Welcome to week 30 of MLS, brought to you by the great smell of Permutations™. We're officially on count down to the end of the regular season at this point — the moment when teams look at their run-ins and realize that their game in hand is actually a road game against themselves (the MLS schedule is nothing if not whimsical).

It'll get simpler/weirder with each passing week from now on, but for now we open the weekend with the "supposed-to-have-faded-in-summer" Colorado team's trip to the "surprisingly-faded-in-summer" Portland team on Friday night. Both sides are in the playoffs as it stands — and Portland will possibly be offering a discreet word of thanks to their rivals before kick off for beating Dallas last week and LA the week beforehand, to help the slipping Timbers stay in touch.

Saturday opens with Montreal trying to go back to the top of the standings in the East, for a day at least, following last week's loss to the Crew. They host a Vancouver team who are probably being taken apart by Martin Rennie and put back together again (with their heads behind their knees) even as we speak. Currently his tinkering has the Whitecaps adrift in the playoff race, though the welcome early return from injury of Jay de Merit certainly excuses at least one of his more recent reshuffles. Shortly after that one ends, the third Canadian team, Toronto, will be taking their campaign to find new and unorthodox ways of conceding goals back home for the visit of a Sporting KC side coming off a rest week and looking to pull level with the Red Bulls at the top of the East.

New England have had some positive results and a lot of very promising young players emerge this year. Whether that adds up to a playoff spot or not is a somewhat vexed question — their defense has looked a little shaky of late. But on paper, their game against an improving D.C. should represent their best chance of keeping pace with the Eastern conference incumbents, just ahead of them. One of those newly installed incumbents, Chicago, go to Columbus this weekend in what's a huge game for both teams. The Crew's unexpected result against the Impact has galvanized them for the run-in and while they remain outsiders, a home win this weekend would keep their layoff hopes alive.

And with Philadelphia not playing this week, the team that beat them last week (in the "battle of the blunt spearheads") Houston, are back at home for the visit of the consistently improving Chivas. Chivas were within a penalty shout of beating Portland last week, and have been taking points nobody expected them to for the last month or so, with Cubo in particular in fine form. That one is no certainty for the Dynamo.

Saturday night sees us back in the West. First, RSL return home from a chastening defeat in Seattle to kickstart their campaign against last year's Supporters Shield winners/this year's also-rans San Jose. Then the first of two big games in a week for Seattle. Prior to Friday's visit of Eastern leaders New York, the Sounders go to an LA team who went a long way to easing their congested schedule for the run-in, by winning in the CCL in midweek. The Galaxy now need just a point to qualify for the quarter finals and will hope they can turn their full attention to a faltering league campaign — while they have a four point buffer on Dallas in 6th place, playoff qualification is far from confirmed. That CCL win should ease some pressure.

Dallas can keep the pressure on on Sunday, if they can get something in New York — though with their own form and New York's generally good home form that may be a stretch. But a win for the Texans would keep the great smell of Permutations™ wafting mysteriously over both conferences.

Always known to waft mysteriously, the ethereal gentle creatures who make up our regular body of fan reps and writers for each of this weekend's competing teams. See what they have to say about the main stories for their teams this week, and their take on this weekend's games, have your own say in the comments, then join us on Monday to find out what we learned.

All games are listed as ET

Portland Timbers vs Colorado Rapids

Fri 10pm, JELD-WEN Field (NBCSN)

Roger Anthony, Timbers Army, Portland:

Portland hosts Colorado Friday in a matchup between teams who never expected to see one another blocking the path to the playoffs. Of course, this could also be viewed as a battle between the hot (Colorado, 5-3-1 in since mid-July) and the not (Portland, 3-5-4 since June).

