Real's for real; Casey looks Golden

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Fresh off his first national-team appearance in World Cup qualifying, Kyle Beckerman looks to keep Real Salt Lake on a roll. George Frey/MLS via Getty Images

Our weekly dose of Major League Soccer quick takes, plotlines to watch and Power Rankings.

Is Real for real?

Thanks to an essential six-point Week 24, Real Salt Lake returned to the thick of the postseason hunt. Last week, Robbie Findley took a break from training with the U.S. national team to discuss his team's aspirations. "We know what has to be done in order for us to make the playoffs," said the striker, who is currently tied for second in MLS with 10 goals scored. "Our past couple of games we've got the results we've wanted but we still have six more games left and we've gotta be able to put up some more points coming down to the end." With its next two matches against Chicago and Houston, RSL's degree of difficulty is high, but simply getting back in the discussion deserves some praise.

Making the most of Golden opportunities

Last season, Landon Donovan won the league's Golden Boot award by scoring 20 goals in just 25 matches. His nearest competitor, Kenny Cooper, figured in 30 of his team's games, while Donovan's Galaxy teammate, Edson Buddle, rounded out the top three by netting 15 in 27 games. This year, Conor Casey seems poised to repeat Donovan's feat of leading the league in goals while playing in fewer games than the rest of MLS' top scorers. The Colorado forward, who tallied yet again in his squad's victory over Toronto FC last weekend despite getting his wisdom teeth out just days earlier, has 12 goals despite only playing in 17 matches. Five other players are in double digits, but only Donovan and Guillermo Barros Schelotto have played less than 20 games (19, to be exact). Casey has given no indication that he'll slow his strike rate, meaning the Golden Boot is his for the taking.

Getting back to work

With the exception of San Jose, every team returns to the MLS pitch this week with the Kansas City and D.C. United playing dual dates on Wednesday and Saturday. The last of the nine games is the most enticing, featuring a reeling but still first-place Dynamo going to Columbus for a date with the Eastern Conference's top team. Three points for either squad very likely would lock up a playoff spot, although both have work to do in order to earn one of the top two automatic slots in their respective conference. Elsewhere, the Rapids look to continue their surge up the standings in Toronto, while the Galaxy hope to exert more pressure on the Dynamo when they host FC Dallas.

Week 26 Power Rankings   New Rank Previous Rank Team 1 1 Columbus Crew (10-4-9) The Red Bulls ended the Crew's MLS-record home undefeated streak, but there's no time like the present to start a new one. 2 2 Houston Dynamo (11-7-7) If Stuart Holden, Brian Ching and the Gang in Orange can't find the the net soon, they're headed toward a quick playoff exit. 3 3 Los Angeles Galaxy (9-4-11) The offense makes the highlight reels -- especially when David Beckham scores -- but don't overlook Omar Gonzalez's play. 4 4 Chicago Fire (10-6-8) A home victory -- something that hasn't come easily for Chicago -- almost certainly would put the Fire into the postseason. 5 6 D.C. United (7-5-12) Jaime Moreno's penalty kick salvaged a draw in Dallas, but United really needed to earn all three points. 6 5 New England Revolution (9-7-6) All week, the talk revolved around the impressive Revs back line, which then conceded four goals to a terrible Wiz offense. 7 8 Colorado Rapids (10-7-6) The Rapids are perfecting the art of doing just enough to win. Dark-horse MLS Cup contender, anyone? 8 7 Seattle Sounders FC (8-6-10) The U.S. Open Cup champions hope to keep up their successful expansion season by continuing their surprising MLS campaign. 9 9 Real Salt Lake (9-9-6) RSL is back in the thick of things, but does the club have any energy left for the stretch run? 10 10 Toronto FC (8-9-7) With the Rapids loss, Dwayne De Rosario and his depleted club likely booked themselves a place on the couch during the playoffs. 11 12 Kansas City Wizards (6-10-6) Too little, too late as K.C. earned first victory since June 13 after getting two goals, including the game-winner, from Josh Wolff. 12 11 Chivas USA (10-9-3) Thanks to a strong start, Preki's Goats remain in position to make the postseason with a strong eight-match run. 13 13 FC Dallas (6-11-6) Jeff Cunningham joined the 2009 10-goal club, but FCD suffered another late-match letdown. 14 14 San Jose Earthquakes (5-12-5) The question of the week in San Jose: Will striker Cornell Glen play for Trinidad and Tobago against the U.S. on Wednesday? 15 15 New York Red Bulls (4-16-4) How many will watch the NYRB-Wiz fixture this weekend in Giants Stadium?