MLS: Colorado 2, New York 0

COMMERCE CITY, Colo., July 4 (UPI) -- Nathan Sturgis and Deshorn Brown scored second-half goals Thursday that lifted Colorado to a 2-0 victory over New York.

New York missed a chance to take over the lead in the Eastern Conference, remaining two points behind front-running Montreal.

Sturgis scored in the opening moments of the second period, taking a corner kick and lifting it into the upper right corner of the net from close range. Brown's goal came in the 68th minute with Chris Klute assisting.

The Rapids (7-7-5) jumped past both Seattle and Los Angeles into a tie with Vancouver for fourth place in the Western Conference. New York slipped to 8-7-4.