Coach Caleb Porter gently called out his squad for its sluggish start against Chivas USA last week. After falling behind in the 23rd minute, the Timbers played the Diego Valeri card to start the second half, and voila – instant draw. One magnificent midfielder can only do so much, though, and a club counting on three points left the field fortunate to salvage one. Yet as the Timbers have grown increasingly dependent upon him, Valeri has been playing hurt: Minutes played since 30 Aug. have been, consecutively, 31-13-45. Who's picked up the slack? Well, uh … er … um. Some fans are calling for the permanent installation of Jose Valencia in place of Ryan Johnson atop the 4-2-3-1. Others harbor the hope that MF Darlington Nagbe might seize the moment and cement his place in the top half of the league's "24 Under 24" list. Both players, one might note, are tied for the team lead in goals. At 10-13-5, the Timbers have been one of the "feel-good" stories of 2013. But there's consensus building that this club is only halfway there – that the Timbers have learned not to lose, but are still working on how to win. Come midnight Friday, we'll know more.

Todd Haggerty, Centennial 38 Supporters, Colorado Rapids:

Flaunting history, the Rapids continue to make their supporters as happy as they came from behind to win at home against a stalling Dallas. Taking all three points was crucial as the race for the playoffs and, dare I say it, the supporters shield continues to heat up. This weekend the 'Pids travel to Portland for the latest edition of the race for the playoffs. Sitting two point behind the Rapids in the standings, the Timbers will come out flying. However, when you are kissing cousins to the sun anything is possible--most likely a 2-2 draw that will leave both sets of supporters satisfied.

Montreal Impact vs Vancouver Whitecaps

Sat 2pm, Saputo (TSN, Univision Dep., RDS)

Sofiane Benzaza, Mount Royal Soccer, Montreal:

Losing back to back games is not an option for the Montreal Impact. After losing 2-1 at Stade Saputo against the Columbus Crew, Montreal wants to avoid giving hope to another team battling for a playoff spot. Fortunately, the Vancouver Whitecaps play in the Western Conference...

Still, the Impact cannot afford back to back losses in MLS. Even with 2 games in-hand, Les Bleus need to get a win against Vancouver, a team that knows them very well. After a hard-fought Amway Canadian Championship Final, Martin Rennie will look for his men to smoother the home team tactically. Learn from the likes of the Crew and the Rapids, the Whitecaps can upset the Impact.

On the other side, Marco Schallibaum is under pressure to avoid losing 2 games in a row. With a difficult travel schedule, the club has little time to practice and get ready for the visiting Cascadians. The accumulation of minutes for players like Alessandro Nesta and Matteo Ferrari should show this Saturday.

As the season is coming closer to its end, there shouldn't be any more surprises when teams faceoff. The teams that are prepared mentally, physically and tactically will prevail and Schallibaum has the tools for it to be his team that does so.

Brenton Walters, @CapsOffside:

A good effort and what would normally be a decent result in San Jose hasn't quelled the calls for Martin Rennie to go. If anything, getting that draw when we needed a win has only increased the negative outlook and the questions about Rennie's leadership and tactical acumen.

While we're not mathematically out of it, with every game we edge that much closer to disappointment. And if we miss the play-offs, make no mistake, this season will be a disappointment. We could best our point total from the last season, I suppose, though that could feel like we were grasping at straws.

A worrying point has been raised more frequently of late: it doesn't seem like Rennie, after two years in the job, knows who his starting XI are, or what formation to play them in. I'm sure every coach struggles with this at times - it's just more evident when the team is also struggling.

Who knows, though? With a few good results, we could be right back in the thick of it. Dear Montreal: We've come to eat your poutine, drink your beer and take your points. Regards, #Capsontour.

Toronto FC vs Sporting Kansas City

Sat 4pm, BMO Field

Duncan Fletcher, Waking the Red, Toronto:

It has (at least as I write this, there's still plenty of time for them to do something dumb) been a blessedly quiet week for Toronto FC and their shellshocked fans. No firings, no trades, I'm actually reduced to talking about what happens on the pitch. Even that was generally unremarkable last week, a decent performance from TFC, solid at the back and actually carrying the play at times, was let down by a lack of cutting edge up front, until inevitably New York scored and ended up with a comfortable 2-0 victory.

The only real talking point from that game came when Jonathan Osorio cleared the ball directly into the face of a just fouled and falling Kosuke Kimura. Much like when Ashley Williams did something similar to Robin Van Persie last year, reaction ranged all the way up to hysterical (sinister and nefarious were my favourite adjectives assigned to it). The ref didn't even book Osorio but plenty of people are calling for a suspension when the Disciplinary committee meets this week.

