D.C. United make their sole regular-season trip to Toyota Park this weekend to face the playoff-chasing Chicago Fire for the latest chapter of what has become a raw, intense rivalry in recent years.
D.C. expect a rough welcome Sunday afternoon from a Chicago side that has lately made a habit of aggressive, physical play to counter United's passing and possession -- with some success.
"If you don't show up to play, they're really going to embarrass you," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins. "So we've got to come with the mentality that it's going to be a war, it's going to be a battle, especially playing at their home. And coming off a break, we've got to be ready to go in the first five, 10 minutes of the game and set the tone for us."
After languishing in the Eastern Conference basement for most of the season, the Fire have been sparked by two influential arrivals in the shape of new coach Juan Carlos Osorio and designated player signing Cuauhtemoc Blanco. The wily Mexican maestro was handed the keys to Chicago's attack and has delivered, netting three goals and five assists and drawing plenty of fans to the gates.
"He's done a good job in Chicago, scoring some goals and having more people in the stadium," said United captain Jaime Moreno. "I think that's great. That's what the league wants, that's what we want. He's a good player. We know how important he is to them."
A 4-2-3 record since late July has pulled the Men in Red into the league's final playoff place but with Colorado and Columbus close behind, they will be desperate for points against a United side that is missing three crucial midfield leaders due to yellow card suspensions for Fred, Christian Gomez and Ben Olsen.
"It always makes things interesting," said D.C. coach Tom Soehn, who spent three seasons in Chicago during his playing career. "We lose a lot of quality players, but in return, we get guys who've seen action all year. I expect us to go out there and compete like always."
Moreno will return to the side after missing last week's victory against Real Salt Lake on international duty, and will likely need to shoulder a bigger share of United's playmaking responsibilities. Normally a withdrawn striker, he's dropped into Gomez's attacking midfield spot before and might do so again as he leads what will be a less experienced first 11 into Toyota Park on Sunday.
"That's a big possibility, so it wouldn't surprise me," he said. "I definitely am going to have a bigger role. Not having Fred, Benny and Christian takes a lot of key players that we have, but on the other end, the guys are really excited, the guys that are going to be playing. It's a great opportunity for them to show that they can be on the first team."
D.C. will also look to the likes of Josh Gros, Rod Dyachenko and Brian Carroll to pick up the slack in the center of the park.
"Fortunately, we're as deep as we've ever been this year," said Olsen. "I'm sure the guys are going to be very excited to step in and do a great job. Josh is obviously there. Whether it's Rod or BC or Clyde [Simms] or whoever, we've got plenty of midfielders."
In the past, the Fire have earned some positive results against D.C. by fixating on Gomez and working to neutralize his pivotal role in the United attack. But this weekend the tables may be turned as the Black-and-Red defense focus on shutting down Blanco, the man center back Devon McTavish called "their Christian Gomez."
"We're going to close him, kill his passing lanes, hopefully get after him so he's got his head down -- the normal things," said Soehn. "I don't think it's any different. The one thing you have to avoid is probably set pieces, giving away unnecessary fouls in and around the box."
Perkins compares Blanco to another unpredictable Latin American who just happens to be one of United's living legends.
"There's a resemblance to [Marco] Etcheverry in his ability to find players with balls and options that you don't really think of sometimes," said the D.C. netminder. "You've got to be very close with him, and be honest -- we can't cheat, or else he's going to catch you. Respect that fact, but at the same case we've got to get after him a little bit, and don't let him have time and space to play."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
