A blow was dealt to the Houston Dynamo's playoff hopes on Sunday when they were beaten 3-1 by the Philadelphia Union. They helped the Union end an eight game winless streak and fell to fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Both the New York Red Bulls and DC United sit at 50 points, four ahead of the Dynamo's 46. Their playoff hopes are in jeopardy as they sit a single point ahead of the surging Columbus Crew in the standings -- both teams have played 30 games, though the Dynamo have a game in hand against the Montreal Impact, who are five points back of the Dynamo.
Houston has four games remaining: they will face the New England Revolution, Montreal Impact, Philadelphia Union and Colorado Rapids before the playoffs begin.
For more on the Dynamo be sure to visit Dynamo Theory, and for more MLS coverage head over to SB Nation's dedicated soccer hub.