The Chicago Fire need to both cool off and heat up when they face Chivas USA on MLS Primetime Thursday at The Home Depot Center.
With a forecast for temperatures around 80 degrees in Carson, Calif. by game time, the Fire won't have to contend with the incredible heat that affected their play in their loss to FC Dallas on Sunday in Frisco, Texas.
Field temperatures ran into triple digits Sunday and the Fire could not mount a comeback after giving up a first-half goal. The 1-0 loss gave the Fire a two-game losing streak for the first time this season, and also gave the team its first road loss of the 2008 campaign.
As a result, after winning six of their first 10 games of the season, the Fire are now 6-4-1 and in need of a win to keep up in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.
"We are out here regrouping," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said this week after a training session in L.A. "I don't think there is any sense of panic or urgency. We have some bodies back and are looking forward to the game."
Since beating the New York Red Bulls in demonstrative fashion 5-1 at Giants Stadium May 25, the Fire lost a home game to D.C. United in the final minute of stoppage time, won a U.S. Open Cup qualifier against Columbus then played the FC Dallas game and failed to score for the first time since an April 20 home loss to Kansas City.
"Each game is different," Hamlett said. "We were disappointed in the loss to D.C. at home. Then look at the Dallas game. It was 105-degree weather down there. It wasn't a good game for either team. Whoever got the goal first was going to hold on."
The Fire find themselves in fourth place in the East, one point behind Toronto and a full eight points behind division-leading New England. However, the Fire also have three games in hand over the Revolution, so a winning streak would put them close to even with their rivals from New England.
"The last two games woke us up," Fire forward Chad Barrett said. "It's hard in this league to go three or four games with wins. But we were on a roll for a while. Some places are just hard to play at."
Dallas being one of them, he said.
The Fire know what it is like to get on a real roll. They finished the 2007 season with a 10-game unbeaten streak (4-0-6) that pushed them all the way to the conference championship before losing to New England.
The Fire still lead the league by a large margin in goals allowed with just nine (Columbus is next with 14) and they also have the best goal differential at plus-11.
The Fire will also have defender Brandon Prideaux back after a one-game red-card suspension.
Kent McDill is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
