On Wednesday night the race for Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference got a lot more interesting.
Three games took place across the league, as three in-form teams continue their impressive runs.
[WATCH: LA vs. Colorado - Friday, 10:30pm ET]
[RELATED: Latest MLS standings]
Below is a roundup of the midweek MLS action, as LA and Colorado kick off the weekend live on NBCSN on Friday at 10:30 p..m ET.
Anyway, here’s what happened on Wednesday.
New England 3-1 Sporting Kansas City
Two games in MLS for U.S. international Jermaine Jones, two wins for New England. The Revs cast aside SKC 3-1 at home after fighting back from 1-0 down on Wednesday to give their playoffs hopes a boost, as two goals from Lee Nguyen and a Teal Bunbury strike did the damage. Sporting took the lead in the ninth minute as Soony Saad headed home but Bunbury equalized right on half time to make it 1-1. In the second half Nguyen exploded into life, as the midfielder scored twice to take his tally to 12 for the season and hand New England its third-straight win. Jay Heaps’ men are now unbeaten in four, while the victory also pushed them into third place on 36 points as the East looks increasingly congested with just five points separating third to seventh place.
Chivas USA 2-4 Seattle Sounders
The Sounders also continued their roll as they stayed top of the Western Conference following a convincing 4-2 win over Chivas USA at the StubHub Center. Obafemi Martins and Andy Rose both scored twice in the first half to make it 4-0 at half time, as Brad Evans notched three assists as Chivas were torn apart by the Sounders. The Goats are now eight games without a win and are propping up the standings in the West. However, they did add two goals midway through the second half to make things interesting as Marco Delgado and Ryan Finley both netted to give the scoreline a much more respectable look. Seattle’s win marked their third-straight victory, which puts them five points clear atop the Western Conference standings and the race for the Supporters’ Shield.
Philadelphia Union 1-0 Toronto FC
The Union beat struggling Toronto 1-0 at PPL Park, as Conor Casey’s lone goal in the second half was enough to hand Philly their third win in their last four matches. Sebastien Le Toux crossed for Casey to score his seventh goal of the season, as the Union are now on 33 points and are in a tie with Toronto and Columbus for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. TFC’s turbulent week continued, as the Canadian side fired Ryan Nelsen as boss on Sunday and new head coach Greg Vanney suffered a loss in his first game in charge. Ashtone Morgan was sent off late in the game and TFC’s playoff hopes now seem to be dwindling fast as they suffered their third defeat in four games. TFC are in free-fall, while Philly are on the rise.