Another slow start proved costly for the Houston Dynamo, who have become increasingly desperate as they try to avoid missing the playoffs for a second straight year for the first time.
Sporting Kansas City is in a much better spot as the regular season moves into its final month.
Houston looks to get back on track at home Wednesday night against Kansas City.
The Dynamo (9-12-8) are six points behind Portland for the Western Conference's final playoff spot, having won once in their last six matches. They've dropped two in a row after a 2-0 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday in which they surrendered the first goal in the third minute.
"I don't understand why we have to wait until we're down 1-0 to realize, ' ... we've got to keep the ball and play,'" Will Bruin, who leads Houston with 10 goals, told the team's official website. "It's frustrating obviously because results aren't happening. We've got five games left and at this rate it's going to be the offseason for us."
The defense was without Raul Rodriguez due to yellow-card accumulation and DaMarcus Beasley because of a calf injury, while Sheanon Williams was forced to play out of position at left back. Coach Owen Coyle refused to let those factors be an excuse for the poor play at the back end, however.
"We have to cut out individual errors," Coyle said. "The boys that step in still need to be ready to man up and get clean sheets to give you a chance to win games."
Houston's previous match, a 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Sept. 12, was its first defeat in seven home games after outscoring opponents 15-5 during the 5-0-1 run there. The Dynamo are winless in their last four home meetings with Kansas City, the most recent a 4-all draw April 25, and neither team has won at home in the last six meetings.
These clubs also tied 1-all at Kansas City on Aug. 1, their fourth draw in six matchups.
Sporting KC (12-8-8), seeking a fifth straight postseason appearance, is three points up on Portland for fifth place.
Sporting ended a five-match winless stretch with Friday's 3-1 home victory over FC Dallas thanks to two goals from Benny Feilhaber. The three goals were one more than the club had totaled in its previous five matches, and its nine shots on goal were also a season high.
"The highs can never be too high and the lows can never be too low," coach Peter Vermes said. "But we have an expectation every time we step on the field and that is to win. Obviously we haven't been in good form of late, and we realize that.
"We've given up some soft goals in games, and that's not who we are. But one of the things I like about the guys is that they will make sure it doesn't happen again and they will get back to where they were."
