Hoops host Fire for Brimstone leg

FC DALLAS vs. CHICAGO FIRE
PIZZA HUT PARK, Frisco, Texas
June 15, 2008 | 2 p.m. ET (TeleFutura)
WEEK # 12 | GAME # 84




The battle for the Brimstone Cup begins once again when FC Dallas entertains the Chicago Fire in their first meeting on the season. FC Dallas have lost back-to-back matches, both away from home and both the first defeats under interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi, now with just one win in their last eight matches. The Fire are coming off their second loss in three games, a 2-1 home loss to D.C. United - all three of Chicago's losses this season have come at their Toyota Park base, currently riding a four-game road winning streak.




REFEREE:
Mark Geiger. SAR (bench): Rob Fereday; JAR (opposite): David Bragg; 4th: Fernando Galvan


MLS Career: 39 games; FC/gm: 31.7; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 7; pens: 15




INJURY REPORT:
FC DALLAS - OUT: MF David Wagenfuhr (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: GK Dario Sala (R hip); MF Dax McCarty (R groin) ... CHICAGO FIRE - OUT: DF Lider Marmol (R knee meniscus tear); DOUBTFUL: DF Wilman Conde (R hamstring strain); DF Dasan Robinson (R ankle sprain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Kai Kasiguran (R hip tendonitis); DF Diego Gutierrez (L knee MCL sprain); PROBABLE: MF Justin Mapp (concussion)




INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES:
DAL: Adrian Serioux (Canada; v St. Vincent & Grenadines, June 15) ... CHI: Gonzalo Segares (Costa Rica; v Grenada, June 14)




SUSPENDED:
CHI: Brandon Prideaux (through June 15)


WARNINGS:


SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DAL: Marcelo Saragosa


SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: Andre Rocha ... CHI: Bakary Soumare




HEAD-TO-HEAD


ALL-TIME (27 meetings): FC Dallas 15 wins (2 shootout), 51 goals ... Fire 10 wins (1 shootout), 46 goals ... Draws 2


AT DALLAS (13 meetings): FC Dallas 10 wins (1 shootout), 32 goals ... Fire 2 wins (0 shootout), 18 goals ... Draws 1


• This is the first of the two league meetings between the clubs this season for the Brimstone Cup, the only one set for Pizza Hut Park. Their lone encounter at Toyota Park is scheduled for Sept. 21.


LAST YEAR (MLS):


5/17: CHI 1, DAL 2 (Cooper 24; Toja 60 - Carr 73)


9/20: DAL 1, CHI 1 (Ruiz 90 - Rolfe 56)


• A year ago, FC Dallas once again claimed the season series, winning at Toyota Park before claiming the trophy with a draw at Pizza Hut Park.


• The clubs play for the Brimstone Cup - awarded by the two supporters' clubs of the two teams so named when it matched the Fire and the Burn (the name of the Dallas club until 2004).


• And Dallas has had the upper hand, winning the cup for each of the last six seasons. The Fire won the first series in 2001, the Burn then claiming it in 2002, retaining it in 2003 when the teams leveled the series, then winning both league meetings in 2004. In 2005, the teams split their league meetings, but the FCD won the cup when they won the U.S. Open Cup semifinal matchup, then Dallas took both league meetings in 2006.


• Chicago hasn't won at Dallas since July 4, 1999, when the Fire claimed a 2-1 victory at the Cotton Bowl. Since, FCD won eight league meetings in a row before playing to a draw last year, and has gone unbeaten at home in three matches in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The only other result gained by the Fire in that time was a 1-1 draw in the playoffs in 2001.


• Coaches record: Marco Ferruzzi v CHI: first game ... Denis Hamlett vs. DAL: first game




FC DALLAS


FC Dallas lost for the second consecutive match, dropping a 2-1 decision to the New England Revolution last Friday evening at Gillette Stadium. FCD now has 13 points from 12 matches, sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference, a point ahead of Real Salt Lake and one behind Chivas USA.


LAST MATCH


• The Revolution had moved back atop the Eastern Conference on the strength of a four-game unbeaten run, while FC Dallas were coming off a 2-1 loss in Colorado, Marco Ferruzzi's first defeat after taking over as interim coach.


