[MLS] Those two scoring machines for their respective teams each scored a goal Wednesday night, but Jimmy Conrad got some help from his Kansas City teammates. Juan Pablo Angel didn't. Conrad drilled a header for his team-high fourth goal of the season and Davy Arnaud notched his first of 2008 to cancel out Angel's third as Kansas City beat the Red Bulls, 2-1, to pull itself alongside New York in the Eastern Conference standings with 20 points.

Granted, both teams are looking up at the other five conference rivals, but both are also only two points behind third-place D.C. United, which sits in the lowest guaranteed playoff spot. The top three teams in each conference, plus the two teams with the next-best records, will qualify for the postseason.

Kansas City (5-5-5) took the lead in the 11th minute when Claudio Lopez served up a corner kick that Conrad headed powerfully past Red Bulls keeper Jon Conway. Conrad nearly scored on another corner midway through the half but his shot narrowly missed.

New York (5-6-5) applied some pressure for the rest of the first half but were rocked back just two minutes after halftime when midfielder Kurt Morsink threaded a through ball that Arnaud, who had notched just one assist in eight games while recovering from offseason knee surgery, rolled past Conway.

Angel scored with his head in the 71st minute on a cross from Dane Richards, who'd been released up the right wing by Kevin Goldthwaite. New York came close several times to an equalizer, but John Wolyniec hit the post from a corner kick and Wizards keeper Kevin Hartman dove low to his left to turn aside a Dave van den Bergh drive.

Both teams are off until next week.

Kansas City plays at Columbus in the Thursday night ESPN2 match; the Red Bulls host San Jose, and could be ready to field recent signings Jorge Rojas, Juan Pietravallo and Diego Jimenez.

Rojas and Pietravallo are awaiting issuance of their P-1 visas; Jimenez, who formerly played in Mexico with UAG, holds a green card.

July 10 in Kansas City
Kansas City 2 New York 1.
Goals: Conrad (Lopez) 11,Arnaud (Morsink) 47; Angel (Richards, Goldthwaite) 71.

Kansas City - Hartman, Jewsbury, Conrad, Hohlbein, Harrington, Arnaud, Morsink, Victorine, Lopez, Sealy (Espinoza, 63), Trujillo (Pore, 74).

New York - Conway, Leitch, Goldthwaite, Parke, van den Bergh, Sassano (Ubiparipovic, 46), Magee, Mendes (Richards, 68), Stammler, Angel, Echeverry (Wolyniec, 81).

Yellow Cards: Kansas City - Jewsbury 37,Victorine 41.

Referee: Jasen Anno.

Att.: 8,773.