Chris Wondolowski's early goal was enough for the San Jose Earthquakes to beat Major League Soccer leaders Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on Saturday in front of a record crowd.
Wondolowski scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season in the fourth minute, capitalizing on a miscommunication between Galaxy goalie Donovan Ricketts and defender A.J. DeLaGarza.
Bobby Convey sent a long pass into the penalty area which DeLaGarza left for Ricketts, but the goalie failed to touch the ball, and Wondolowski coolly put it into the net.
The game was played before 10,799 - San Jose's best in three seasons at Buck Shaw Stadium - with many on hand to witness the MLS debut of former Hull City forward Geovanni, who came on as a second-half substitute.
In Columbus, Ohio, Columbus maintained a six-point lead atop the Eastern Conference and closed within three points of the overall MLS lead with a home win over Colorado.
Veteran Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored a sixth-minute penalty, which was cancelled out in first-half stoppage time by Pablo Mastroeni's equalizer.
Jason Garey put the Crew back ahead in the 53rd minute and substitute Steven Lenhart provided the insurance goal in the 80th.
Colorado has just one point from its past six visits to Columbus.
In Toronto, former Barcelona star and Mexico captain Rafael Marquez scores his first MLS goal to put New York on its way to a big away win at Toronto.
Marquez drove in a powerful shot in the 35th minute, and it was 2-0 in the 41st when the ball bounced off the shin of Joseph Nane for an own goal.
Dwayne De Rosario pulled a goal back for the hosts in the 49th minute, shooting between the legs of the goalkeeper from close range.
Juan Pablo Angel restored New York's two-goal buffer from the penalty spot in the 61st minute after Nana Attakora was sent off for deliberate handball as he tried to stop the ball reaching Thierry Henry.
Former Toronto midfielder Carl Robinson came on to replace Rafael Marquez and within three minutes headed in the visitors' fourth.
The game was played before a stadium record crowd of 22,108.
In Frisco, Texas, Brek Shea scored the sole goal in the 71st minute to give Dallas a dour home victory over Chivas.
The win extended Dallas' unbeaten streak to 11 games and moved the Texans within three points of second place in the West.
Chivas is now four points adrift at the bottom of the Western Conference.
The goal came from a lofted cross from the left by Jair Benitez, and the tall Shea was on hand at the far post to head the ball past veteran Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton.
Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman came up with two outstanding saves just minutes later to preserve the lead.
In Houston, Brian Ching completed his hat trick in the 85th minute to give Houston a dramatic and drought-breaking home win over Chicago.
Ching opened his account in the 31st minute, tapping into an empty net after Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson spilled the ball as he fell to the turf.
Lovel Palmer made it 2-0 in the 50th as he drove hom a well-worked freekick.
Chicago pulled back a goal in the 55th when Calen Carr got on the end of a Freddie Ljungberg pass and slotted past the keeper.
Ching restored the two-goal advantage just four minutes later with the goal of the night. Bobby Boswell's shot struck a post and rebounced back into play where Ching executed an impressive bicycle kick into the net.
Boswell did get a goal of his own - at the wrong end - as his deflection brought Chicago back into the match in the 70th minute, making it 3-2.
The Fire was back on level terms in the 81st when Ljungberg's corner was headed in by centerback Wilman Conde.
Ching's winner came in the 85th as he headed in Richard Mulrooney's corner to give Houston its first win since May and score the Dynamo's first hat trick since its first game in 2006.
In Kansas City, Birahim Diop, out of professional football last season, scored his first two MLS goals as Kansas City downed New England.
After playing in his native Senegal, Diop played four games for New York in 2002, then went on to teams in Moldova and Colombia. After stints in New York-area amateur leagues, he joined the Wizards and made his first start for them Saturday.
He opened the scoring in the 16th when he beat the offside trap and slotted past the onrushing goalkeeper, and made it 2-0 in the 27th by heading in a cross at the back post.
Kenny Mansally reduced the deficit in the 37th minute when his volleyed shot took a deflection past the keeper.
Diop set up Kansas City's third goal in the 65th, sliding a shot across goal that was knocked in by Kei Kamara. Four minutes later the Wizards made sure of the three points when substitute Jack Jewsbury put the ball into an open net.
Kansas City went past New England into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
