Week 3 MLS Notes:

• New England’s Rusty Pierce has improved his game. He’s playing defense instead of just whackin’ folks.

• The best part about this time of the season is the utter absence of football lines on the fields.

• DeWayne DeRosario with an early “Goal of the Year” candidate for San Jose. Flying side volley; very fancy. Adin Brown with an uncharacteriscally weak clearance which bounced DeRsario’s way.

• Taylor Twellman scored for NE, but will not be happy with himself, as he could have easily had a hat trick had he finished just a tiny bit better.

• Frankie Hejduk was sent off in Kansas City. He took an elbow to the back of his neck from Alex Zotinca. Frankie swings his arm around and catches Zotinca on the side of the face. What happened next was entirely predictable, and stupid: First, Hejduk’s retaliation was seen and he, not Zotinca, was given a red card. Second, Zotinca, like most foreign players, went down like he’d been felled by a sniper rifle. However, the red card has magical healing powers, it seems, because the second Frankie left the field, Zotinca rose up like Lazarus of old. This is why so many Americans hate soccer.