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Houston climbs in the East with win over Portland

Aug 15, 2011 - 3:12 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - The Houston Dynamo took a giant step towards making the Major League Soccer playoffs by defeating the Portland Timbers 2-1 at Robertson Stadium on Sunday.

The win gives Houston 31 points on the season, tying the club with Red Bull New York for third place in the Eastern Conference..

First-half goals from Adam Moffat and Brian Ching helped the Dynamo obtain all three points, while Jack Jewsbury's second-half strike proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal.

Moffat opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a spectacular effort against his former team. The Houston midfielder hit a rocket from 40 yards out that went straight into the upper right corner of the goal, giving Portland goalkeeper Troy Perkins no chance.

Ching doubled the lead ten minutes later. The American timed a run into the box to perfection, getting on the end of a through-ball before calmly curling a shot into the side netting.

Portland got on the scoreboard in the 56th minute when a ball headed back across goal found Jewsbury at the penalty spot. His one-time effort took a deflection on its way past Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall.

Both teams searched for another goal - Houston to ensure its lead and Portland to equalize - but the match ended without any further scoring.

The match marked the return to Robertson Stadium for Timbers head coach John Spencer, who previously served the Dynamo as an assistant coach. He was unable to mark the occasion with any points for his club.

Houston is now unbeaten in its last three MLS matches, taking seven points from a possible nine.

Both teams return to action with a midweek matchup on Wednesday. The Dynamo (7-7-10) will travel to Gillette Stadium to face the New England Revolution, while the Timbers (7-11-5) will play Sporting Kansas City at Livestrong Sporting Park.