The thing about this point in the Major League Soccer season is that some teams will have to rely somewhat on other results to secure enviable playoff positioning. RSL isn’t quite one of those teams, but it’s almost one of those teams.
Real went into Massachusetts and gutted out a result against the Revolution despite getting wildly outshot and having eight changes to its starting 11. And for a team that prior to Saturday had won or drawn only six of its 15 road games, getting a tie under those circumstances is nothing to sneeze at.
But the reality remains: Because RSL didn’t win, that opened the door for other Western Conference teams playing that night to jump it in the standings.