This week it's the 3rd game of the season with Sporting Kansas City, one of the 4 teams TFC have actually managed to beat this year. A point here would take TFC over last year's points total of 23, 3 points would bring them into a tie with Chivas USA for 17th. Feel the excitement.

Malena Barajas, co-founder, Women United FC, Sporting Kansas City:

After an embarrassing performance at home against Real Esteli, Sporting KC leads its CONCACAF Champions League group. After the 1-1 draw Tuesday night, Graham Zusi apologized to the fans via Twitter, so you know it was serious. Jacob Peterson scored the SKC goal from a Zusi corner kick in the 78th minute, but as the momentum built in SKC's favor, Peterson missed a clear opportunity to win all three points with a shot gone wide in front of an open goal. Perhaps the flopping by the visiting team was distracting to the home team; the refs fell for a lot of it, too. The next and final CCL home match for SKC is October 23 against CD Olimpia. Six players carry cautions into the next match, including defenders Seth Sinovic and Aurelien Collin. Vermes will have to make the necessary adjustments to ensure SKC will move forward in the competition.

And, so it is back to MLS action this Saturday with a road trip to BMO Field to face Toronto FC. TFC sits second to last on the conference table, but this is not a match to be taken lightly. SKC's CCL performance on Tuesday was most concerning because of the lack of focus. A lesser opponent should be shut down in the first half, and SKC was unable to accomplish that. This next match is a test for SKC and could be telling of the team's capacity as it heads into playoffs.

New England Revolution vs DC United

Sat 7.30pm, Gillette Stadium

Julie Kumor, Midnight Riders:

I wasn't able to watch the Rev-Fire game on Saturday because I was at a fancy awards dinner, and despite the speakers and the dress I was wearing, I stayed fixated to the little MLS Match Day notification banners that inevitably appeared on my phone. When it told me the Fire went up 3-2, I promptly turned them off, because I knew they weren't going to get the 3 points or even 1. My twitter feed was once again full of references to bad calls by the referees, so I wondered – do we really have the worst "luck" with refs making calls against us? If someone went back throughout the entire season and reevaluated every card given, goal against, goal taken back – would the Revs really have the worst percentage of non or bad calls? Opta chalkboards certainly don't track this – yet. Or do we just whine about the refs the most? I suspect if we won games despite the perceived or actual bad calls, the ref bashing would subside.

So the Revs face DC United this weekend at home, this should be a no-brainer, home against a bottom of the table team. 3-0 Win, despite our play against bottom of the table teams, I am going to stay positive. I don't want the refund from the Revs for the unused ticket. I want to see a playoff game at Gillette. It has been too long.

Kim Kolb, Screaming Eagles:

When is a tie a win? Never. But we'll take it anyway. LA came to DC and United largely played with them in a 2-2 draw. LA has a lot more swagger to their game, but United boasted a starting lineup with DeRosario, DeLeon, and Pontius for maybe the fourth time this season, this time they added Luis Silva to the mix. United was still snakebit in it's own end, getting punished twice for defensive breakdowns, forcing United to come back from 1 goal deficits twice. Pontius picked US National Team defender Omar Gonzalez's pocket to equalize before the half, in what was also Pontius' first goal in the run of play in over a year. Then United did the unthinkable, down 2-1, they scored again. On a header from Kyle Porter (who replaced Pontius), giving United not only two goals, but two goals in the run of play. Finally, the health of the team has started to turn and more and better players are available for Ben Olsen to choose from as the team prepares for its big moment of 2013, the US Open Cup final in Salt Lake.

Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire

Sat 7.30pm, Columbus Crew Stadium

Ian Fraser, Crew Union, Columbus Crew:

After going down a goal and absorbing what Montreal threw at them for a long stretch, Columbus kept at it and seized their opportunities to come away with a win. While the Crew turned back the clock to the early part of the season and got a nice victory on the road, that was the first time this season they were able to overcome conceding first. In a frustrating campaign, Columbus have put together a nice resume of wins. Sadly, in the end, some late game collapses and poor losses are going to overshadow the positive results if they finish below the playoff line.

