WASHINGTON - Traveling to Chicago this weekend for the rubber match of their four-game season series, D.C. United hope to peg back the Eastern Conference-leading Fire and make a statement about their own playoff ambitions in the process.
"It's a team in our division, and they've a couple of games on us," said United midfielder Dema Kovalenko of his former team. "It's a big game, like a six-point game. We have to win it to put ourselves in a good position."
To do so, they'll have to break their two-year hex in the Windy City, as the Black-and-Red haven't beaten the Fire in Chicago since July 12, 2003. It's been a dead heat thus far this season, as the two sides have traded 4-3 home wins after having drawn 1-1 in their first meeting.
"Chicago has given us fits this year, and we have to clean it up in the back and limit their chances," said D.C. defender Brandon Prideaux. "On the road, you just want to keep the game close and keep it a tie as long as you can, and then hopefully steal the three points towards the end."
Prideaux figures to be a key figure in that effort, as he seems the likely choice to fill the center back slot vacated by the suspended Bobby Boswell, whose caution points accumulation forces him to miss his first game of the year. Mindful of that, United coach Peter Nowak moved Prideaux into the center back position for the second half of Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup victory against the Richmond Kickers.
"It takes a little getting used to," admitted the University of Washington product. "I haven't played there in two years, probably. I played there a bunch in college, so it's been a little while."
The veteran struggled at first as Richmond scored to tie the game at 1-1 in the 70th minute, but Prideaux got his bearings and stabilized the back line as United came back to cruise to a 3-1 win.
"There were about 20 minutes there where we just weren't organized defensively," he said. "We just didn't play very smart there for a little bit. I think we responded really well with two goals and put the game away. We'll run through a few things in practice, and we'll be ready (for Saturday)."
"We were disorganized, and I wasn't happy with that," said Nowak. "But Brandon is very competitive in the middle, and we will see what will happen over the weekend. This is one of our options."
Saturday's showdown figures to be especially emotional because of the Fire's "Polish Night" activities, including a post-game autograph session featuring former Fire legend Nowak. His friend and former teammate Lubos Kubik will also be honored as he joins Nowak in the "Ring of Fire," the team's hall of fame.
But United can claim its own crucial intangible - the MLS Cup still belongs to them. The squad's improved results over the month of July have gone a long way towards restoring their swagger and they are confident about making another late climb up the standings as they did a year ago.
"When you're a champion, you're still the team to beat," said Kovalenko. "I think we've started playing better every game, getting more confident."
"We've given away points here and there, but we don't fear anybody," said Prideaux. "We don't think anybody is that great. We're looking forward to the run to the playoffs, and we're motivated for that."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
