Chicago Fire continued their MLS resurgence on Friday with New York City goalkeeper Ryan Meara single-handedly giving Frank Yallop's side victory.
On debut for City, Meara fumbled the ball as he attempted to keep it in play up against the byline in the 20th minute and Chicago's David Accam pounced to score the only goal in the home side's 1-0 win.
The visitors' chances of recovering from Meara's error suffered a major blow three minutes after the Fire's goal, with Andrew Jacobson sent off for denying Accam a clear goalscoring opportunity.
It was the Fire's third straight victory after they lost their first three games of the season, as Yallop's men rose to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, while New York's winless run stretched to six matches.
New York's star striker David Villa missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury.
In Friday's other game, a red card to FC Dallas striker Blas Perez sparked Colorado Rapids' recovery in a 1-1 draw.
Perez was sent off in the 59th minute after a tussle with Drew Moor, which left the Colorado defender sprawled on the grass.
Dallas had taken the lead just after the half-hour mark when Fabian Castillo produced a brilliant jinking run before teeing up Mauro Diaz, but the home side claimed a share of the points with 11 minutes remaining as Nick LaBrocca converted from Dillon Powers' knockdown.
