[MLS PLAYOFFS: Chicago-Houston] The defending Eastern Conference champion Houston Dynamo moved into the semifinals of the conference playoffs with a 2-1 win at the Chicago Fire in Wednesday's play-in game. Will Bruin took advantage of some lax defending to score both goals for the Dynamo, which hosts Sporting Kansas City in Sunday's first leg.

-- Bruin broke free of Jalil Anibaba for an open header in front off Brad Davis' corner kick for the first goal in the 12th minute.

-- Seconds after the start of the second half, Ricardo Clark broke up Gonzalo Segares' pass, and the ball came to Calen Carr, whose pass split the Fire defense, allowing Bruin to beat Sean Johnson easily.

-- The Fire finished with 19 shots but could only pull one goal back in the 82th minute when Alex fired a shot under the reach of Houston keeper Tally Hall.

-- Houston is 1-0-2 against Sporting KC in the 2012 regular season and takes a 28-game unbeaten streak in all competitions into the game. The Dynamo completed the fourth unbeaten home season in league history in 2012 with an 11-0-6 home record at new BBVA Compass Stadium.

-- The rebuilt Fire was one of the hottest teams in MLS in the late summer but slumped in the home stretch, finishing with four losses in its last six games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Play-in Game
Oct. 31 in Bridgeview, Ill.
Chicago 1 Houston 2. Goals: Alex (Nyarko) 82; Bruin (Davis) 12, Bruin (Carr) 46.
Chicago -- Johnson, Friedrich, Anibaba (Paladini, 75), Berry, Segares, Fernandez, Pardo (Oduro, 61), Pause (Alex, 46), Rolfe, Nyarko, MacDonald.
Houston -- Hall, Boswell, Ashe, Sarkodie, Taylor, Moffat, Carr (Kandji, 78), R.Clark, Davis, Garcia, Bruin (Ching, 78).
Referee: Baldomero Toledo.
Att.: 10,923.

Chicago-Houston Highlights: