Columbus Crew trumps Philadelphia Union as Kei Kamara continues red-hot scoring

The Columbus Crew went to PPL Park to take on the Philadelphia Union and made short work of the home side, picking up a 2-1 win and all three points in a straightforward Eastern Conference clash.

Sierra Leonean forward Kei Kamara bagged a brace to give the Crew its two goals over the Union. His brace gives him goals 19 and 20 for the 2015 season, extending the gap at the top of the league's Golden Boot race.

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Kamara's first goal came in the 21st minute when Ghanaian right full-back Harrison Afful sent a cross into the box that the Union defenders failed to clear. The ball landed in front of Kamara, who headed home to give Columbus a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later, Kamara added his second in similar fashion, with Afful crossing the ball into the box and Kamara sliding in for a tap-in at the far post. With a 2-0 lead to defend, the Crew sat back and rode out the first half as the Union began looking for answers in its own attacking play.

Philadelphia kicked off the second half with plenty of positive play and were rewarded for their efforts in the 66th minute. Conor Casey and Sebastien Le Toux combined well on the right with ping-pong passes, leaving the Crew's back four scrambling.

Casey sent in a through pass to Le Toux, who muscled off No. 6 before sending a low cross toward a hungry C.J. Sapong, who was happy to pounce on the ball to cut the lead by one.

Despite coming up with a few more half-chances in the second half, Philadelphia couldn't find an equalizer as the Crew held its 2-1 lead until the full-time whistle.