Calen Carr has scored on the stroke of half-time to give Houston Dynamo a slight advantage over Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Final.
Houston started the game brightly, with Ricardo Clark forcing Josh Saunders into a save inside the first minute.
However, Galaxy improved as the half progressed and should have been ahead when Robbie Keane delivered the ball into the area after being picked out by David Beckham but Landon Donovan somehow shot wide from close range.
Beckham's influence on the game continued to grow and the outgoing midfielder found Mike Magee with a superb cross but the midfielder headed the ball into the ground and over the crossbar.
Kogi Sarkodie threatened to open the scoring on the half-hour mark following a storming run through the heart of the Galaxy defence but Saunders reacted well to keep out the defender's shot.
Houston finished the better of the two sides and were rewarded for their pressure when Carr fired the ball past Saunders at the near post to give the Dynamo a deserved lead at half-time.
Callum Mulvihill
