High flyers: RSL win streak puts team in playoff hunt

Players who have been in MLS long enough know that winning streaks and losing streaks are part of the fickle nature of the league. They ebb and flow almost at random, but in the end, with patience and hard work, they usually even out.

For Real Salt Lake, it never really happened that way — until now.

Once the worst side in the league, RSL continued its recent run of good form Saturday night with an impressive 3-1 victory over Houston in front of 14,091 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"A lot of teams go on streaks in this league, winning streaks, losing streaks, and our goal is to try and stay on this winning streak," said Real defender Eddie Pope. "It's easy to fall off."

Right now, it's hard to imagine an end in sight. RSL ran its winning streak to four straight with the victory, and it owns a 5-1-1 record in the seven games since the midway point of the season. That's 16 points in seven games, a stretch that's vaulted them right back into the playoff chase.

Salt Lake's four-game streak ties it with FC Dallas for the second-longest such streak in MLS this year. D.C. United won six straight earlier this year.

"We're starting to hit our rhythm and starting to realize how everyone plays," said midfielder Chris Klein, who opened the scoring against Houston with his fourth goal of the season.

That 20-yard strike was definitely controversial, one that Real won't be apologizing for anytime soon.

Klein's laser crashed straight into the ground after ricocheting off the bottom of the crossbar, and even though it bounced back into the field of play and didn't appear to cross the goal line, the linesman immediately raised his flag to indicate a goal.

Houston players were infuriated because the lineman was at least 10 yards upfield and in no position to make the call. Video replay clearly indicated that the ball didn't cross the goal line, but it didn't matter at that point. For Real, it was sweet justice after they had an obvious goal by Atiba Harris overturned because of offsides in a 2-1 loss at Houston earlier this year.

Carey Talley and Jeff Cunningham were each credited with assists for setting up Klein's shot. It was the first of two assists for Cunningham, who's now among the league leaders.

In the 64th minute, Cunningham knocked a fantastic through ball to substitute Douglas Sequeira, who ran onto the ball in the box and slipped it past charging Houston keeper Pat Onstad to put RSL ahead 2-0.

Cunningham's two assists vaulted the oft-criticized striker into sole possession of second place in MLS with nine, just one behind Colorado's Terry Cooke.