovers under the California sun, his teammates have been doing the work, and doing it well. Piatti, now surrounded by competent wingers, has been bossing the Montreal midfield and is a new contender for the MLS MVP, a grand, sweeping statement we have no problem making just two weeks into the season.

Related - Montreal Impact: The dark horse team of MLS in 2016

But, in all seriousness, the Impact are turning heads and if Piatti and Co. keep this kind of form up, they could be a team to be feared in 2016.

Yankee Stadium proves unkind for TFC

The David Villa vs. Sebastian Giovinco showdown continued at Yankee Stadium as NYCFC held Toronto FC to a 2-2 draw, just one week after the Reds were found across the Hudson River last week in topping the Red Bulls 2-0.

While the minuscule pitch, inconsistent hand-ball calls and a general lack of atmosphere (seriously, who bans printed tickets 48 hours before a home opener?) were certainly factors in this one, Toronto will consider themselves the luckier of the two teams on the day.

For, if not for the brilliance of the Reds' nuclear-infused Formicidae (read: Atomic Ant), Toronto likely would have bowed out to yet another loss as Villa's fourth penalty goal in as many games stabbed through the heart of TFC's resolve.

Luckily, Giovinco can do Giovinco things. Maybe that's all TFC really needs.

Quincy Amarikwa, take a bow

No words, just watch this long-range chipped goal:

Amarikwa wasn't even afraid of bragging on Twitter, retweeting plenty of praise after this stunning effort.

View every result from Week 2 of the MLS season here.