Columbus Crew survived a late fightback by DC United to record a slender 2-1 win at the RFK Stadium.
Columbus, who had won four of their last six coming into the contest, started much the better of both sides and Tony Tchani almost broke the deadlock after just three minutes by hitting the crossbar.
The towering Cameroonian midfielder continued to cause problems and goalkeeper Bill Hamid twice kept him out shortly after as the visitors looked in complete control.
Their dominance proved a sign of things to come, however, as Ethan Finlay powered home from point-blank range on 27 minutes after the hosts failed to deal with a Tyson Wahl corner.
It was enough to earn a narrow half-time lead, but four minutes after the break Kei Kamara was on hand to consolidate their advantage as back-to-back wins looked on the horizon.
The visitors gave United a route back into the contest when Chris Klute handled inside the box on 68 minutes, and Chris Rolfe made no mistake from 12 yards to reinvigorate his side.
It proved a false dawn, though, as the visitors clung on to their lead and earned all three points.
Shane Callaghan
