Columbus beat D.C. to secure first-round playoff bye

(Reuters) - The Columbus Crew locked up a first-round playoff bye when they hammered D.C. United 5-0 on a dramatic final day of the Major League Soccer regular season on Sunday. Columbus hardly missed prolific striker Kei Kamara, suspended after an accumulation of yellow cards, as his replacement Jack McInerney scored the opening goal in the 25th minute to set the Crew on the path to victory. United’s worst result in 18 years sent them plunging from second to fourth in the Eastern Conference, and into a knockout match against fifth-placed New England Revolution in the first round of the post season on Wednesday. The other Eastern first-round playoff will be an all-Canadian affair between Montreal Impact (third) and Toronto FC (sixth), who will meet for the second time in five days. The Impact earned home advantage when they beat Toronto 2-1 on Sunday, with Ivorian striker Didier Drogba scoring twice to bring his total to 11 goals in 11 games. The New York Red Bulls, already assured of top spot in the East, beat the lowly Chicago Fire 2-1 to secure the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in the league, and home advantage throughout the post season, with 60 points from 34 matches. In the West, the Vancouver Whitecaps clinched the all-important second spot, courtesy of a 3-0 home win over the Houston Dynamo. The Whitecaps overtook the Los Angeles Galaxy, who fell from second to fifth after being beaten 2-1 by Sporting Kansas City. English striker Dominic Dwyer scored the winner for Kansas City in the 65th minute, after captain Robbie Keane had equalized for the Galaxy in first-half stoppage time when he latched onto an inch-perfect pass by Giovani dos Santos. The Galaxy, who have won just twice away all season, visit fourth-placed Seattle Sounders in the first round of the playoffs, while third-placed Portland Timbers will host Kansas City. Seattle, Los Angeles and Kansas City all finished with 51 points, while Dallas finished top in the West on 60 points. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ian Ransom)