After going 5-8-2 in league play since June 1, Real Salt Lake was in dire need of an adrenalin boost, and the team got it Tuesday night thanks to a dramatic 1-0 win over Tauro F.C. in the CONCACAF Champions League. Alvaro Saborio's stoppage time penalty proved to be the difference, and instead of being on the brink of elimination, RSL now controls its own destiny ahead of its group finale at home to C.S. Herediano next month.

It was a win that RSL manager Jason Kreis called "a little bit of a relief" given the emphasis the club puts on the competition. But the bigger question is how does the win set RSL up heading into the final weeks of the regular season, and ultimately the MLS playoffs? Kreis admitted he wasn't sure.

"I was feeling really good over the last couple of matches," said Kreis via telephone as the team waited to board its connecting flight on Wednesday. "This one left me feeling shaken to be honest. I felt like we would take care of business there a little bit earlier than we did. Our guys were really sapped for energy. I'm trying to chalk it up to the long travel and the absolute crushing humidity we were playing in. At the end of it all, I would've liked to have seen a stronger performance to make me feel like we were still very much heading in the right direction going into the last home stretch here."

Certainly, the team is sending its manager some mixed messages. The good news is that injured defenders Jamison Olave and Chris Schuler are back to full health, and that has seen RSL tighten things up defensively to the tune of just five goals conceded in its last five league games. But that same span has seen Real find the net just three times, and to make matters worse, Saborio suffered what Kreis termed "a medium grade shoulder separation" while earning the penalty, an ailment that could see the Costa Rican miss several weeks. Saborio leads the team with 14 goals, while the next highest scorer is Fabian Espindola with six tallies.

"We have to find a way for more guys to be more dynamic in the attacking half of the field," said Kreis. "We have to have some real commitment of our players – our midfielders especially, our second forward even more so – to get in and around the penalty box to make things happen. I just don't feel like we're quite getting the right numbers involved in our attack at the moment."

Kreis added he was not singling out Espindola – "We have lots of second forwards," – but the reality is that the Argentinian hasn't scored in three months, and no one else has stepped forward to pick up the slack.

In the meantime, L.A. has caught RSL in the standings, with the Galaxy in third place on goal difference. The placing is significant, as the fourth place team will be forced to play the fifth place team in the first round of the playoffs, while the third place team gets to rest up. The two teams meet in L.A. on Oct. 6, and until then, RSL will be watching the scoreboard anxiously, as well as worried about its own performance.

"I still feel like it's all there for us to play for," said Kreis. "If we take care of our business, and perform to our capabilities, then we aren't going to have to worry about whether we finish fourth of fifth. But if we don't, we are going to have to worry."