Chicago Fire Look to Continue Playoff Run

By Todd McClamroch in News on Nov 1, 2007 5:45PM

Two of Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player finalists will meet on the pitch tonight in a winner-plays-on playoff game. The Chicago Fire hold a single goal advantage in the two-game series that is based on aggregate scoring. The two league MVP candidates are sure to play important roles in the game. The Fire will look to the leadership of team MVP Cuauhtémoc Blanco to help them knock off DC United, who finished the 2007 campaign with the best record in the league, and DC United will be looking to MVP candidate and Golden Boot Winner (20 goals in 2007) Luciano Emilio to propel the club.

Fire and DC United Fans are well aware that the Fire hold a 5-0-1 record against DC in the playoffs and that DC has never scored against Chicago in the playoffs, with the Men in Red holding a 11-0 goal advantage. If the Fire can shut down the DC United offense one more time, they'll advance to the conference finals of the MLS playoffs. Don't expect that to be an easy challenge: Emilio and Jaime Moreno were not able to start in the first leg, but they look healthy enough to start tonight.

The game will be on at 6:30 tonight on ESPN2. Want a more festive soccer experience? Check out one of two viewing parties at the Globe Pub on the north side (1934 W. Irving Park Rd.) or at Manhattan's in the city (415 S. Dearborn Street).

Chicagoist predicts a 1-1 draw in this evening’s game propelling the Fire to the Eastern Conference Championship on a 2-1 aggregate victory.