Matchday 25: FC Dallas @ Chicago Fire
September 21st, 2008 . 5:44 am . By: Jay BrownleeAfter giving up yet another lead, this time on the road at DC United, most FC Dallas fans should have realized that 2008 is largely done. There will be no playoffs. There was the early exit to a USL-1 club in the U.S. Open. Then there was the three freakin’ coaches in one year and yet there is Michael Hitchcock, smiling and smiling and looking as safe as a baby in a crib. I had to step back. I had to take a breath. This season has killed little parts of me I did not know existed. What in the hell is there to continue hoping for? And then it just hit me in my head… the Brimstone Cup. Winning the Brimstone Cup will ease some of our pain, right? Surely bringing home this true fans’ only award will help heal the wounds! I hope you’re not yawning because this reads like a bed-time story. Look here: You’re going to get excited about the Brimstone Cup! We MUST win! Kill the Hated and Detested Chicago Fire! Look, if you have to fake it, fake it. And be persuasive. If you’re not sure, ask your wife. So, what about Chicago? Let’s just get the obligatory Cuauhtémoc Blanco talk out of the way first, alright? He’s got 4 goals and 7 assists. Big deal, right? You know, Blanco blows my mind. For eighty-seven and one-half minutes, this guy looks like he’s doing nothing but aimlessly wondering around like El Chapulin Colorado, except The Red Grasshopper wasn’t on the ground so much. And then, like a ninja waking from a long snooze, Blanco springs into action and does his thing. And it is usually the difference in the game. Aye ya ya. Blanco is officially listed as “Questionable” for the match, so we might dodge that bullet. Then there is Brian McBride. Great. McBride is coming off a sprained ankle but should play, which will mean he’s going to be a handful for Dallas’ backline, which has been stitched together from damaged goods over the last several matches. I don’t think I’d be giving away a huge tactical secret to say that stopping McBride has to be Priority Numero Uno. But Chicago is not only about Blanco and McBride. Chicago has the league’s stingiest defense, allowing only 20 goals in 24 matches. But Dallas has the Brimstone Cup to play for in this match. Dallas held serve in the only other meeting earlier this year on a (who else?) Kenny Cooper goal. Blanco wandered around for 89 ½ minutes and Dallas hung on. For this match, Chicago will definitely be without Bakary Soumare (yellow card accumulation) and Marco Pappa (knee). In the woodwork will be Jon Busch. The guess here is that Diego Gutierrez slides into the backline with Wilman Conde. Brandon Prideaux will play LB, with Gonzalo Segares on the right. The midfield should be Stephen King (or Justin Mapp), Logan Pause, Blanco and John Thorrington. Expect Chris Rolf to team up front with McBride. For Dallas, Dario is your ‘keeper, Adrian Serioux should be a well-rested RB, Drew Moor and Duilio Davino in the middle and Blake Wagner on the left. What? You say Davino can’t possibly be back? Well, he is, and he’s in Chicago. Davino starts, or put your money down. In midfield, Andre Rocha on the right, Pablo Ricchetti deep, future Team-Captain-For-Life, Bruno Guarda, and just because there are those who will be driven mad because they read this, Marcelo Saragosa on the left. Jeff Cunningham and Kenny Cooper will play up front. A quick side-note on Dallas: Last week, Hyndman pulled the midfielders in tighter and Andre Rocha went nuts. What a game that guy had. It will be interesting to see if the same formula will work this week against a much, much more defensively talented foe. This is going to be a tough match, any way you slice it. Chicago are still fighting tooth-and-nail for positioning going into the playoffs and they have to be looking at this match as a very good opportunity at 3 points. I think your going to see a very tightly contested game with no more than one or two goals in it. Dallas are already playing for next year at this point, but the players must be aware that Hyndman will be using every minute as further evaluation for next season. And then there’s the Brimstone Cup, right? 20 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
Another 2-2 draw, and we take home the cup.
LET’S GO HOOPS!!!
Sorry, totally off subject – Did you guys realize that with the Fed’s buyout of AIG we are all now part owners of Manchester United?
Yes!!! The cannon and the Brimstone Cup!!! At this point in this season, I’ll take that . . . gotta find SOMETHING positive to hold on to.
Davino is listed as OUT
the injury report on the fc dallas website stated this in the preview of the game today.
Jordan:
Read who made the trip on the FC Dallas blog – http://worldcupway.blogspot.com
Davino is one of the 18. And I have this odd feeling he’ll start. And, really, with Hyndman, would it be all that surprising?
Moose:
Techincally we’re just helping pay for ManU’s shirt.
Jeez, there’s a lot of negativity from the writers on this site. FCD is four points out of a playoff spot. If the team beats Chicago today, they’ll be only one freaking point away, and only three points away from the #2 seed in the West.
I respect all of your opinions (Peter, Lorenzo, et al), but I completely disagree. The Hoops still have a very legit shot at the playoffs.
I agree Eugene. Nobody is really outof it yet.
Holy Crap! 3-0 at half! Go Hoops! (Sorry for the deleterious post, but I had to express my joy somewhere.)
SteveToro: Keep that positivity crap out of here, please.
Naw, never ever have I been so proud to be so wrong about so many predictions. Nice half of soccer.
And, Hoops, please don’t make me look “good” in the second half…
Dude. I had to double-check to make sure that it was *us* that had the 4, not CHI.
And it’s a Kevin Stott reffed game, nonetheless…
Yeah Kevin Stott strikes again, now it’s Chicago’s turn to hate him.
Man, what a game!
I too am surprised at the negativity from the writers the past couple of weeks. Did you forget there is such thing as a playoff race!? It’s like you guys are throwing in the towel already with 5 weeks to go…i’m glad you aren’t an FC Dallas player.
It was a great win today for FC Dallas. The team not only played well, but team morale appeared to be really high. Rocha was fantastic, and it looks like Cunningham’s got his burst back, too. How about this situation, Hoops fans.
There are five games left in the regular season.
The strike force is starting to gel, and Davino is finally on his way back from injury.
Dallas is three points away from second, one point away from third… and one point away from the bottom of the table.
And to top it all off, there’s a very strong possibility FCD’s season will come down to their last game on October 26, against Golden Balls, Landycakes, and the rest of Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy.
For FCD fans, these last few weeks will be incredible.
I am not sure incredible would be the word to use. Nerveracking, fingernail biting things like that might be more appropriate.
At leaste the guys showed they still are trying to do something this year.
The season has been over for a couple of weeks but only real football people know it. Blind squirrle and acorn applied yesterday.
next three games are at PHP and with FCD’s hopeless home record I believe the opponents are looking forward to these games and already pencilling in a “winnable game” for their own play-off hopes.