Palmer scores in Houston victory

 HOUSTON, Texas (CMC): Lovel Palmer supported a hat-trick from Brian Ching with a second half strike that helped the Houston Dynamo prevail 4-3 over Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

The Jamaican midfielder scored early in the second half to put Houston ahead 2-0, but the game got quite interesting when the Fire got a late third goal to tie the match, before Ching gave Dynamo the victory with the winner five minutes from time.

Ching had put Houston in front with the only goal in the first half in the 31st minute, when Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson failed to collect a corner kick and the ball spilled from his grasp, leaving the Dynamo striker with an open goal to score.

Palmer extended Houston's lead when Richard Mulrooney played a short, crisp pass on a free kick and the Jamaican's first-time shot whizzed past Johnson in the 50th minute.

Calen Carr cut the Fire's deficit when he collected Freddie Ljungberg's pass in the box and scored five minutes later.

Ching restored Houston's two-goal advantage when a corner ricocheted off the post and he struck a stunning bicycle kick past Johnson in the 59th minute.

Bobby Boswell's own goal in the 70th minute again eased the pressure on the Fire and they drew level in the 81st minute, when Woilman Conde rose to meet Ljungberg's inch-perfect corner kick.

Ching gave Houston maximum points, when he too, butted in a corner kick from Mulrooney.