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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There are only few weeks remaining until the MLS regular season ends and the playoffs begin.

Teams are jockeying for the top seeds in their respective conferences as the campaign nears its end. The West's top sides slipped up, but the East capitalized and those clubs have been rewarded in this week's power rankings.

As always, teams will be ranked based on the following criteria:

Here's where all 20 teams stand after Week 29.

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Over the course of the 2015 Major League Soccer season, two players have stood out above the rest of the pack: Kei Kamara and Sebastian Giovinco. 

Recently, Kamara has dominated the Most Valuable Player conversation with his play up top for the surging Columbus Crew, but Giovinco silenced that with his performance for Toronto FC on Saturday. 

Although Giovinco is the clear favorite for the MVP at this point in the year, he is not the player on top of the latest MLS Player Rankings. That title belongs to Kamara for the second-consecutive week as he meets the criteria for our top player more than the Italian at the moment. 

Our player rankings take into account form over the last four matches with the player's most-recent performance holding more stock than the other three. 

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The 29th week of play in Major League Soccer left a few questions unanswered after the extended slate of games, but one thing was made clear: Sebastian Giovinco is the favorite to win the Most Valuable Player award. 

Giovinco, who experienced a rough patch of form in front of goal in late August and early September, powered Toronto FC to a 3-1 victory with two goals and an assist on Saturday. The performance also solidified his status as the MVP frontrunner among a field of worthy candidates. 

Outside of Giovinco's stellar day at BMO Field, Real Salt Lake continued their late surge toward the playoffs with a win over the LA Galaxy, while Seattle also impressed out in the Western Conference with a big win on the road in Vancouver. Both RSL and the Sounders boast a pair of players in the latest MLS Team of the Week. 

We shaped our best 11 from Week 29 in a 4-4-2 with two right-backs as our full-backs, given the good amount of solid showings at that position this week. 

Continue reading to see who joined Giovinco in the latest MLS Team of the Week.

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Andrea Pirlo is one very special football player.

The Italian maestro might now ply his trade away from the European spotlight in Major League Soccer, but that doesn’t mean he’s not producing magical moments on the pitch for New York City.

His latest piece of brilliance was to almost score from a corner on Saturday night, rattling the crossbar as the San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper crept off his line.

Accidental or intentional? With Pirlo, you wouldn't put it past him being intentional.

For the record, NYC claimed a 3-2 win thanks to Ned Grabavoy’s double and David Villa’s strike. All five goals came in the second half.

[Twitter: @NYCFC; H/T 101 Great Goals]

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If you asked any observer of Major League Soccer two months ago if the New England Revolution had a shot at securing home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs, most of them would have looked at you like you were crazy. 

But thanks to a run similar to last season's surge to the second seed in the East and eventually MLS Cup, the Revolution are on top of the Eastern Conference entering the weekend portion of Week 29. 

Many people around the league were paying attention to what the Revs were putting together, but New England didn't officially announce its MLS Cup credentials until Wednesday night, when they defeated the New York Red Bulls at home 2-1. 

The victory at Gillette Stadium put Jay Heaps' side one point ahead of the Red Bulls, who still have two games in hand, entering a final stretch of five games that could produce the maximum 15 points required to earn the top spot in the East. Starting with their visit to Montreal on Saturday, the Revolution have five very winnable games against sides near the red line in the Eastern Conference. 

New England has reached this point thanks to the play of Lee Nguyen and Diego Fagundez in attack and a rock-solid defense that has let in five goals during the eight-game unbeaten run that started on July 18 with a win over New York City FC. Nguyen has contributed to a goal in all but one game since the run of good form began, while Fagundez has scored in each of the last four games. 

The similarities between this year's run toward MLS Cup and the 2015 edition are striking. While they may not have started on the same date, the unbeaten runs started one matchweek apart. In 2014, New England drew with Portland in its 23rd match of the year. After that point, the Revolution only lost once for the rest of the regular season, against Columbus on September 20. 

