The MLS playoffs are becoming more like a dream rather than a reality for Real Salt Lake after a two-game split last week.

RSL won against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday but lost on Saturday to Toronto FC.

The win over the Red Bulls gave RSL the three points it needed to stay in the playoff race, but the loss to Toronto proved to be a missed opportunity.

“It means we’re still alive and we can live to fight another day,” RSL coach Jason Kreis said of Wednesday’s victory. “I thought we were playing really well … but we needed that little bit of extra spark, and I think fresh legs at that point and Andy Williams was exactly what the game needed.”

In the past nine meetings between the Red Bulls and Real, the two teams tied six times and the Red Bulls won three times on their home turf. Real Salt Lake entered the game not only with a history of struggles against the Red Bulls, but also in eighth place out of nine teams still in contention for a playoff spot.

“I felt in the back of my head we were going to win this game, I just knew it,” team captain Kyle Beckerman said after the victory. “We knew after the first half went by, and it was 0-0, we said ‘alright, we wanted to score in the first 20 minutes but OK, it’s going to take a bit longer, be patient, keep putting the pressure on them.’ We figured it would come sooner or later.”

Beckerman’s prediction proved correct in the 80th minute of the game when Andy Williams scored a goal off an assist from Robbie Findley.

After Williams’ goal, teammate Fabian Espindola scored in the 90th minute, cementing the win for Real. Despite the three points it gained against the Red Bulls, the loss against Toronto means Real is still trailing behind at least three teams to make it into the playoffs. New England, D.C. United and FC Dallas are tied with 39 points, just ahead of RSL, which has 37.

Everything comes down to Saturday when RSL plays its last game against the Colorado Rapids. If RSL wins, the team will have to wait for the outcomes from the other games that day to determine if it made the playoffs.