The win keeps the playoff hopes alive though. 4 points out of the final playoff spot doesn't seem that bad but there are 3 teams standing between Columbus and the playoffs and 2 of those teams have a game in hand. Opportunity knocks as the team holding that last playoff spot just happens to be coming to Columbus this weekend. The importance with regards to any playoff hopes is clear but this game is about more than the playoffs. Records and standings go out the window when you play your rival, teams should be playing for the pride of the entire club in these games. 5 straight losses and 1 win out of 9 meetings. That is unacceptable, makes you wonder if the players realize how important this fixture is. This opponent likes to claim Crew stadium as 'theirs'. Stand up and be accountable, protect Columbus.

Scott Fenwick, Editor, On the Fire, Chicago:

Thankfully, the news from Bridgeview is all about the soccer this week, punctuated by Chicago Fire's big 3-2 come-from-behind victory in front of the home crowd at Toyota Park last Saturday night. An 87th minute game-winning, off-the-bench goal by Alex injected a shot of hope into a frustrated, skeptical fan base and vaulted the Men in Red into playoff position for the first time all season. Surprisingly, Frank Klopas's lineup and substitution choices showed uncharacteristic flexibility and guile – enough to best his counterpart Jay Heaps and earn MLS Coach of the Week honors.

Along with the victory, Fire Nation was treated to Ecuadorian Designated Player Juan Luis Anangono's MLS coming out party. The 24 year-old forward's quality 71-minute shift, during which he netted his first goal, completed 88% of his passes, and repeatedly crashed the box with reckless abandon, earned Anangono MLS Team of the Week honors and has Fire Nation wondering whether he's earned a starting spot up top alongside the league's second-leading scorer, "Magic" Mike Magee.

With six games remaining, the Men in Red hold a tenuous grasp on the fifth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will look to put distance between themselves and the idle Philadelphia Union this weekend. A tough challenge looms in Columbus however, as a revitalized Crew side still in the playoff hunt has found good form of late. Can Chicago Fire beat its bitter Midwest rival for the fourth consecutive time this season and earn a needed three points?

Houston Dynamo vs Chivas USA

Sat 8.30pm, BBVA Compass Stadium

Stephen Eastepp, Dynamo Theory, Houston:

Houston has a big game coming up this weekend against an opponent that isn't fairing so well this year. That's the scary part. It is teams like Chivas USA who can come in and shock a playoff contender like the Dynamo – and that's ultimately what the men in orange will try and avoid.

Last week, the Dynamo resembled the team of the past – tough and gritty. While the win wasn't the prettiest and the issues around finishing continued to show, the team gutted out a 1-0 win against the Philadelphia Union on the road.

With four of their remaining six games in the comfort of the heat and humidity of Houston, the Dynamo have some decent control over their fate. Chivas USA represents an opportunity to capitalize on a struggling team and grab a tighter grasp on a playoff spot.

Houston's heart and soul of the midfield will be back on the pitch together – Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia. With the recent Adam Moffat trade, Ricardo Clark will set up shop in front of the back four defenders, while either Giles Barnes or new DP Alex Lopez will be in an attacking midfield role. With Omar Cummings nearing a return, the Dynamo offense could be coming together at just the right moment.

Matt Hoffman, The Goat Parade, Chivas:

Chivas USA, to borrow from Walter Benjamin, "are the wayside robbers who leap out, brandishing weapons, and relieve the idler of his certainty." While the team has coalesced into a decent, even above-average side, the revolving door turned again, this time ousting President Jose David eleven months into the job. David's overriding doctrine of returning the team to their Mexican roots was a calamity littered with lawsuits and a series of bizarre personnel moves. Under David, Chivas gave Seattle two draft picks and their place in the allocation order (read: Clint Dempsey) to trade away midfielder Shalrie Joseph.

