5 things we learned in MLS this weekend: Playoff picture gets clearer

With another weekend of MLS action in the books, we take a look back at some of what we learned from the latest slate of matches.

Setting the table: Playoff race set for flying finish

Teams that have qualified:

• New York Red Bulls clinched first in the East.
• D.C. United qualified with win over Chicago Fire.
• Columbus Crew qualified with win over Toronto FC.
• Toronto FC qualified with win over New York Red Bulls.
• Montreal Impact qualified with win over New England Revolution.
• FC Dallas clinched first in the West.
• LA Galaxy qualified on Oct. 4.
• Vancouver Whitecaps qualified on Oct. 8.

Teams that can qualify:

• Sporting Kansas City can qualify on Oct. 21 with a win over the Colorado Rapids.
• New England Revolution can qualify on Decision Day (Oct. 25), but with a huge goal differential advantage, even a loss to New York City FC can see the Revs qualify sixth in the East.
• Orlando City remain mathematically in but need to beat the Philadelphia Union by a large margin and hope NYCFC do the same against the Revolution to overturn a huge goal differential (Orlando -9 compared to New England -1).

Eliminated teams:

• East: NYCFC, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire
• West: Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake, Colorado Rapids

All caught up? Good. Here's what else we learned this week:

O, Canada: All 3 Canadian teams make the playoffs

For the first time in MLS history, all three Canadian outfits - the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps - have qualified for the playoffs.

Toronto FC secured its franchise-first playoff berth with a huge 2-1 win over the Red Bulls at BMO Field, Sebastian Giovinco dazzling the crowd as the Reds broke their postseason curse at long, long last.

Three days later, the Montreal Impact clinched a playoff spot of their own, defeating the New England Revolution courtesy of this beautiful goal by Ignacio Piatti:

They join Vancouver, which qualified much earlier in the month, giving this MLS playoff season a distinctly Canadian flavor (probably maple syrup).

Royal Respite: Real Salt Lake snaps postseason streak

Toronto wasn't the only one breaking a playoff streak spanning several years. Real Salt Lake ended seven years of consecutive postseason appearances this year, crashing out of contention in the Western Conference this week.

The end of the 2015 season signals the end of an era that saw the club lift the MLS Cup in 2009. Many of the team's core players have departed, and head coach Jeff Cassar must now give this team a new identity.

There was a silver lining, though: The team's iconic midfielder, Kyle Beckerman, made history by recording his 379th appearance - a new record high for outfield players in MLS.

The Golden Boot: Giovinco pips Kamara

The battle for the MLS Golden Boot has raged on between Giovinco and Columbus Crew forward Kei Kamara, and with one game left in the season, the dust has settled and a winner has emerged.

Giovinco scored his 22nd goal of the season against the Red Bulls on Wednesday, while Kamara was kept off the score sheet against Toronto on Saturday. The two are now tied, but Giovinco holds the tiebreaker with more assists.

Kamara would have had one final chance to score in the last game of the season, but he picked up a yellow card against Toronto, ruling him out of the final game due to accumulation - a decision he was none too pleased with.

As such, Giovinco essentially claims the MLS Golden Boot without having to score another goal, barring any sort of late-season five-goal surge by LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane on the final day. It's not official just yet, but for all intents and purposes, this battle is over, folks.

New Record: Mike Grella makes MLS history

There's a new speedster in MLS, and his name is Mike Grella.

The young winger just broke the record for the fastest goal scored in league history, pipping his fellow Red Bull Tim Cahill by a fraction of a second with his goal from kick-off.

"Grelladinho" helped his side to a huge 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union.