Lenhart lifts Columbus into tie with Wizards

Steven Lenhart scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, salvaging a 1-1 tie for the Columbus Crew against the Wizards in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals last night in Kansas City, Kan.

Under the home-and-home, total-goals format, the winner of next week's game in Columbus advances to the conference title game. A draw would send the series to a 30-minute mini-game, with a penalty shootout following if the tie remains unbroken.

The winner of the series will play the winner of the New England Revolution-Chicago Fire series in the Eastern Conference finals. The Revolution and Fire tied, 0-0, in their first game.

Davy Arnaud's diving header in the 53d minute put the Wizards up, 1-0, but Lenhart - an 83d-minute substitute - made the most of a deflection at the edge of KC's penalty area.

Danny O'Rourke's shot went off Wizards defender Tyson Wahl and bounced to Jaime Moreno, who chested it to Lenhart for the equalizer from 22 yards.

The Wizards had to play a man down after the 75th minute. Midfielder Herculez Gomez was issued a straight red card for serious foul play, for a hard tackle on Gino Padula. He will be suspended for the next game.

Arnaud, who has a goal in three straight games, started his scoring sequence with a long ball that Claudio Lopez ran down in the corner. Lopez sent a left-footed cross into the area, and Arnaud split Padula and Brad Evans and put the ball in the back of the net.

Red Bulls 1, Dynamo 1 - Kei Kamara's late goal off a scramble in front of the net gave Houston a tie with New York in East Rutherford, N.J.

New York had taken a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute, when Juan Pablo Angel scored on a header off a crossing pass from John Wolyniec, but Kamara - who had entered the game in the 66th minute - evened the score when he connected off a pass from Stuart Holden in the 85th minute.

New York had a chance to win in the closing minute, but Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad made a diving save of a Wolyniec shot.

Real Salt Lake 1, Chivas 0 - Yura Movsisyan scored in the 90th minute for the second straight game to lead Real Salt Lake over Chivas USA in the opening game of their playoff series in Sandy, Utah.

The teams were poised for a tie, but with time winding down, midfielder Javier Morales took a quick throw-in from defender Robbie Russell inside the box, and negotiated a pass to Movsisyan near the far post.

Racing past Chivas defender Shavar Thomas, Movsisyan flicked the ball past goalkeeper Zach Thornton. Movsisyan scored in the 90th minute in the regular-season finale at Colorado last week to lift Real Salt Lake into the playoffs.