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.
MLS Golden Boot battle is in full swing
The MLS Golden Boot race is going down to the wire as Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco snapped at the feet of Columbus Crew striker Kei Kamara over the weekend, with both players adding to their respective goal hauls Saturday.
Related: Kei Kamara scores his 21st goal as the Columbus Crew top D.C. United
Giovinco's two-goal performance against the Colorado Rapids puts him at 19 league goals in the 2015 season, which, at the time, was one back of Kamara's 20-goal tally. But, Kamara, clearly not content with such a slim margin, scored once more to bring his total to 21 for the season, staving off the pressure of the "Atomic Ant" just behind.
Kamara has four games left to secure the MLS Golden Boot, while Giovinco has five more matches to surpass him and secure his expected MVP nod. Both players are also chasing the lucrative 28th goal, which give them the league's all-time, single-season, goal-scoring record, too.
It's a playoff battle in the East as Red Bulls qualify first
The New York Red Bulls have qualified for the MLS playoffs with a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers. That's the straightforward result: the rest of the Eastern Conference? Slightly more complicated.
While Kamara celebrates his individual accomplishments on the night, his team were also looking at other results as playoff implications start to manifest themselves in the Eastern Conference. Columbus did their part, beating D.C. United 2-1, then switched focus to Orlando City.
If the Lions lost or drew against the Chicago Fire, it would have put the Crew mathematically into the MLS postseason. But, Orlando overcame the Fire with a late goal, preserving their playoff ambitions, and as such, the race for early playoff qualification remains wide open in the East.
Related: Didier Drogba helps Montreal Impact to an important win over New England Revolution
D.C. United's loss to Columbus stalled their playoff qualification hopes this weekend, while the New England Revolution also hit a speed bump in the form of Montreal Impact forward Didier Drogba. New York City FC kept their playoff fire burning, too, with a 3-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
Toronto FC is still fighting, too, bouncing back from a midweek loss to NYCFC with a win over the Rapids that snaps a three-game losing streak. Just don't be too critical about the Reds, though - some players aren't taking too kindly to media types these days.
Sounders claim 2015 Cascadia Cup
Finally, over in the Western Conference, the Seattle Sounders picked up a big win over the Vancouver Whitecaps and, with it, claimed the 2015 Cascadia Cup title.
The Cascadia Cup is an annual inner-league rivalry tournament played between three teams (Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland). With a 3-0 win over the 'Caps, Seattle secured the title once again.
Related: Seattle Sounders brush aside Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place
"It means everything," Seattle 'keeper Stefan Frei said after the match. "It's come at the perfect time. Obviously there's a trophy on the line and three points away against a tough team - I think arguably the best side in the league right now - is huge for us."
Seattle will celebrate their cup triumph, but might just appreciate those three points even more: The Sounders now sit fourth in the Western Conference with 45 points. Four games remain in the 2015 season, and the west is full of fierce competition.
As such, this win may have just helped Seattle survive a late-season drop. But, it's not quite over just yet, folks!