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Earnshaw's goal lifts win-starved Fire

Robert Earnshaw is listed at 5-foot-8 and admits to being 5-foot-6, but nobody on the Chicago Fire roster has played bigger the past two weeks.

"Impact-wise, he's obviously been very, very key to us the past two games," Fire coach and director of soccer Frank Yallop said. "Hopefully, it will continue."

The 33-year-old Earnshaw came off the bench again and scored with his head for the second straight game, this time giving the Fire a 1-0 victory against the hottest team in MLS, FC Dallas.

"I'm confident," Earnshaw said. "I've got to pay tribute to the team, because it's good that I've obviously come on the last two weeks and scored, but the team's done a lot of hard work just to get to that point where that allows me to get in front and score a goal."

"Two goals in two games is amazing, and off the bench too," Yallop added. "He might not like this, but maybe this is his role. We'll see. I'm very happy for him. He's a great kid and he works hard."

The result turned over the Brimstone Cup - which goes to the winner of the season series between the teams - to the eighth-place Fire (5-6-14, 29 points), and it ended Dallas' unbeaten streak at 10 games and winning streak at four.

Not bad for a team that needs to start reeling off victories in a hurry to make the MLS playoffs.

"We're on a bit of a high, and I think that's how we look at it," Yallop said, noting last week's 2-2 draw at Toronto FC. "We've not lost in two. We've only lost six games all season. We have a chance now of making the playoffs. We need to win probably another six games out of nine. ... Five might do it. So it's not like we've got to win six games out of five games left, which you've got no chance. We've got a chance. I think all the stuff we've gone through this season, I'm really happy with what we've done."

In case it needs more incentive, the Fire travels to New England next Saturday, when it could play against U.S. midfielder Jermaine Jones. The Fire last weekend lost a blind draw to New England for the MLS rights to Jones.

• Follow Orrin's soccer reports on Twitter@Orrin_Schwarz

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