Goals from Tesho Akindele and Fabian Castillo gave FC Dallas a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference.
David Texeira almost gave Dallas the lead in the first minute of the game, but his effort from close range went just over the bar, before the striker missed another chance after a mix-up amongst the Salt Lake defenders.
The visitors eventually grew into the game, and Sebastian Jaime came close to giving Salt Lake the lead, but his effort went well wide.
Chances were at a premium in the first half, but the game opened up after the break when Dallas were awarded a penalty after Akindele was brought down in the penalty box. The striker went on to score the game's opener from the spot.
Je-Vaughn Watson almost doubled Dallas' advantage on 62 minutes with a strike from distance, but his effort was blocked by teammate Castillo.
Real Salt Lake were offered a way back into the match on 78 minutes, when Kellyn Acosta tripped Javier Morales in the penalty box, but his effort from the spot struck the post.
Dallas doubled their lead immediately, as Castillo found the net from a swift counter-attack, giving the hosts a crucial win to keep them in the playoff places.
