Two games with significant playoff implications kick off Week 31 of the MLS season.
Major League Soccer 2011 (Mid)Week 31: FC Dallas Clinch Playoff Spot, DC’s Postseason Bid Takes Hit
Vancouver Whitecaps Vs. DC United, 2011 MLS: Quick Strikes Propel Caps
Chicago Fire Vs. FC Dallas, 2011 MLS: Toros Regain Scoring Touch, Clinch Playoff Spot
The loss leaves the Fire needing nothing short of a miracle to make the playoffs. They now trail the No. 10 playoff spot by six points with two matches left to play. Just as importantly, they would have to leapfrog two additional teams.
For the latest updates on Wednesday’s action, be sure to follow this StoryStream.
Read Article >Chicago Fire Vs. FC Dallas, 2011 MLS: Toros Snap Scoreless Streak, Lead At Halftim
The Fire entered the game knowing that they needed a victory to keep any realistic hope of making the playoffs alive. They currently trail the field by six points and have just two matches remaining after this.
For the latest updates on Wednesday’s action, be sure to follow this StoryStream.
Read Article >Chicago Fire Vs. FC Dallas, 2011 MLS: Lineups
Fire starters: Johnson; Gargan, Anibaba, Gibbs, Segares; Pause (C), Pardo, Nyarko, Grazzini; Oduro, Chaves. Bench: Conway, Mikulic, Videira, Pineda, Husidic, Paladini, Barouch
FC Dallas starters: Hartman, Loyd, Ihemelu, John, Benitez, Jacobson, Villar, Cruz, Castillo, Chavez, Jackson. Bench: Seitz, Hall, Warshaw, Stewart, Guarda, Shea, Santos.
Read Article >Major League Soccer 2011 (Mid)Week 31 Preview and Schedule: Fire, DC United Face Virtual Must-Wins
The Chicago Fire will meet FC Dallas to decide the winner of the Brimstone Cup. (Photo by Brandon Wade/Getty Images) Getty ImagesAre we counting last week as an official “week” in the MLS season even though no games were originally scheduled? Well, it would sure be awkward to just ignore it, so we’re going to go ahead and dub this Week 31 of the MLS season. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the actual games...
Each of these teams need wins but for entirely different reasons. FC Dallas did not earn a single point or even score a goal during the entire month of September and have won just once since the beginning of August. They are still practically locks to make the playoffs, but their confidence has to be in the toilet right now. There’s still a chance they could sneak into the No. 3 seed in the West, but for a team located in the center of the country, going to the Eastern Conference might not be such a bad thing. Their final three games are really about getting some of the swagger back that put them in the Supporters’ Shield race a couple months ago. This game does follow their first extended break in several months, which should be a good thing.
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