In a league decided by playoffs, saving your best form for the end of the season is critical.
Few have timed their peak better this season than Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell, who netted in his seventh consecutive MLS game to deliver a 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.
After failing to find the net in his opening 11 games, the Scottish forward now has 12 in his last 16. His current seven-game hot streak is a club record.
The execution of his winner against the Sounders - who are now just three points ahead of SKC at the top of the Western Conference standings - was impressive enough, needing just one touch to set himself before coolly finishing off a flowing Kansas City move.
But more remarkable is the fact Russell hit the net with SKC's only shot of the second half. Moreover, the 30-year-old's eight goals in his current seven-game scoring run have come from just 17 shots at a staggering success rate of 47%.