Saturday's 1-0 win against Real Salt Lake has the Portland Timbers enjoying breathing room in the playoff race, and quietly rounding into form at just the right time.

The atmosphere at Portland's Providence Park is one of the best in Major League Soccer, if not the best. Despite the support from Timbers supporters — Saturday marked the 100th consecutive MLS sellout — the stadium hasn't always been a place where the Portland Timbers have performed well.

That has changed this year, with Saturday's 1-0 victory against Real Salt Lake improving the Timbers' home record to 7-1-1 in their past nine, and more importantly, moving the Timbers four points clear of the teams trailing them for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Fanendo Adi provided the winning goal, but it was Jake Gleeson who delivered the bulk of the heroics, making a handful of top-shelf saves to record Portland's first shutout in five matches, and first since the arrival of English defender Steven Taylor.

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Caleb Porter appears to now have his first-choice defense figured out, with Taylor slotting in next to Liam Ridgwell in central defense, and newly-acquired Vytautas Andriuskevicius locking down the left back spot that had been unsettled since Jorge Villafana's departure over the winter. Losing Nat Borchers to a torn Achilles looked like it might be a blow that could keep the Timbers from legitimately defending their MLS Cup title, but Taylor has looked good after forgettable debut in Seattle and Gleeson has helped the defense by continuing to impress in goal.

As strong as the defense was on Saturday, the inconsistency of the attack remains a cause for concern for Porter. The Timbers have scored multiple goals just twice in eight matches, and as much as some of those matches saw Portland create plenty of chances only to miss most, Porter know the finishing, and overall offensive quality must improve if the Timbers are going to have a serious shot at repeating as MLS Cup winners.

One player who the Timbers need more from is Nagbe, who has struggled to match the elite-level form he showed in the second half of 2015. On Saturday, Nagbe displayed more flashes of his best, and urgency in the first half, even taking the shot that eventually led to Adi's winner. However, in the second half he faded again. Portland needs Nagbe to play like the Nagbe that rolled through the playoffs like a man possessed, and if he needs fresh motivation to help find that gear, Nagbe need only look at his lack of playing time for the U.S. national team in September's World Cup qualifying victories.

Nagbe is far from the only underperforming Timbers attacker this season, but an in-form Nagbe is as tough to stop as anyone in MLS, and if he does get going, the Timbers attack will be that much more dangerous.

Saturday's win was vital for Portland because it also came on the same night San Jose and Seattle played to a 1-1 draw, helping the Timbers open a four-point gap above the playoff red line, while also pulling Portland just one point behind fifth-place Sporting Kansas City. That's a comfortable position, but one Portland won't hold onto if the Timbers don't improve on their road form.

The Timbers still haven't recorded their first road win of the MLS season, and with three of their final five matches taking place on the road, that will need to change. What makes their 0-8-6 road record all the more puzzling is the fact they were the toughest road team in the league in 2015, Of course, last year, the Timbers hit their stride with some late-season road wins and if they do that again this year, we could start feeling a sense of deja vu about the Timbers season.

Duplicating last season's championship magic won't be easy, but two wins in three, against tough opponents in Seattle and RSL, have fans in Portland starting to believe again. And with the Timbers coming together defensively, and playing well at home, it is time to start considering the possibility that Portland could be ready to put together another serious championship run.