After months of uncertainty caused by formation tinkering and roster moves, Real Salt Lake finally looks the playoff contender we all know it to be. 

The seven-time postseason participant left it until the last-possible moment to begin its charge up the Western Conference standings, but all that matters entering the final weekend of September is the club's position to pounce. 

Sunday night's trip to Avaya Stadium presents the Claret and Cobalt with a perfect opportunity to climb into at least a tie for the final playoff position in the Western Conference if all goes well.

Even if Jeff Cassar's side can't crack the top six after Week 30, it would keep the positive momentum rolling with a win over the plummeting San Jose Earthquakes. 

RSL's assault on the top six almost never happened as the club went into the most-recent international break on the heels of a heartbreaking defeat against FC Dallas.

RSL had a chance to level the contest at Toyota Stadium from the spot, but club stalwart Javier Morales uncharacteristically missed a penalty in the 78th minute. One minute later, FC Dallas went down the field and sealed a 2-0 victory that at the time seemed to shut the door on RSL's playoff hopes. 

However, something clicked in the RSL squad after the international window closed as the Claret and Cobalt marched back down into Texas and took a 3-1 win over Houston away from BBVA Compass Stadium. After a scoreless draw with Santa Tecla in the CONCACAF Champions League, RSL returned home to trounce familiar foe, LA Galaxy, 3-0. 

It came as no surprise on Thursday night that the club's late comeback in the home tie with Santa Tecla in the Champions League was sparked by the attacking catalysts who have driven the Utah-based side toward the playoffs.

Morales and Juan Manuel 'Burrito' Martinez played key roles off the bench to hand RSL even more momentum heading into Sunday's crucial contest with seventh-place San Jose. 

Morales and Martinez are the two main reasons why the RSL attack looks as frightening as any in the league right now.

Morales, 35, who has been terrific for a long time at RSL, continues to get better with age. With an assist in each of the team's last two league games, the 35-year-old Argentinian recorded his fourth season with 10 or more assists. In his last three seasons, Morales has 25 goals and 33 assists to his name.

The club's official Twitter account elaborated further on Morales' impact in attack: 

Martinez was linked with RSL for quite some time this summer, but a deal for the 29-year-old attacker was not made official until August 13. It took two more weeks for the man nicknamed 'Burrito' to touch the field in league action.

After one substitute appearance, Martinez was entered into the starting lineup. He scored during his first 90-minute shift against Houston and assisted on a strike versus LA. On top of that, he netted the game-winning goal in Champions League action on Thursday.

The free-flowing nature of the Argentinian duo at the heart of the RSL attack has eased the pressure off Joao Plata and Devon Sandoval.

Sandoval has especially benefited from the added creativity in the final third as three of his four goals in 2015 have come in the last two games.

Plata has taken a backseat of sorts to the show around him, but as we have seen in the past from the Ecuadorian, he can create moments of brilliance as well. 

With a solid attacking spine thriving in a 4-2-3-1 formation, RSL do not have to be as reliant on its superstars at the back than it has throughout the season.

Nick Rimando is expected to come up with big save after big save and Kyle Beckerman rarely takes a night off in his defensive-midfield role, but the one thing that was lacking throughout the season for the Claret and Cobalt was a consistent attacking threat. 

Although a spot in the postseason is far from guaranteed in the wild Western Conference, RSL resembles the closest thing to a contender among the clubs fighting for the final spot.

Portland currently sits in sixth place, but an inconsistent lineup filled with red flags keeps it from being considered the true favorite to win the final place.

San Jose's playoff position seemed to be set in stone back in August, but it has wilted under the stress of the postseason race.

Houston pulled ahead of RSL with a Wednesday win over Sporting Kansas City, but it is hard to see the Dynamo putting together a massive surge under first-year boss Owen Coyle. 

That leaves us with RSL, who has one of the easiest schedules heading into the stretch run of the season. Following Sunday's trip to San Jose, the Claret and Cobalt will visit struggling Colorado before hosting Portland and FC Dallas at home. If everything goes as planned, RSL could go into Seattle on the final day of the season with little to worry about. 

Although it would be nice to see a traditional power back in the playoffs after a tumultuous start, plenty of things can happen over five games in a league filled with the unexpected. 

