HOUSTON (AP) Tomas Martinez scored in the 63rd minute and his free kick in the 77th led to an own goal, helping the Houston Dynamo beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Houston (12-10-10) moved within one point of a third-place tie with Portland and Seattle. Second-place Sporting KC (12-8-12) needed at least a draw to secure a playoff spot.
Only Vancouver, three points ahead of Sporting KC, has secured a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Martinez tied it at 1 by volleying home a deflected cross and the Dynamo took the lead on Erik Palmer-Brown’s own goal. Mart�nez’s free kick was placed inside the 6-yard box and Palmer-Brown knocked it in with his right leg.
Jimmy Medranda scored for Sporting KC in the 33rd minute. Saad Abdul-Salaam dribbled along the right side of the 18-yard box and found Medranda trailing the play for a left-footed finish from distance.
Seth Sinovic had an open shot pushed away by Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
The game was pushed back from Aug. 26 due to Hurricane Harvey. The teams will play again on Sunday.