The 2015 Revolution squad started its unbeaten run in the 22nd contest of the regular season, it has dispatched playoff contender Toronto twice and the Red Bulls once. Some may have doubted the club's credentials if it fell to the Red Bulls, who up until Wednesday were the sexy underdog pick out of the Eastern Conference to conquer the powers of the Western Conference for the Supporters' Shield. 

New England's own path to winning the Supporters' Shield seems easy on paper, but there are a few potential points in which it can slip up. The biggest roadblock may come in the form of Saturday's trip to Stade Saputo. Montreal is coming off road draws in California against the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes that helped cement its stronghold on the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. 

After Saturday's venture into Quebec, the Revs will host a Philadelphia side looking forward to the U.S. Open Cup Final to close out September before visiting lowly Chicago, hosting Montreal and visiting Yankee Stadium on the final day of the season, where they lost 2-0 back on March 15.

Going up against a few average defenses should benefit Nguyen, Fagundez and the rest of the attack, and it should help Jermaine Jones ease back into the squad. It's scary to think the Revs are getting hot without a massive contribution from Jones, who was the catalyst of the late-season surge in 2014. 

New England will undoubtedly face contention from FC Dallas, Vancouver and the LA Galaxy for the Supporters' Shield as well as the Red Bulls if they capitalize on their games in hand, but each of those teams has a more difficult schedule to finish out the season than the Revs. If they can close out the season with five victories, the Revs will be in terrific shape entering the postseason, just like they were a year ago. 

Week 29 Schedule

Friday

FC Dallas at Sporting Kansas City (7 p.m. ET, UniMas) 

Saturday

Colorado Rapids at Toronto FC (2 p.m. ET)

Seattle Sounders at Vancouver Whitecaps (7 p.m. ET)

San Jose Earthquakes at New York City FC (7 p.m. ET) 

Columbus Crew at D.C. United (7 p.m. ET)

New England Revolution at Montreal Impact (8 p.m. ET)

Orlando City at Chicago Fire (8:30 p.m. ET)

LA Galaxy at Real Salt Lake (9:30 p.m. ET)

Sunday

New York Red Bulls at Portland Timbers (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Houston Dynamo at Philadelphia Union (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1)

Players to Watch

Darlington Nagbe, AM, Portland Timbers

Darlington Nagbe will take the field for the first time as an American citizen on Sunday at Providence Park against the Red Bulls.

The coveted commodity of the United States men's national team fanbase is now officially eligible for selection, but he does need to improve his credentials a bit before becoming a regular in Jurgen Klinsmann's squad. 

Nagbe only has two goals and three assists in 27 matches this season, and if Portland wants to make a deep run in the postseason, the playmaker must contribute to more goals. Doing that will be difficult against the relentless press of the Red Bulls. If he can thrive against the central midfield trio of Felipe, Sacha Kljestan and Dax McCarty, Nagbe will make a positive impression on Klinsmann. 

Juan Manuel "Burrito" Martinez, AM, Real Salt Lake 

Real Salt Lake remained alive in the playoff race in Week 28 thanks to a tremendous performance from Juan Manuel Martinez on the right flank of Jeff Cassar's 4-2-3-1 formation. 

Martinez combined well with MLS veteran Javier Morales to hand the Claret and Cobalt a much-needed boost heading into their home match with the Galaxy at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night. 

If Martinez, Morales and Joao Plata play at the high level they did against Houston last week, they could cause a world of problems for the LA back four led by Omar Gonzalez. 

Fabian Espindola, FW, D.C. United 

Few teams in MLS are in need of three points more than D.C. United at the moment. The Black and Red failed to recover from a three-game losing streak in Week 28 as they drew 1-1 in Colorado.

With his team in need of a massive boost in a potential playoff preview against Columbus, Fabian Espindola must make an impact against the Crew's center-back pairing of Michael Parkhurst and Tyson Wahl.

