The Fire is getting used to being the bad guy.
Its controversial star player, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, is one of the most disliked soccer players in the Western Hemisphere because of his constant complaining to the officials, among other things. The Fire’s supporters group, Section 8, is one of the most disliked in Major League Soccer because of its smoke bombs, foul-mouthed chants and heckling of opposing players.
But according to some of the Fire players, when they face the L.A Galaxy on Sunday at Toyota Park, it might not just be fans and players around the league cheering against them — but also the MLS higher-ups.
If the Galaxy beats the New York Red Bulls on Thursday, it would need to defeat the Fire to advance to the playoffs. And the more games the Galaxy gets to play this year, the more games the league gets to show off its golden boy, David Beckham, who could draw interest in the MLS postseason and increase TV ratings.
Beckham has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Aug. 23. His status against the Red Bulls and Fire still is unknown, but he did return to practice last week.
How certain is Fire defender C.J. Brown that the league will be cheering for the Galaxy on Sunday if a Beckham trip to the playoffs is on the line?
“One hundred percent,” Brown said. “I’m afraid of anything around the 18-yard box — especially if Beckham plays.”
The 18-yard box Brown referred to is where an official can call a foul and award a team a game-deciding penalty kick.
“I just hope that if it’s a foul, they call it, and if it’s not a foul, they don’t call it,” Brown added.
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PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
The Fire is seventh in the MLS standings and is one of four teams battling for the seventh and eighth playoff spots along with the Kansas City Wizards, L.A. Galaxy and Colorado Rapids.
The Fire controls its own playoff destiny heading into the season finale Sunday against the Galaxy, which means a victory sends the Fire to the postseason. Here are the ways the Fire can earn a playoff spot:
1. Fire defeats Galaxy on Sunday.
2. Fire ties Galaxy and any two of the following occur:
Galaxy loses Thursday to New York Red Bulls or Wizards lose Saturday to FC Dallas; Rapids lose Saturday to Real Salt Lake.
3. If Galaxy loses to Red Bulls, Wizards fall to FC Dallas. The Fire is in, even with a loss Sunday.
