SO far so good.

Last weekend's 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds saw the Bermuda Hogges grab six points out of possible nine in their first three matches of the season.

This Saturday the Hogges are again playing at their National Sports Centre home and will be looking for another three points to give their early season fortunes a big boost before going out on the road against Western Mass later this month.

But the Hogges will not have fond memories of their opponents on Saturday (7.00 p.m. kick off) as last season Crystal Palace (Baltimore) beat them 2-1 in the first game and then thrashed the Hogges 8-1 in the second match near the end of the season.

Like the Hogges, last season was the first year for Palace in the USL-D2, and their spokesman James Calder said, it was a learning time for the coaches and players.

And they seemed to have learned their lessons quite well as they have started out perfect this season. They beat their opening day opponents Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-0, then beat Richmond 2-0 and last week beat the Wilmington Hammerheads 2-0. But all those games were at home and Saturday's match will be their first on the road.

Palace, who are owned by Championship club Crystal Palace in England, are a little unusual in that they have a number of foreign players in their side in a league which normally has only American players (on the US-based teams).

In fact 10 players in the squad are from overseas giving the club an international look.

Calder said this week: "It is unusual to have that many foreign players in this league. There are a few others ¿ for instance Wilmington have six English players but the coach is English which probably has something to do with it.

"The Palace name helps a lot because a lot of players want to be associated with the club (in England). Shintaro Harada flew over from Japan last winter when he heard about the try-outs and he ended up making the team. He had no previous connection with Palace and in fact he had never left Japan before so the name helps attract people from everywhere."

Like the Hogges last season, Palace found the going rough initially.

"We are pretty happy with the start of this season as it has been a good turn-around from last season where we lost the first four games," said Calder.

"Last season was a learning process. For instance the first two games last season we gave up four goals in each game. We quickly determined that defence was a big problem and we shored that up and moved Harada from midfield where he was used to playing to the defence and sure enough that helped solved the problems. And then we started playing better and keeping clean sheets and scoring some goals. It was a real learning curve.

"Unless you have been heavily involved with the league before it can be difficult ¿ you don't know the opposition and even the fields are so different from place to place." The club was created in 2006 and didn't play their first season until last year.

"Crystal Palace have direct oversight over us and we are sort of a feeder team for them over the long term. We have had exchanges of various kinds ¿ we have had players go over to them to look at and last year we had a few of their young players come over and get experience with us. That has not happened this year as Palace have been involved in the playoffs."

Palace were eliminated in those playoffs by Bristol City this week.

Calder said that the club in England were the ones who came up with the idea of forming a team in the US.

"It was their initiation and they were looking for a place and someone to run it and Jim Cherneski (co-manager) was the contact and it all came together.

"The decision to base the team in Baltimore was because it is easily accessible from London and also it enables us to tap into the American youth market and the Maryland area is a hotbed of soccer in this country as is Virginia which is not too far away."

As for Calder himself he said: "I grew up two miles from (Palace home ground) Selhurst Park but I have spent 20 years in the US. But I grew up supporting Palace."

Hogges president Shaun Goater said he is impressed by Palace and that the two clubs think alike.

Goater said: "Palace (in England) are the parent company and a lot of teams in England are starting in link with the USL to spread their network in terms getting players earlier ¿ they are putting their net out. I think what Palace have done is what I think is the future the USL.

"It is great for the league to be affiliated with the clubs in England. Palace in England can send over some of their younger players in June and July to play in the USL which will give them experience.

"I like what Palace are doing and we have a very good relationship with them ¿ we share a lot of the same ideas and they are one of the teams that feel strongly about progressing football in America. They think similar to us ¿ we think along the same lines."

Like Palace, Goater said the first year was always going to be tough for the Hogges in the league.

"Our first main target and goal was to assure that we got up and running. We want to financially break even and we knew we would take a loss for the first couple of years and that seems the likelihood. But once that foundation is built we will be looking at some of the younger players in Bermuda.

"We are always keeping an eye on our younger kids ¿ those in the Under-20 and Under-17 teams.

"The young kids now see that there is somewhere to go. Obviously what the Hogges can pay will not allow them to buy a house but it will allow them to pay some small bills and play professionally. It will allow them to go out and enjoy playing football and also they will be getting international exposure. They will be in a professional environment and we make demands on them ¿ we make them accountable. These are the requirements that are involved in every day work at places like XL and Ace. Welcome to the real world."