Expectations were already low for a team that hasn't qualified for the postseason in four years, but Saturday's attendance was an unacceptable 5,123 for a 1-1 draw with the Timbers. Chivas were unlucky not to win. Portland's goalkeeper Donovan Rickett's outstretched leg struck Chivas USA's Erick Torres's hip to deny a goal opportunity was a clear penalty. Due to the unbalanced schedule, it's been 18 months since these teams last met. The Dynamo's anemic attack has been a recent MLS talking point, but Houston managed to take three points in Philadelphia last week, proving they can still generate results when needed. Jose Luis Real, winless on the road as the Chivas manager, will be with a depleted defense. The match has the potential for disaster for Chivas as Houston re-discovers it's mojo and uses this game to springboard into a third consecutive deep playoff run.

Real Salt Lake vs San Jose Earthquakes

Sat 9pm, Rio Tinto Stadium

Denzel Eslinger, RSL Perspective:

Real Salt Lake needs to rebound after a disappointing performance in Seattle last week, not only to keep their Supporters' Shield hopes alive but to ensure they have the momentum needed heading into the upcoming US Open Cup final match which is now less than two weeks away. They will face the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night, a team they have beaten twice already this year, but the Quakes are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive and have gotten a result in 4 of their last 5 matches. We have seen some of the more experienced strikers in MLS take advantage of RSL's rotating centerback duo, and well there are few players in MLS as opportunistic as Chris Wondolowski and Stephen Lenhart. Matches between these two sides have often gotten heated so with San Jose seeing 6 players ejected this year and RSL close behind with 5, it could be a rough and tumble match that RSL simply must win at home.

RSL will once again be without Alvaro Saborio for the match, Luis Gil has also been sick this week and is probably questionable for Saturday as well. Still one has to believe that RSL will have the advantage on Saturday, having beaten them 2-0 in San Jose and 3-0 at Rio Tinto already this season. I look for a 2-1 RSL win in this one, but with Chris Penso as the ref and his ration of yellow and red cards, anything could happen.

Lisa Erickson, Center Line Soccer, San Jose:

Let there be goals! And there were… Three to be exact! The San José Earthquakes have not had the year that they expected (or wanted) but on one magically Tuesday night in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) things seemed so 2012 (much to the chagrin of the Montréal Impact). Having lost their first two matches on the road in the group round of the CCL, everyone counted the Quakes done for the tournament. But Mark Watson managed the match exquisitely and the goals came from Chris Wondolowski (2012 MLS MVP & Golden Boot winner), Marvin Chávez and Shea Salinas. All the while, the Quakes backline did everything they could to keep the clean sheet and make sure that they would come away from this match second in the group. All that needs to happen for San José to advance out of the group round is to have Heredia (Guatemala) lose to Montréal on next Tuesday by less than 5 goals and the Quakes defeat them at Buck Shaw on October 24th. With the Earthquakes nearly mathematically eliminated from the MLS Playoffs, it was very important to the players to win against the Eastern Conference leaders (on points per game) and keep some hope alive for their future.

Next up, the Quakes face Real Salt Lake (RSL) at Rio Tinto. The RioT is a very strong fortress and RSL is fighting Seattle not only for the top of the Western Conference but for the top of the Supporter's Shield and their own berth into the CCL next year. It will be a tough battle, but the Earthquakes are ready for the siege and the three point booty at the end of 90 minutes.

LA Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders

Sat 10.30pm, StubHub Center (NBCSN)

Josh Guesman, founder, The Section 108 blog, co-host of Corner of the Galaxy podcast, LA:

The LA Galaxy stumbled when they couldn't afford to stumble. They took a guaranteed three points against the worst team in the league, DC United, and turned those into one point. And it's not as if giving up late goals is something new for this LA team. They've done it close to twenty times this year. Imagine the points dropped over all those games. To make matters worse this game claimed two casualties; Landon Donovan left the game with a sprained ankle, and AJ DeLaGarza was substituted after suffering a dislocated elbow. Landon's injury seems to put him back into the lineup for the weekend but AJ's will probably see him missing 3-4 weeks.

The good news is that LA seems to have put one issue to bed. With CONCACAF Champions League games colliding with huge, important league games, the Galaxy needed to find a way to advance without burning up their starters. The 1-0 midweek victory over Metapan seems to have done just that. A heavily reserve laden lineup kept most starters from any serious minutes and the Galaxy now stand just a single point from advancement in the CCL.

