This weekend of MLS action proved little by way of understanding the final standings at the end of the year; we are, after all, just three games into the 2016 campaign. However, three weeks in, it's becoming clear that this season won't be as straightforward as the last.
The Philadelphia Union put on a 3-0 clinic against the New England Revolution and the Colorado Rapids signed a new star in U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard, an exciting development playing foil to their dull 1-1 draw against D.C. United.
Here's what you need to know from Week 3 in MLS:
Seattle is slumping
Devoid of any real goal-scoring threat, the once-mighty Seattle Sounders now sit firmly at the bottom of the standings, the only team remaining without a single point in the first three games of the season.
Andrea Ivanschitz may have scored in this 2-1 loss, but it came from a free-kick, hardly indicative of the team's poor attacking form. The Sounders only have two goals this season, good for joint-worst in the league. Sigi Schmid's 4-3-3 isn't working.
There are excuses, of course, this week's regarding the somewhat dubious circumstances that led to the Vancouver Whitecaps' eventual victory, but excuses won't help Seattle escape this slump; goals, wins, and points will.
Baldomero Toledo makes headlines again
Sporting Kansas City and Toronto FC fans were both treated to about 70 minutes of exciting back-and-forth football, so it's a real shame that the prevailing story-line from this match was the ever-controversial Baldomero Toledo once again.
A missed no-call on Brad Davis' game-winning solo goal and a harsh red card for a tame tackle by Roger Espinoza flipped the script in this fixture. It's not the first time a game has been "Toledo'd".
If you can predict chaos from a specific referee, such that his name becomes synonymous with controversy, maybe it's time to have a really frank conversation about the quality of officiating in MLS.
At least the league is pretty vocal about implementing video replay.
Red Bulls' woes aren't limited to the scoresheet
Somewhere, the New York Red Bulls' strength and conditioning coach has some explaining to do.
The Red Bulls are a high-press, high-pressure team and that style requires an incredibly high level of physical fitness to be effective. Last season, the Red Bulls had all the energy (drinks) in the world and it paid off with a Supporters' Shield win.
But it looks like a touch of fatigue has finally crept into Red Bull Arena as three players went down with hamstring injuries in the span of half an hour during the team's clash against the Houston Dynamo.
We might be able to call it a freak accident but players like Gideon Baah, Ronald Zubar and Gonzalo Veron aren't exactly old and susceptible to injuries, so it's particularly concerning to see the Red Bulls suffer hamstring pulls back-to-back(-to-back), even if the team did win 4-3 on the day.
A 3-minute long California Clasico
Speaking of old player now susceptible to injuries ...
The LA Galaxy's 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes was cause for a bit of early-season celebration, triumphant as the Galaxy were in the first of three Calfornia Clasico matches. Too bad Steven Gerrard wasn't really there to soak the occasion in, though:
As one Premier League legend is sidelined, another returns ...
Didier Drogba upon the grass
Guess who's back? Back again? Drogba's back. Tell a friend.