As FC Dallas still chase Chivas USA and Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference standings, a 1-1 home draw with the Chicago Fire didn't exactly provide the three points the Hoops were looking for. Yet, the manner in which it came -- the tying goal coming from Carlos Ruiz three minutes into second-half stoppage time -- also left FCD happy for the one point they had, when there could have been none.
"I'm pleased to come out with a point," said FCD head coach Steve Morrow. "I was starting to think that it wasn't going to go our way. We're not having a lot go our way at the moment and are going through a rocky patch. Maybe we'll turn the corner now and start to finish the season a bit stronger."
Chris Rolfe had given the Fire a 56th-minute lead, then Chicago goalkeeper Matt Pickens backstopped a fierce defensive display. But for the second consecutive match Ruiz provided the attacking thrust for his team, after scoring both FCD goals in a 4-2 loss at New England last Saturday.
"He played well last week, worked very hard and got his rewards when he scored two goals," Morrow said. "I thought he was a little bit quieter in the second half than he was in the first and wasn't moving quite as much but that's Carlos.
"He's always going to get a chance somewhere. He had a couple that he was disappointed not to finish earlier in the game and he's always there right to the end of the game and a lot of credit to him. I thought he finished it very, very well."
Ruiz sported a somewhat different look for tonight's match. Besides a small Mohawk that was dyed blonde, he also had some blonde streaks on his temples.
"I have a friend who lives close to me and he told me that I should do something crazy because our next game is on ESPN," Ruiz said. "So I did this. It's crazy but it's fun too."
The Guatemalan international, who now has seven goals this year, is finding his form down the stretch but was still disappointed that FCD failed to get three points at home.
"I think it's always good to score goals at the end of the season because everybody is under pressure," Ruiz said. "Sometimes the team doesn't play well and the guys with more experience always have to play well. It was good for us to tie the game but seriously, we lost two points. We were at home and we have to win every game here."
FCD left back Chris Gbandi, who returned to the starting 11 after being benched for the last two matches for a loss of form, agreed with Ruiz that it was more about the two points they lost instead of the point that was gained.
"We're playing at home and at this time of the year, this is a game that we have to find a way to win," Gbandi said. "I see it as a two-point loss. This shows the character of the team as well with the fighting all the way to the end. I think we just take a little positive out of that and have to move on from there."
Also making their return tonight for FCD were center back Adrian Serioux, who missed the New England game, and all-star midfielder Juan Toja, who has missed three of the Hoops' last five matches with an ankle injury.
Serioux played the first half at center back but shifted to the holding midfield spot in the second stanza. Pablo Ricchetti started there but had to leave the game. His status will be further evaluated on Friday.
"He's got a hamstring strain," Morrow said. "He possibly could have played on but we didn't want to take any chances with him."
Toja doesn't yet appear to be at 100 percent, but Morrow said, "the ankle is fine. We need to get Juan back and match fit for the run now. We need to get him into the team, get him playing and playing minutes. I think he needs a couple more games to get in tune again."
In the first half, FCD did a great job possessing the ball, controlled the run of play and headed to the break having outshot the Fire 7-2. But in the second half, the Hoops didn't do as well with the ball and the Fire were able to generate more chances. Morrow chalked that up to Ricchetti leaving the field at halftime.
"We had a little disruption with losing Pablo (Ricchetti) at halftime," Morrow said. "I thought that disrupted our passing a little bit and we weren't able to possess the ball as well as I would have liked in the second half but credit to the boys, they kept going right to the end. I thought we worked very hard all night and deserved a point."
Gbandi agreed that if the Hoops are to make a positive push into the playoffs, they have to get better at possession.
"The big sticking point that we need to work on is keeping the ball," he said. "There were too many opportunities where we ended up losing the ball and this was a counterattack game. As good as players that we have, we have to make teams run, especially on this big field. I think that is something we are going to work on."
For the most part, the FCD defense did a great job of limiting the Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco to just one shot.
"We have to stay tight with him and I thought we did that in the first half," Morrow said. "I don't think he created too much and any time he got the ball, there was someone around him creating hard pressure. I don't think he was able to create too much in the game."
While the Hoops rearguard limited Blanco's touches, Rolfe had a great night with three of Chicago's seven shots, two of which were saved by FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala.
"They just have so many weapons. You have (Chad) Barrett, (Cuauhtemoc) Blanco, (Chris) Rolfe and (Paulo) Wanchope to worry about and know that one of those guys is going to have a good game. Today, it was Rolfe," Gbandi said. "I thought Dario (Sala) did a great job at keeping us in the game with big saves in a big time of the year. That's what we're going to need from him. I didn't think the defense did that well with all those guys coming at you.
Besides Ricchetti's status being uncertain for FCD's next match on Sunday against the LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center, one player who will not be available is center back Clarence Goodson, who was shown yellow in the 66th minute and will miss the match through suspension.
The draw also ensured the Hoops will keep the Brimstone Cup for the sixth consecutive season, awarded to the winner of the season series by the supporters groups of both teams. Dallas won 2-1 in Chicago in May.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