Week 30 Schedule

Friday

Orlando City at New York Red Bulls (7 p.m. ET, UniMas)

Saturday

Chicago Fire at Toronto FC (2 p.m. ET)

D.C. United at Montreal Impact (5 p.m. ET)

Portland Timbers at Columbus Crew (7:30 p.m. ET)

Philadelphia Union at New England Revolution (7:30 p.m. ET)

Colorado Rapids at Houston Dynamo (8:30 p.m. ET) 

New York City FC at Vancouver Whitecaps (10 p.m. ET) 

Sunday

Seattle Sounders at Sporting Kansas City (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Real Salt Lake at San Jose Earthquakes (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1)

FC Dallas at LA Galaxy (9:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) 

Players to Watch

Tony Tchani, CM, Columbus Crew

While we were busy admiring the wonderful spells of form turned in by the New York Red Bulls and New England Revolution, the Columbus Crew flew under the radar and moved into second place in the Eastern Conference. 

Columbus is unbeaten in six of its last seven matches thanks to many key performances, including some from midfielder Tony Tchani, who was an absolute menace against D.C. a week ago. 

Tchani and central-midfield partner Wil Trapp masterfully controlled the pace of the match after the Crew went ahead by two goals to seal the victory.

Back at home on Saturday, Tchani will be tasked with silencing the dangerous and desperate Portland attack led by Darlington Nagbe.

By holding on to the ball and patiently working through the Timbers defense, Tchani will not only be able to shut down Nagbe, he will also take away the distributing prowess of Will Johnson.

Graham Zusi, AM, Sporting Kansas City 

The first of three vital Western Conference clashes on Sunday comes to us from Sporting Park, where Graham Zusi and Sporting Kansas City will look to quiet the Seattle Sounders. 

While we could focus on the Sporting KC defense instead of the American winger, Zusi's play will be important to keep the Sounders attack at bay throughout the match. 

If he is able to find space on the wings early on, Zusi will force the Seattle full-backs to remain in defense and not surge forward. By opening up the passing channels on the wing, the 29-year-old will also be able to help his team keep the ball away from Seattle's bulldog in midfield, Osvaldo Alonso. 

With Dom Dwyer looking hungry in front of the net, Zusi should earn an assist or two if he can connect with the Englishman on a few occasions. 

Fabian Castillo, LM, FC Dallas

Fresh off being named the top player under 24 by MLSSoccer.com, Fabian Castillo leads FC Dallas into the StubHub Center for a clash of new versus old to close out the weekend. 

The dynamic Colombian winger is one of many young FC Dallas players making a difference under manager Oscar Pareja, who is known for working wonders with his emerging talents. 

The 23-year-old, who has scored once since July 18, needs to find a way past LA's veteran right-back A.J. DeLaGarza in order to wreak havoc in the box against the center-back pairing of Omar Gonzalez and Leonardo.

If Castillo can put the Galaxy back line under pressure for most of the match, the Hoops stand a decent chance of leaving with three points.

Game to Watch

FC Dallas at LA Galaxy (Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET)

The final match of the weekend should prove to us just how big of an MLS Cup contender FC Dallas is.

Going up against the favorite to win it all at their home stadium will not be easy, but no one ever said the path to a championship was simple.

FC Dallas certainly has the talent to breakdown a Galaxy team in the middle of a late-season slide, but there is also a chance the central-midfield pair of Kellyn Acosta and Victor Ulloa will be overwhelmed by the Galaxy's countless options in attack.

That could lead to FC Dallas' defense being exposed early and often. In order to get rid of the team's nerves, players like Castillo must shine early on in order to hand the visitors confidence.

As for the hosts, they need to figure out what is wrong with their attack. After going on a scoring tear in August, the Galaxy have failed to strike the back of the net in three straight league games.

It is easy to assume all the pressure will be on Robbie Keane to score, but he hasn't been the only Galaxy attacker letting down the side of late.

Giovani Dos Santos, Sebastian Lletget, Juninho and Steven Gerrard all need to raise their level of play in order for the third-place side in the Western Conference to jump back into the Supporters' Shield race.

Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.  

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