Saturday's MLS Capsules

Games played March 2, 2013

CHESTER, Pennsylvania (AP) - Graham Zusi had a goal and an assist, leading Sporting Kansas City to a 3-1 win at Philadelphia Union in the Major League Soccer season opener on Saturday.

Oriol Rosell and Claudio Bieler also scored for Sporting Kansas City, the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Zusi's unassisted goal came in the 41st minute and tied it at 1.

Oriol Rosell scored in the 66th minute with Zusi receiving the assist from a free kick. Sporting put the game away when Claudio Bieler scored in the 83rd minute.

The Union took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Frenchman Sebastien Le Toux, the club's career leader with 26 goals who was reacquired by Philadelphia in the offseason.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS 1, TORONTO FC 0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - Gershon Koffie's goal in the 60th minute lifted the Vancouver past Toronto FC.

Koffie helped the Whitecaps win their opener for the third year in a row. He scored following some beautiful passing shortly after Vancouver took control of the play.

The Whitecaps won their first-ever MLS game against Toronto in 2011 and beat Montreal in last year's opener en route to becoming the first Canadian team to qualify for the league playoffs.

The loss spoiled the debut of new Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen, a recently retired English Premier League star and New Zealand international, who has undertaken several lineup changes in a bid to improve the team's 10th place finish in the Eastern Conference last year.

HOUSTON DYNAMO 2, D.C. UNITED 0

HOUSTON (AP) - Ricardo Clark scored and helped create a D.C. United own goal to lead Houston.

In a rematch of the 2012 MLS Eastern Conference championship, the Dynamo took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by United's James Riley in the 80th minute. Off Brad Davis' corner kick, Riley and Clark went up for the ball, with Riley heading it into the left net.

Clark extended Houston's lead to 2-0 in the 89th minute, taking a pass from Warren Creavalle outside the right 6-yard box and sending it high inside the far post.

Houston had a chance to score in the 40th minute, but Davis' penalty kick was stopped by a diving Bill Hamid. Clark's follow was also stopped by Hamid.

DALLAS 1, COLORADO RAPIDS 0

FRISCO, Texas (AP) - Jackson scored in the 11th minute and FC Dallas held on to beat the Colorado Rapids 1-0 in the teams' season opener Saturday night.

Colorado, which went 3-13-1 on the road last season en route to missing the playoffs, just two years after defeating Dallas in the 2010 MLS Cup Final, started five newcomers - including four who were making their MLS debuts.

Dallas, also looking to return to the postseason after finishing sixth in the Western Conference last year, improved its all-time home record against the Rapids to 20-6-4.

Jackson, who had four goals last season, struck after David Ferreira launched a lead ball from beyond midfield. Jackson tried to chase it down and as goalkeeper Steward Ceus charged out of the penalty area, it bounced over him, allowing Jackson an easy shot into an open net.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS 0, MONTREAL IMPACT 1

SEATTLE (AP) - Davy Arnaud caught Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning off his line and scored in the 35th minute to lift Montreal.

Arnaud and midfielder Felipe connected on a quick counter attack late in the first half after Seattle controlled much of the play. Montreal then withstood the Sounders push for an equalizing goal in the second half to hand Seattle its second loss in a home opener in the five seasons of the franchise.

Arnaud, who scored the first goal in Montreal's history a season ago, got behind Seattle's defense and collected the perfectly measured pass from Felipe. Arnaud then chipped the shot with the outside of his right foot over Gspurning, who had wondered too far away from the goal.

CHIVAS 0, COLUMBUS CREW 3

CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Federico Higuain scored early in the second half to lead Columbus.

Josh Williams and Dominic Oduro added late goals for the Crew.

Higuain's score came in the 51st minute as he lined up a 25-yard shot that went in off the right post. In the 88th minute, Williams knocked in a ball off a corner kick sent in by Eddie Gaven in the 88th minute to make it 2-0.

In stoppage time, Oduro raced 75 yards after a Chivas coner kick, got around Chivas' Dan Kennedy and easily finished into an empty goal.

Chivas featured nearly an entirely different roster from 2012. Seven players - including five on loan from Chivas Guadalajara - made their MLS debuts, as did coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola.

Referee Chris Penso handed out four yellow cards to Chivas.