Lucas Rodriguez and Frederic Brillant scored goals as D.C. United improved their playoff standing in the Eastern Conference of the MLS with a 2-0 victory against the visiting Seattle Sounders on Sunday night.

United goalkeeper Bill Hamid made four saves in posting his career-high 11th shutout of the season.

D.C. (13-10-9, 48 points), which clinched a playoff berth Saturday when Chicago, Montreal and Orlando all dropped points on the road, moved from sixth place into fourth in the East with the victory.

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Seattle (14-10-8, 50 points) remained in second place in the tightly packed Western Conference but has yet to clinch a playoff berth with two games remaining in the regular season. The Sounders, in their 11th year of existence, have never failed to make the postseason.

Rodriguez opened the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 14th minute. A cross from the right wing was deflected by a Seattle defender and came to Rodriguez just inside the top of the 18-yard box. He chested the ball to his feet, deked one defender and rolled the ball just inside the left post past diving Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Brillant made it 2-0 in the 54th minute off a free kick from Wayne Rooney. The low free kick from just outside the 18-yard box on the left wing made it through a maze of legs to Brillant, who redirected the ball into the net from about two yards out.

Rooney, the longtime English star who has announced he's returning to his homeland at the end of this season, nearly scored twice in the first half, but put the ball off the crossbar both times.

The Sounders played without their captain, playmaking midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, who didn't make the trip to D.C. because of a lower-back injury suffered in Wednesday's 0-0 draw at home against FC Dallas.

In addition, defender Xavier Arreaga was suspended for Sunday's match after receiving two yellow cards against Dallas.