Fire ready for step up in class

The Chicago Fire is enjoying its three-game winning streak, but tougher times await.

The teams the Fire has beaten - Philadelphia, Toronto and New York City - are having a tough season, in seventh place in the Eastern Conference or worse. All three Fire wins were at home. And each game the opponent took a red card, giving the Fire a man advantage.

"I wouldn't say anyone is a light team in our league," Fire coach Frank Yallop said after training Thursday. "Any game you play is tough, home or away."

The Fire (3-3-0, 9 points) travels to Sporting Kansas City (2-2-4, 10 points) for a nationally televised game Sunday (4 p.m., ESPN2).

Veteran forward Quincy Amarikwa said the Fire is ready for the challenge.

"When you're just showing up on any day, it almost doesn't matter who you're playing," Amarikwa said. "You're just focused on what you're doing as a team. We've been figuring out how we want to play, and we want teams to be worried about us and not us worried about them. Kansas City might have a couple of wins, but when we show up on Sunday that won't matter to us."

Yallop said the Fire worked Thursday to prepare for SKC's pressure.

"They're a pretty direct team, and once they get it forward they really are sharp around the box and get good chances on goal," he said. "They hunt the ball well. They pressure pretty good, so we just have to be aware that we don't overplay."

Quincy time:

Last year's leading scorer, Amarikwa, has been shut out so far this year. He's not overly concerned about it, especially while the team is winning.

"As far as my team play, it's been really good," he said. "I've been holding the ball up, making runs in behind, making it hard on defenders. Hopefully that will result in more chances created and more opportunities in the box for me."

Amarikwa still is working his way back from an ankle injury that cost him some time.

"It's bothering me a little bit, but I'm just training and trying to get my sharpness back," he said.

Amarikwa isn't the only striker shut out this season. The Fire goals have come from David Accam, Harry Shipp, Jeff Larentowicz, Adailton, Joevin Jones and Shaun Maloney. Maloney has played some forward but in a more withdrawn role. The others are midfielders and defenders.

Michael in the middle:

Michael Stephens did not train Thursday and probably won't travel to Kansas City this weekend.

"His ankle is still a little bit sore, so we're trying to get that cleaned up so he can join in properly," Yallop said, saying the central midfielder from the Western Suburbs was training at about 85 percent.

Stephens' replacement last week, Matt Watson, will be suspended for Sunday's match. Chris Ritter, Razvan Cocis and Victor Perez seem the likely candidates to play take that spot this week.

The non-loan:

When Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush picked up a yellow card in the first leg of the Impact's CONCACAF Champions League final, coach Frank Klopas needed another goalkeeper for the second leg. He asked Major League Soccer about a one-and-done loan for a familiar face: the Fire's Sean Johnson.

Despite rumors saying it was a done deal, the league said no, never giving the Fire and Johnson a chance to consider it, Yallop said.

Johnson said it would have been fine with him.

"I was more than willing to help out and do something for this league," he said. "It didn't happen, so it's all hypothetical."

Instead Montreal turned to Kristian Nicht of NASL's Indy Eleven and lost 4-2 Wednesday, 5-3 on aggregate.

One reason Johnson would have been OK with the loan is he knows Klopas as the former Fire coach and technical director. Impact players Dilly Duka and Bakary Soumare played with Johnson in Chicago.

Strange times:

Johnson has seen his share of strange things during his five-plus seasons with the Fire. Add the events of the past few weeks.

"The past few weeks have been extremely abnormal," he said. "... With the weeks off, the games being canceled, the thing with Montreal, all that stuff. The good thing is our group has stayed extremely focused with the task at hand. We've gone out, we've gotten three results. We've taken two weeks off and show that we can still perform, having that break.

"It's good to know that we can deal with any situation and really adapt. It's the sign of a good group. You never know what will be thrown at you."

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