• It took the Revolution just five minutes to open their account. Sainey Nyassi beat his marker on the right flank and swung in a cross to the back post where Adam Cristman dove headlong to send the ball past Ray Burse, his second goal in as many games and third on the season.


• The Revolution doubled their lead in the 22nd minute. While battling for a corner kick, FCD's Drew Moor was spotted with a high elbow toward New England's Jeff Larentowicz, and after consultation with his assistant, referee Michael Kennedy awarded the penalty. Steve Ralston converted from the spot for his first penalty goal in nearly two years.


• Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis then saved the day, literally, for his team, making a career-best 10 stops in the match, including eight in the second half. He was beaten in stoppage time as Arturo Alvarez was left completely unmarked at the back post to calmly side-foot home a volley off a Dominic Oduro cross, but FC Dallas could get no closer.


• FC Dallas interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi made two changes to the team that lost 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids the previous Sunday. Adrian Serioux returned from international duty in place of Aaron Pitchkolan, and Andre Rocha returned from suspension, preferred to Blake Wagner.


• Here's Ferruzzi's team (3-4-1-2): Ray Burse - Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Adrian Serioux (Blake Wagner 64) - Andre Rocha, Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa (Abe Thompson 77), Bobby Rhine (Arturo Alvarez 71) - Juan Toja - Kenny Cooper, Dominic Oduro. Substitutes Not Used: Michael Dello-Russo, Mike Graczyk, Aaron Pitchkolan, Anthony Wallace


• "They got two goals in the first half, but we fought hard in the second half. We were organized; tactically we might have been a little bit better," Ferruzzi said. "The boys put everything they had into it. I think in the second half we had New England on their heels, and we might have been able to end up in a tie, but Matt Reis made some fantastic saves that kept them in the game. That was the difference."


TEAM NEWS


• FCD is mired in a three-match winless run, with losses in their last two games. In both defeats, FCD surrendered the lead very early. At Colorado, it was Conor Casey who gave the Rapids an early edge with a seventh-minute tally. Adam Cristman gave the Revs a similar advantage by heading one home in the fifth minute.


• "We're in a tough spot right now trying to get into our form, working very hard. We came back in the second half and had a great effort. We've got a long season to play. The boys are committed and we're going to move forward," said Ferruzzi.


• In the loss in Colorado, the Hoops were playing for the third time in nine days, and fatigue might have been a factor. Ferruzzi said it was opposite in New England.


• "I think at least in the last game, it wasn't so much that we came out flat," he said. "I think we came out a little too exuberant. We were losing our shape and chasing positions that we shouldn't have been in. I don't want to say that we should've been sitting back because that's too negative. But maybe if we had been more conservative and solid in our positioning, I think we would have weathered the first 10 minutes and eventually gotten into our game. The second goal being a PK was kind of a hard call but we had to get into the half and sort it out. If we could have gotten through those first 10 minutes, then we would have been all right."


• One tactical decision Ferruzzi has made has been in installing Juan Toja behind the front two. After dropping him from the team in his first match in charge, the 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on May 24, Toja has started each of the last three games in the attacking midfield role.


• "I think he's just about there . I think he had a little bit of inconsistency with the start, an injury here and an injury there, a time period where things weren't gelling well for all of us as a group. But, now he's put a couple of strong performances into his bank account," Ferruzzi said. "The next couple (of games) are very important and if he can continue his strong showings, the next thing you know, he's able to ride that to the end of the season and it's becoming second nature from the start. If he does that, then he is going to have a good second half of the season and that's really when we need him the most."


• Said Toja: "Last year, I played more in the back and defended more," he said. "Then, I played on the left and in the middle. I am always trying to defend, attack, move to the sides and to the middle. This year, I think I have done the same thing. (Former FCD coach) Steve (Morrow) and Marco (Ferruzzi) have given me a lot of freedom to play however I want. Of course, when we have to defend, we keep our position, but when we have the ball, I can play on the sides, in the middle, at forward or wherever they need me."




