MLS & Houston Dynamo: Jeld-Wen Fortress Pierced in 2-0 Victory over Portland

Dominic Kinnear’s Houston Dynamo inched closer to the MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-0 victory over John Spencer’s Portland Timbers on Friday night at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Ore.

With the win, Houston leapfrog the New York Red Bulls, the Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City for second place in the highly competitive MLS Eastern Conference with a record of 11-9-13 (46 points).

The 36^th minute saw Andre Hainault open his scoring account with a delivery from one of the league's top providers in Brad Davis. The assist was Davis’s 15^th of the season. In the 59^th minute, Danny Cruz made up for a yellow card caution eight minutes prior with a volley from Luiz Camargo.

Portland are not eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoff picture just yet, since they have a game in hand over the Dynamo and Colorado Rapids, who were consigned to a scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake. However, the road ahead got a bit tougher for the Timbers, and they will need some help in order to stay alive.

On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Timbers will hit the road for a match against D.C. United before concluding their inaugural season away to Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Oct. 22. Both matches will be must-win games.

As for the Dynamo, they have all but secured their place in the playoffs, but will need to wait for results over the weekend to make it official. In the event that it doesn’t just yet, a positive result in the season finale against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Oct. 22 will erase any doubts.

Keep it right here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2011 Major League Soccer season.