Jamaica’s utility player Lovel Palmer scored his first goal for new club Houston Dynamo in their 3-0 win over Chivas USA last Saturday and what a beauty it was at the Robertson Stadium.

His 35-metre rocket is receiving rave reviews and is already a contender for Major League Soccer (MLS) Goal of the Week.

Palmer, who signed from Harbour View recently, was making his first start with the Dynamo in his third game and might just have sealed a starting position.

Head coach Dominic Kinnear said on the club’s website he thought Palmer performed well and he knew Palmer had that kind of shooting ability.

“I thought he was good all-around. His goal was fantastic. We saw him hit a goal similar to that against Dallas in preseason down in Orlando. In practice, we noticed that he can strike a ball from distance. He’s not far off when he shoots. What a wonderful goal in his first start for the team,” said Kinnear.

“I thought overall he (Palmer) and Geoff working together, made them very difficult to break down. They were very helpful on the offensive side, so I was very happy.”

“We talked before the game, and we said if (Lovel) Palmer and Geoff (Cameron) win the battle in there, it could be very positive for us. I didn’t know it was going to be that positive and that impactful. But I thought both of them played very well,” Kinnear noted.

Meanwhile, Palmer said the club brought him there for a reason and he is delivering.

“Coach Dom brought me here for a reason. He paid good money for me to leave Jamaica and come here, and I’m just trying to repay the favour. I’m here to just play as well as possible for the Dynamo and try to help them win the championship,” said the Jamaican.

Palmer’s teammate Brad Davis was also full of praises for him. “Lovel has come in and done a fantastic job. Even in Orlando, you could tell he had the skill and ability to fit in with this team. All the guys love him, he’s a great guy, and obviously his play is speaking for itself.”

The Dynamo improve to 2-1-1 (seven points), the best four-game start in the team’s history. The previous mark was their 2-2 record (six points) in 2006. It was Houston’s largest margin of victory in an MLS game since beating Toronto FC 3-0 on May 30, 2009.

Houston are now 7-0-3 in their last 10 games against Chivas USA, and the Dynamo ran their shutout streak against Chivas USA at Robertson Stadium to 802 minutes by posting their eighth consecutive home shutout against the LA-based club. The Dynamo have outscored Chivas USA 18-1 all-time at Robertson Stadium (7-0-2 record).