HOUSTON — Ezequiel Ponce scored his third goal in the last four games for Houston, Jonathan Bond had four saves, and the Dynamo beat the Portland Timbers 1-0 on Saturday night.
Jack McGlynn played an arcing corner kick to the back post and Ponce went up high between two defenders for a header to make it 1-0 in the 44th minute.
Houston (9-13-9) has 36 points and went into the game two points behind ninth-place San Jose for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, while Salt Lake had 34 points. Dallas, which beat Colorado 3-1 earlier Saturday, has 37 points.
Portland (11-10-9) is sixth in the Western Conference with 42 points. Austin (41 points) hosts fifth-place Seattle (45) on Sunday.
James Pantemis had six saves for the Timbers.
The Dynamo outshot Portland 21-8.
Next up: The Timbers travel north to face the Vancouver Whitecaps at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.