Forward Jeff Cunningham sent the ball through Los Angeles Galaxy goalie Kevin Hartman's legs on Wednesday to give Real Salt Lake a 1-0 win.
Cunningham took the shot in the 60th minute and it skidded low off a kneeling Hartman's right leg and through his hands. It was Cunningham's 15th of the season.
Real Salt Lake is in fifth place in the Western Conference. Four teams from each division make the playoffs. Los Angeles is in last place in the Western Conference.
In other matches, FC Dallas downed the Colorado Rapids 2-0, the New York Red Bulls played out a 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Wizards, the Houston Dynamo drew 2-2 with the Chicago Fire.
Ramon Nunez and Richard Mulrooney accounted for FC Dallas' goals at Denver.
Nunez headed in a pass from Ronnie O'Brien in the 25th minute. Mulrooney's goal came in the 57th minute on a shot that went off the post.
Josh Wolff scored in the 71st minute to earn Kansas City a home ground draw.
The Wizards remained one point ahead of the Red Bulls for the fourth and final playoff position in the Eastern conference.
Scott Sealy gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute. New York tied it a minute later when Wizards goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi left his net to pursue a ball failed to control it, and John Wolyniec poked the ball into the open net.
Todd Dunivant gave the Red Bulls the lead in the 53rd minute.
Andy Herron scored his eighth goal in 10 games, converting a penalty kick in the 74th minute to pull Chicago to the tie at Illinois.
Herron scored after Houston's Brad Davis took down Chicago's Chris Armas from behind. Justin Mapp scored the Fire's other goal, in the 36th minute for a 1-0 lead.
Chris Wondolowski's rebound goal for Houston tied it just before the end of the first half and Dwayne De Rosario gave the Dynamo the lead in the 59th minute.
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