Winners:
The HOUSTON DYNAMO (formerly the San Jose Earthquakes) drew 25,462 for the first home game in franchise history and delivered a dazzling display in a 5-2 win over Colorado, in which Brian Ching scored four goals and Dwayne De Rosario notched four assists. The Texas crowd helped MLS opening-day average attendance break the 22,000 mark while the weekend's six games averaged four goals per game.
KASEY KELLER, who had conceded seven goals as his Borussia M'Gladbach went winless in three games, shone in a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. Gladbach moved from eighth to 10th place, three points shy of the UEFA Cup zone.
MANCHESTER UNITED renewed its title hopes by downing Bolton, 2-1, while English Premier League leader Chelsea tied Birmingham, 0-0. Man U trails Chelsea by six points with six games left and they meet at Chelsea April 29. Chelsea had enjoyed a 17-point lead earlier in the season.
CHIVAS GUADALAJARA, which has gone through four coaches since August, won its fourth straight Mexican league game (3-2 over Pachuca) under Jose Manuel de la Torre since he replaced Hans Westerhof, who last season coached MLS's Chivas USA.
Losers:
The LOS ANGELES GALAXY sold out its season opener at the Home Depot Center (27,000) then started its title defense with a 1-0 loss to last season's runner-up, New England, in the least entertaining game of MLS's opening weekend.
LEEDS, with American Eddie Lewis going 77 minutes, lost, 1-0, to Hull City to extend its winless streak to five games as hopes for a runner-up finish and automatic qualification for the Premier League fade. Leeds, tied on points with third-place Watford, which has American Jay DeMerit in defense, remains poised to reach the four-team promotion playoffs for one EPL spot.
MAINZ 04 gave American forward Conor Casey, who scored off the bench last weekend, his first start of the season but fell, 3-0, at Nuremberg and is just one point above the relegation zone.