BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - The Chicago Fire (9-10-10, 37 pts.) take a season-high, seven-game unbeaten streak (2-0-5) into their final 2007 regular season match as they face the Los Angeles Galaxy (9-13-7, 34 pts.) this Sunday, Oct. 21 at TOYOTA PARK. The Fire moved into the seventh playoff spot after gaining a road point in last Saturday's 0-0 draw against D.C. United at RFK Stadium. The Galaxy have a seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2) of their own, coming off a crucial 1-1 draw Thursday night against the New York Red Bulls at The Home Depot Center in an ESPN2 MLS Primetime match-up. With the draw, the Galaxy are in a must-win match-up on Sunday by moving within three points of the Fire for possible entry into the final MLS Cup Playoffs spot. Kick-off for Sunday's match is at 2:00 p.m. CT, and will be televised live locally on My50 Chicago, nationally on TeleFutura, and broadcast over the airwaves on Chicagoland radio stations WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish) and WNVR-AM 1030 (Polish).
Chicago Fire vs. Los Angeles Galaxy :: Fire Match # 30 MLS Match # 195
Sunday, Oct. 21 @ 2:00 p.m. CT :: TOYOTA PARK - Bridgeview, Ill.
TV: My50 (Fred Huebner, Chris Doran, Sarah Kustok), TeleFutura, TV Azteca
Satellite: KU BAND, Galaxy 11, Tr. 20 Upper, D/L: 12109(H), Symbol Rate: 13.235, Data Rate: 18.2958, FEC: ¾
Audio: WRTO-1200 AM (Oscar Guzman, "Batata" DaSilva, Enrique "Tico" Fernandez)
WNVR-1030 AM (Jacek Zielinski, Daniel Bociaga)
FIRE HISTORY VS. GALAXY
Chicago's all-time regular season record in MLS play against the Galaxy is 11-13-3, including a 7-6-0 mark in Chicagoland, with a 4-7-3 record in games contested at Los Angeles. A Denis Hamlett-led Fire last met the Galaxy in the first of two regular season meetings on July 4 that resulted in a 2-0 loss at The Home Depot Center. With the away loss, the Fire-Galaxy series evened to 16-16-4 across all major competitions (MLS regular season, MLS Cup Playoffs and U.S. Open Cup). With a 2-1 victory over the Galaxy on Sept. 23, 2006 in their first-ever meeting at TOYOTA PARK, the Chicago Fire took last year's regular season series by a 1-0-1 margin. The result also set up a rubber match for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Sept. 27, 2006, a 3-1 victory at TOYOTA PARK that marked the Chicago club's MLS-record fourth title.
THE STARS ALIGN
Sunday's game will feature the two highest-profile players in Major League Soccer history, as Cuauhtémoc Blanco and David Beckham meet for the first time at TOYOTA PARK. Blanco will be in the Fire's starting line-up, as the Mexico City, Mexico native has been in every starting 11 for the "Men in Red" since his arrival. Beckham is fit enough to play, as the 32-year-old English international came off the bench for 22 minutes in the Galaxy's MLS Primetime Thursday match-up, his first league minutes since suffering a sprained knee injury on Aug. 29. Sunday's subplot will be the possible historic last game for two U.S. Men's National Team and MLS legends: Fire midfielder Chris Armas and Galaxy midfielder Cobi Jones. Both have expressed interest in retiring at the end of the season, so Sunday at TOYOTA PARK may mark the career end for either Armas or Jones.
PUSHING FOR PLAYOFFS
A 0-0 tie with D.C. United last Saturday moved the Chicago Fire into the seventh MLS Cup Playoffs spot with 37 points, tied with the Kansas City Wizards. The "Men in Red" will clinch a spot on Sunday with a win, yet can still make the postseason with a tie if either the Wizards or Colorado Rapids fail to win on Saturday. The Fire can clinch a spot with a loss on Sunday, but would rely on both Kansas City losing and Colorado failing to win on Saturday. For the Galaxy, the only option for postseason play occurs if Kansas City loses and Colorado fails to win on Saturday; only then can Los Angeles make it in with a win on Sunday.
SELLING-OUT THE JOINT
The Chicago Fire expect a club-record seventh sell-out crowd on Sunday, one of a record four-straight consecutive sell-outs in league play. The Fire played in front of its first home sell-out crowd, a crowd of 20,000 or more, on June 9 vs. Chivas USA (20,407). The "Men in Red" have since played in front of packed crowds on July 12 vs. Houston Dynamo (20,034), Aug. 4 versus Columbus Crew (20,358), Sept. 15 vs. New York Red Bulls (20,586), Sept. 23 vs. D.C. United (20,079), and Oct. 6 vs. New England (20,014).
QUICK KICKS VS. L.A. GALAXY
• Chicago's all-time regular season record in MLS play against L.A. 11-13-3, including a 7-6-0 mark in Chicagoland.
• The Fire have never tied the Galaxy at home in a regular season contest.
• The Fire need a win Sunday to reach double-digits in wins. Only once in club history has the Fire failed to reach 10 wins in a season - in 2003 with 8.
• Despite committing the fewest fouls in a season, the Fire will end the season with at least 60 yellow cards - a total surpassed in a season only once - 71 in 2000.
• Chicago has allowed 10 goals total in 12 games played since the All-Star break, or .77 goals per game, compared to 26 goals allowed in 16 games played before the break for a 1.63 goals per game average.
• Fire midfielder Justin Mapp celebrated his 23rd birthday on Thursday, Oct. 18, while midfielder Mike Banner had his 23rd birthday on Saturday, Oct. 20. Midfielder John Thorrington turned 28 years of age on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
• Midfielder John Thorrington has scored in four-straight Fire Reserves games (9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7).
• The Fire have been even against the Galaxy in postseason play with a 2-2-1 record, including two wins en route to the 1998 MLS Cup title.
• Galaxy midfielder Quavas Kirk is a Chicagoland native, hailing originally from Aurora, Ill.
• Forward Chad Barrett is the only Fire player to appear in all 29 regular season games this season.
• The Fire own a 5-3-6 regular season mark at TOYOTA PARK for 2007, while posting a 4-7-4 record on the road.
• Former Fire midfielder DaMarcus Beasley (2000-04) and defender Carlos Bocanegra (2000-03) played in the U.S. Men's National team's 1-0 win over Switzerland in an international friendly on Oct. 17. Former Fire Premier defender Jay DeMerit (2001-02) dressed, but did not play.