Breaking down the Columbus defense will not be easy, but Espindola is in a position to prove his own worth coming off an extended injury break. The experienced forward is a vital part of the D.C. United attack, and if he can combine well with fellow veteran Alvaro Saborio, Ben Olsen's club should finally get back on track. 

Game to Watch

Seattle Sounders at Vancouver Whitecaps (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET) 

The final match of the 2015 Cascadia Cup takes place at BC Place in Week 29. Not only will Seattle and Vancouver be fighting for regional bragging rights, they will be playing for a playoff boost. 

Seattle enters the showdown in British Columbia off a 1-1 draw with San Jose that kept it in fourth place in the Western Conference on 42 points. The Sounders are in need of a road victory to stay in front of Sporting Kansas City, Portland and San Jose in the playoff race. A win would also clinch the Cascadia Cup for Sigi Schmid's side, who enter with a slight one-point advantage over Vancouver. 

The Whitecaps have been consistent in the results department for most of the year, but beating Seattle would help reinforce their hold on the top spot in the Western Conference. With back-to-back games against FC Dallas looming at the start of October, the Whitecaps have to take care of business before the pair of Western Conference showdowns in order to have a chance at controlling their own destiny. 

The two sides have split the regular-season series this season. Seattle won the first contest of 2015 on May 16 on Chad Barrett's unlikely brace. Vancouver took advantage of Seattle's depleted lineup on August 1 and won 3-0 at CenturyLink Field. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in CONCACAF Champions League group action on August 5. 

As if you needed another brewing storyline for this already-intriguing matchup, this is the second time in two months the teams will play twice in quick succession. The two will meet in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday in Seattle with first place in Group F on the line. 

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

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It was a matter of when, not if, and now Frank Lampard is off the mark in Major League Soccer.

The former Premier League star scored his first MLS goal during New York City FC's 2-0 win over Toronto FC on Wednesday.

The ball fell to Lampard after a lovely chipped pass in the build-up by fellow marquee signing Andrea Pirlo.

It wasn't the former England midfielder's tidiest finish, but they all count.

Lampard played over 400 times for Chelsea, scoring 147 goals.

[Twitter, h/t 101 Great Goals]

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Week 28 in MLS was relatively straightforward. The New York Red Bulls, Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Dallas all earned wins, but the LA Galaxy failed to keep pace.

The Galaxy's draw against the Montreal Impact has given other teams the opportunity to pass them in this week's power rankings.

The following criteria will be used to determine each team's ranking:

Here are the latest MLS power rankings.

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The first full weekend slate of Major League Soccer matches in September produced some history and helped another player continue his march toward a potentially monumental number. 

Columbus forward Kei Kamara became the 16th player in MLS history to score 20 goals with two in the Crew's win over the Union, while Bradley Wright-Phillips' chase for back-to-back 20-goal seasons became more of a reality with a strike against Chicago.

Four of Wright-Phillips' teammates also feature in the latest edition of the MLS Player Rankings, including one midfielder who is playing some of the best soccer of his life. Another midfielder in the Eastern Conference jumped seven spots this week thanks to his stellar play of late.

Down at the bottom of the list of the top 20 players in the league, Obafemi Martins made a welcome return, while a pair of electric scorers also entered. 

Our player rankings take into account form over the last four matches with the player's most recent performance holding more stock than the other three. 

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A small group of fans attending Toronto FC's clash with New England Revolution at BMO Field on Sunday were told to take down a banner reading "Refugees Welcome."

Fans in Germany, England and Australia have displayed similar banners in recent weeks to show support for the current refugee crisis.

Arsenal fans show support for the refugee cause at the Emirates today. pic.twitter.com/t7w7bQkryS

“In taking this action, I was identifying as a football fan, which is a key part of my life,” explained Ciaran Breen, one of the Toronto fans, via nationalpost.com. “People in other countries and other football fans have shown us their example and we’re following their lead as sports fans.”

“As per both venue and league security policies, banners containing political messaging of any kind are not permitted,” a representative of Toronto FC owners Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) later explained.

[h/t nationalpost.com]

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