Real Salt Lake will have to wait a week to punch its ticket to the 2008 MLS playoffs.

The Colorado Rapids beat Chivas USA 2-1 Sunday afternoon thanks to a late 85th minute penalty kick, keeping its playoff hopes alive and setting up a huge showdown in next Saturday's regular-season finale.

RSL ends the season at Colorado next weekend in a winner-take-all match. RSL sits on 39 points in the standings by virtue of its 3-1 win over Dallas on Saturday, but Colorado now sits on 37 points with its win Sunday and can overtake its Rocky Mountain Cup rivals with a win next Saturday. A tie for Real Salt Lake would be enough to secure the Western Conference No. 3 seed.

The winner faces Chivas USA in the home-and-home first-round playoff series.

The Rapids actually scored first Sunday as Colin Clark headed home an excellent cross from Terry Cooke in the 67th minute. It was a short-lived lead though as five minutes later Chivas' Jonathan Bornstein corralled a loose ball in the box and tapped it home for the equalizing goal.

Naturally, it was a goal that Real Salt Lake's players and coaches celebrated as they watched the match as a team in the Rio Tinto Stadium club restaurant.

Their hopes of wrapping up a playoff berth a week early were dashed, however, 10 minutes later as Conor Casey banged a penalty kick off the right post in the 85th minute after teammate Omar Cummings was fouled in the box by Shavar Thomas.

Realistically, Colorado was the better team all match and probably deserved the victory.

This Saturday's match will be RSL's second visit of the season to Colorado, losing 2-1 back in mid-May.