The Columbus Crew (3-2-3, 12 points) dropped a narrowly contested road match on Sunday by a final score of 2-0 against defending MLS Cup champion Sporting Kansas City (4-2-2, 14 points).

The match’s opening strike came in the 10th minute of play, when forward Jacob Peterson scored his first goal of 2014 following a series of deflections inside the Crew’s area. His side-footed half-volley beat a diving Steve Clark and held-up as the match-winning goal.

In the second half, the Crew gave Sporting a stern test, pressuring the home side throughout the final 45 minutes, but the home side held firm to secure three points. Midfielder Wil Trapp was sent off for a second yellow card in the 80th minute and Claudio Bieler added a late insurance goal to seal a 2-0 win for Sporting. The loss was Columbus’ first road defeat of 2014.

The Crew continues a stretch of three matches in seven days with a test at the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday, May 7 (8:00 p.m. ET / Time Warner Cable SportsChannel) before returning home to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, May 10 (7:30 p.m. ET / Time Warner Cable SportsChannel).