1. Zardes can't stop scoring

Gyasi Zardes has been on absolute fire recently, scoring eight goals in his last nine games. Unfortunately, for Zardes and the Galaxy, they had little to show for their dominant performance. On Friday San Jose scored two goals against the run of play and the Galaxy had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Seattle and Real Salt Lake both picked up big wins over the weekend, so it might be tough for the Galaxy to catch either team. That said, Zardes gives the Galaxy an attacking edge that could prove difficult to match. It’s hard enough for an opponent to try to contain Donovan and Keane. But a third dangerous scorer might make the Galaxy the favorite in the playoffs. When you add in a target forward in Alan Gordon, acquired on Monday, the weapons at Bruce Arena’s disposal are impressive.

2. Toronto Targeting MLS Playoffs

After years of futility, Toronto FC is poised to make the playoffs for the first time in its history. On Saturday, the club came up with a gritty win over Columbus, and all signs suggest that the Ontario-based squad could contend for the Eastern Conference title.

It wasn't an easy win at Crew Stadium. Toronto jumped out to one-goal leads on two separate occasions only to see Columbus equalize. But the home team had no response for Luke Moore's 84th-minute winner.

Most importantly, the three points provide separation in the Eastern Conference as Sporting Kansas City, DC United, and now Toronto are pulling away from the pack. With Toronto having played only 21—games compared with 22 for DC and 23 for Kansas City—there is the potential to make up even more ground.

3. Youthful Colorado is in a tailspin

The Colorado Rapids hired former U.S. national team midfielder Pablo Mastroeni to take the reins despite the fact that he did not have any coaching experience. And for the first half of the season it appeared that it was going to work out just fine.

But the team has been fading for a while now, and is officially in a tailspin. The Rapids have lost four out of five and have just two wins in 10 games. Offensively, the team is struggling to create chances and it is now outside of the playoff picture.

There is talent on Colorado but Mastroeni is faced with his most difficult test in his short managerial career. How will he turn the team around?

4. FC Dallas quietly surging

In one of the more under-discussed stories of the 2014 MLS season, FC Dallas has been playing outstanding soccer and is rising quickly in the Western Conference standings. Now in third place, the club has won four of its last five and has not lost since May. To be fair, none of the recent wins have come against top MLS teams, but Oscar Pareja has his team settling comfortably into a playoff spot.

On an individual level, this past weekend saw the continued performance of two American central defenders who are both making strong cases to be included on the U.S. national team next January. Chris Schuler had a two-goal performance for Real Salt Lake and has continued his strong defensive presence to become one of the best central defenders in the league.

Similarly, Matt Hedges has also been outstanding for FC Dallas during its strong run. He tallied a goal against Colorado but most significantly has become a true leader, wearing the captain’s armband on a full-time basis following Andrew Jacobson's move to NYCFC.

Prior to the World Cup, central defense was a mystery for the national team. At the start of the 2018 cycle, Jurgen Klinsmann appears to have quite a few intriguing options for his backline.