Nashville drub Crew to close gap on Cincinnati

MIAMI: Nashville kept up the chase for top spot in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference with a 3-1 home win over the Columbus Crew on Sunday.

FC Cincinnati head the standings on 33 points but Nashville are just five points behind ater picking up their eighth win of the campaign.

The Crew took a stunning second-minute lead with a magnificent 25-yard drive from Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah but Nashville responded strongly ater the break.

Fafa Picault turned in a corner from close range to level in the 56th minute.

Teal Bunbury then put the hosts ahead 10 minutes from the end, heading in a perfectly delivered in-swinging corner from Daniel Lovitz.

German midfielder Hany Mukhtar wrapped up the win in the seventh minute of stoppage time, ending a winding run with a fierce blast into the near post.

With the defeat Columbus slip to 10th place, outside the playoff spots, on goal difference from Montreal.

In the Western Conference struggling Kansas City hammered the Portland Timbers 4-1, also coming back ater conceding an early goal at home.

Franck Boli put the visitors ahead in the eighth minute with a well-taken volley on the turn but Kansas City levelled in the 33rd minute with an outstanding strike from Erik Thommy.

The German winger, a former Stutgart player in the Bundesliga, cut in from the right flank and from outside the box blasted a let-footed shot into the far corner.

Hungarian Daniel Salloi put Sporting ahead in the 66th minute with a close-range conversion from a low cross from the right by Graham Zusi.

An own goal from Larrys Mabiala, whose sliding tackle on Alan Pulido ended up in his own net, made it 3-1 before Felipe Hernandez completed the rout in stoppage time.

Defending champions Los Angeles FC had a week off ahead of their CONCACAF Champions League final first leg away to Mexico’s Leon on Wednesday.

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