Goals in either half from Michael Bradley and Issey Nakajima-Farran were enough to give Toronto FC victory away to Columbus Crew and keep the Canadian side in touch with their Eastern Conference rivals.
Ex-Roma midfielder Bradley latched onto Mark Bloom's cross on 11 minutes and sent his shot beyond the reach of Steve Clark.
Columbus looked to respond midway through the first half when Federico Higuain's free kick fizzed just wide of Julio Cesar's goal.
Moments earlier, Higuain had set up Josh Williams, but the former Inter Milan shot-stopper was equal to his header.
The Crew tried to get back on terms in the second half, but the closest they came to an equaliser was two efforts from Dominic Oduro and a further chance for Tony Tchani.
With five minutes left, the game was put beyond doubt when Issey Nakajima-Farran netted for the Canadian outfit.
Toronto now draw level with Houston Dynamo at the top of the Eastern Conference, but the Texan outfit can lead the standings outright with a win over Dallas.