CHICAGO FIRE


Chicago Fire conceded two goals for the second time in three weeks, falling 2-1 at Toyota Park to D.C. United on Saturday evening. The Fire have 19 points from 10 matches, still sitting level with the Columbus Crew, now four points behind the New England Revolution, two points ahead of Toronto FC.


LAST MATCH


• The Fire came into the match having allowed just six goals on the entire season and off a resounding 5-1 win at New York, while D.C. United were trying to turn their season around with a win and a draw following a four-game losing skid.


• The Fire took the lead, somewhat against the run of play, in the 27th minute. Cuauhtemoc Blanco intercepted a back pass and sent Chad Barrett racing in alone on goal. The young striker held off a late challenge and poked the ball past United goalkeeper Zach Wells for his fifth goal on the campaign and third in the last two games.


• Both teams saw a man sent off in the 55th minute when Chicago's Brandon Prideaux and United's Marcelo Gallardo tangled behind the play. But United pulled level eight minutes later as Luciano Emilio cut inside his defender on the right and sent a low shot goalward that Fire 'keeper Jon Busch blocked, but Jaime Moreno slid in to tap home the rebound.


• United went down a man in the 89th minute when Bryan Namoff received the second of his two yellow cards in a four-minute span, both for fouls on Blanco. But it was D.C. that responded, as Emilio was set free down the left flank, raced into the area and lashed a shot past Busch inside the near post for his third goal of the year and second in as many games.


• Fire head coach Denis Hamlett made one change to the team that defeated the New York Red Bulls 5-1 two weeks earlier at Giants Stadium. John Thorrington came back into the team, in place of Wilman Conde in central midfield.


• Here's Hamlett's team (4-2-3-1): Jon Busch - Brandon Prideaux, Diego Gutierrez, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares - John Thorrington (Dasan Robinson 60), Logan Pause - Chris Rolfe, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Justin Mapp (Calen Carr 46) - Chad Barrett (Stephen King 71). Substitutes Not Used: Tomasz Frankowski, Andy Herron, Nick Noble, Austin Washington


• "You have to push forward in a conservative way," defender Diego Gutierrez said. "At the end of the day, a tie is not the worst. It's not what you want, but it is not a loss. We lost our shape, we made a couple of bad decisions going forward, and our defense could have been better on both goals. Our one-on-one defense let us down in two critical times."


TEAM NEWS


• Busch saw a season-high 10 shots against, and his eight saves tied his season-best, set twice earlier this year. "If not for Jon Busch, the score would have been worse," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said. Said Busch: "Nobody is going to remember the saves."


• The Fire are 2-3-0 at Toyota Park, compared to their league-best 4-0-1 road record. They have scored 12 of their 20 goals away from home.


• "The good news is that we have a road game next week (FC Dallas)," Chad Barrett said to the Chicago Tribune, "[sarcastically adding:] We'll probably win 5-1."


• That 5-1 result came for the Fire in their previous match, 13 days earlier, at New York. "Obviously it didn't come at the best time, especially after the way we played at New York," Hamlett said. "When you win 5-1, you want to get right back out there and play again. But you've got to deal with it."


• On Tuesday night, the Fire advanced to the U.S. Open Cup tournament proper, defeating the Columbus Crew 3-2 in extra time in the final MLS qualifying match at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. Stephen King gave the Fire a 10th-minute lead, but Emmanuel Ekpo equalized in the 63rd minute. Andy Herron scored two minutes later, but Jason Garey again brought Columbus level in the 67th minute.


• In the 116th minute, Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer tripped up Herron in the area, and the Costa Rican converted from the spot to send the Fire into the third round (round-of-16) in the 95-year-old competition.


• Here's Hamlett's team: Jon Busch, Austin Washington, Brandon Prideaux, Bakary Soumare, Brian Plotkin (C.J. Brown 71), Chris Rolfe (Justin Mapp 46), Stephen King, Logan Pause, Calen Carr (Patrick Nyarko 91), Tomasz Frankowski (Chad Barrett 101), Andy Herron. Substitutes Not Used: Peter Lowry, Nick Noble, Daniel Woolard


• "That is what the Open Cup is about," Hamlett said. "You have to win to move on. We get the lead, they got an equalizer, we get the lead again and they come back and get another goal. It just shows you teams take this Open Cup very seriously."