The focus now turns to the red hot Seattle Sounders. This will be 1 of 2 meetings with Seattle at the end of this campaign and it will be the final game of the series at home for LA. This game has all the makings of a serious battle for league supremacy and could shape either teams playoff and/or title run. It's a game that LA needs and Seattle wants.

Sam Chesneau, Gorilla FC, Seattle:

It feels really good to see the hard work of this entire community, from the supporters to the players to the coaching staff to the front office start to reach the potential. The big story in Seattle is the winning streak the team has had despite several key figures being absent for multiple reasons. Last Friday's home victory against RSL was the icing on the cake, despite Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson not starting and coming off the bench when the match was all but decided. One really cool element to the Sounders victory was the local connection and subsequent "gone fishing" goal celebration on the second goal from DeAndre Yedlin to Lamar Neagle, who along with Obafemi Martins leads the team in scoring and along with the return of Steve Zakuani from injury will be creating one of the best headaches to have in deciding who to play and when.

There are many Sounders fans who make it a point to "hate" Portland and Vancouver, since geographically, they are the closest franchises to ours. There are others (myself included) that root for them to do well so that when we beat them it has more meaning. That being said, when it comes to "hate" for a franchise, the LA Galaxy have to be at the top. This hilarious notion that the league shows favoritism to Seattle when anybody with half a brain knows the Galaxy and Red Bulls get top billing and the league does everything they can to accomodate them above all, since it's their only hope at one day getting better TV ratings in their eyes. Yeah — fuck L.A. They really grind my gears, mostly because they are so good when it counts. They always come to play against Seattle, so to come away with a point on the road would be huge after that last 4-0 loss early in the season.

New York Red Bulls vs FC Dallas

Sun 5pm, Red Bull Arena (UniMas)

Tim Hall, author of "The View from 101" column for First Touch, New York:

It was just a few short weeks ago that New York Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke and star player Thierry Henry had to be separated on the training ground for shouting at one another. As we all know, screaming solves everything, and since the dust up the mercurial Frenchman has scored twice and invented a new celebration meme that will be played out in about 26 minutes. Thierry, in the process, proved that there is no more dangerous player in MLS than a motivated/angry Henry.

But the fortunes of this Red Bulls team were never solely going to rest on the shoulders of Henry, and truth be told, there are no awards for putting a bee in Titi's bonnet. Indeed, if there is any success to be applauded this season, it has been Mike Petke's masterful use of the rest of the roster to cover gaps caused by injuries and international duty. Even the late summer transfers like Bradley Wright-Phillips and David Carney have shown well in limited time with the club. Rookie Michael Bustamante had a solid game against Toronto, but, thanks for coming, as Tim Cahill may make his return against Dallas.

Simply put, Dallas are desperate for points and have to come forward. New York have shown their ability to accept strong pressure and counter attack. Expect that to be New York's path to a win. If not, expect more screaming.

Gina Zippilli, The Inferno, Dallas:

Really this week has just been about that numbing realization that once again we're probably going to miss the playoffs. The game against Colorado last week was a must win game and we lost. It wasn't a great game at all. Needing a win, Schellas Hyndman started with Blas Perez and Kenny Cooper on the bench which had us scratching our heads. Perez didn't come in until the second half of a dull game. We got a goal, they got two, and that was that.

Dan Hunt, speaking for ownership, has said that failure to make the playoffs again would be unacceptable, but at this point I'm wondering how bad the coach would have to be for a change to happen. We as fans deserve better.

New York on Sunday and Kenny Cooper going back to his last team. He's a mystery. He scored so many goals there last season and he's on a scoring streak here too...in the reserves. He's still a great finisher and I was and am delighted that he's back with the team, but I thought the supply from Castillo and Ferreira was going to give him more goals this year and something just hasn't happened. He gives everything and I want him to stay, but on current front office form I could see them trading him and keeping Hassli. The game? With the way the seasons going now I just want us to get out of there without injuries, and I'm tempted to wish we lost our remaining games by a big margin just to force some change at the top.