HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Dane Richards scored in the first half and Luke Rodgers converted a penalty kick in the second half to lead the New York Red Bulls to a crucial 2-0 victory over the Portland Timbers on Saturday night.

The Red Bulls (8-7-15) pulled into a tie for fourth place with Houston in the Eastern Conference with four matches to go. It was the first home win for New York since beating Toronto 5-0 on July 6.

Portland (10-13-7) dropped two points behind New York in the race for a wild card playoff berth. The loss snapped the Timbers’ five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2). However, Portland has not had any success on the road, falling to 1-9-4 away from home.