Goodbye Columbus as Fire prepares to stop high-scoring Real Salt Lake
There were a lot of happy Fire players and coaches the night Real Salt Lake eliminated Columbus from the Eastern Conference playoffs last week.
Most of that joy was about the prospect of hosting the conference championship game, rather than having to make a repeat trip to Ohio, where the Fire's 2008 season ended. It also helps that the Fire doesn't have to play the best regular-season team in MLS this year.
The Fire hosts upstart Real Salt Lake at 7 p.m. Saturday (Fox Soccer Channel) at sold out Toyota Park in the Eastern Conference final.
Real Salt Lake is no slouch, and the Fire insists it isn't taking RSL lightly, even if RSL was the last team to gain a MLS playoff berth. Being last into the playoffs didn't stop New York from advancing to the MLS Cup last year.
"This is a final and we know what is at stake," Fire forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco of Mexico said through a translator. "We win and we get the chance to play for the Cup and it will be important to keep the attitude that we've had of playing as a group."
The teams played twice in the regular season, with the Fire winning one and playing to a draw in the other.
The Fire has been at this stage before, of course. This is Chicago's third consecutive conference final. The previous two were losses, both on the road.
"It will come down to us remaining focused, taking advantage of any scoring opportunities that we create and not making the mistakes made in the previous conference finals, which were key in our losses," Blanco added.
The Fire will face a Real Salt Lake club that is on a hot streak and has proven it can score goals in bunches. Speedy forward Robbie Findley scored 12 goals to rank among the league leaders this season, and Yura Movsisyan has 8, though he often comes off the bench.
RSL also sports proven players such as Andy Williams, a former Fire player, and Kyle Beckerman in central midfield, forward Fabian Espindola, midfielder Clint Mathis and midfielder Will Johnson, a former Fire player and Downers Grove native who scored 2008's MLS goal of the year.
The Fire looks relatively healthy. Brian McBride said Wednesday he expects to play despite a few knocks suffered last week against New England. Defender Wilman Conde practiced and looked strong but isn't likely to start because of a lack of match fitness.
The winner will advance to MLS Cup on Nov. 22 in Seattle against the winner of Friday's Houston-L.A. Galaxy match. A Chicago-Los Angeles matchup would be star-studded, with Chicago's Blanco and Brian McBride meeting Los Angeles' David Beckham and Landon Donovan for the league championship.
But that's thinking too far ahead. For now the Fire is just happy to be in Chicago instead of Columbus.