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BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chicago Fire midfielder Mike Banner was not completely out of touch with the role of a left defensive back when he was given the assignment.

Chicago has used Banner in that position in late-game situations before, when the team needed a bit of an offensive push from the back. And in Banner's one-year stint in Brazil -- between his freshman year at Georgetown and the remainder of his college days at SIU Edwardsville -- he also gained some familiarity with that side.

But a full-game effort in a defensive role? Banner never went through that before.

"I needed to learn how to defend for a full 90 minutes, not five to 10 minutes at a time," Banner said after Thursday's training session. "I was thrown quite a bit right away, defending against some of the fastest players in the league."

The position change was a direct effect of defender Gonzalo Segares' absence with a sprained MCL. Plus, a few other Fire defenders also were missing in action. That catapulted Banner from strategic bench player to starter. He has made eight starts this season and played in 22 of the Fire's 30 regular-season games.

"He had a good preseason and was confident from the get-go," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said of Banner. "As the season went on, he was making an impact in games. He has held up well at left back. He had to learn a lot on the job, learn how to close people down, see the line and connect with our other defensive backs."

It is unknown at this stage whether Segares is completely good to go in his starting role for Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinal opener against the New England Revolution. Whether Banner starts again or returns as a key bench component, it is important to recognize the regular-season efforts and adjustments that he made through the team's toughest injury-prone stretches.

A player's versatility always is a hot commodity, and you cannot name too many other Fire players who have had to go through this type of position switch. Defender Tim Ward briefly was used in the midfield, but his stronger play has been at right defensive back. Chris Rolfe has been both a midfielder and forward, and that dynamic will be missed when he joins Danish club Aalborg in January.

Banner, 25, has shown some comfort in setpiece situations, switching with one of his midfielders during free-kick opportunities. Banner clearly showcases some quickness, and that has been an asset in a couple of ways, whether it is making an offensive push or keeping up with opposing teams' attackers. Banner's speed also has benefited him during a couple of occasions when his defensive timing or positioning was slightly off.

"It was overwhelming at the beginning because I was not game fit [for a full 90-minute defensive role]," Banner said. "But I understand the left side of the field well and the situations that unfold. And the center backs have helped me a lot along the way, where to defend when the ball is on the other side of the field. There still is a learning curve."

The Chicago Fire went into the season with the assurance that they had some solid reserves to overcome any injuries. The New England Revolution were so crushed with big-name injuries that it probably was a bit of a surprise how they managed to stay afloat.

With Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinal game on the horizon (Game 1 is at 1 p.m. CT in Foxborough, Mass., televised on Fox Soccer Channel), the Fire have improved a bit on the injury front. The Revs, still hampered with key absences, are not necessarily playing the prettiest soccer, but obviously performed well enough to stay within the playoff wild-card group.

The tone of these setbacks is a bit different for each team. Go back to the Fire's season opener on March 21, a 3-1 Chicago victory over FC Dallas, and compare that lineup to the team's recent 1-0 win against Chivas USA. Only five of the 11 starters were identical in both matches, with an entirely different set of defenders used last Thursday.

New England's starting lineup between its opener and regular-season finale was quite similar, with eight of the same starters. It was the time in between these games and the preseason that really gave the Revs a headache.

Forward Taylor Twellman (concussion) clearly is the Revs' most significant long-term loss, making two appearances off the bench, scoring two goals and surpassing the 100-goal career plateau in his shortened '09 campaign. Midfielder Steve Ralston (right anterior cruciate ligament tear) missed 10 games this year, and his season has been over since Sept. 26 against Seattle Sounders FC. Entering their Oct. 3 match against the Colorado Rapids, the Revolution had less than half of their desired starting lineup available.

These two teams have had some lengthy injury reports this season. Entering this playoff series, the Fire's situation is much more manageable than New England's.

Defender Gonzalo Segares, who suffered a sprained MCL in early August, was taken off the injury report on Tuesday. Defender Wilman Conde (hamstring) could be back. Midfielder John Thorrington, who has had numerous injuries off and on this season, is an option once again. Defender Tim Ward (left metatarsal fracture) is improving, but still questionable. And some cautious decisions need to be made with midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco's 's hamstring situation.

At the start of the season, the Fire were in good enough shape that Blanco and Chris Rolfe briefly represented a star-studded bench. With Chicago healing up heading into the playoffs, Fire coach Denis Hamlett should be thrilled that he has some extensive roster options once again.

The Chicago Fire and New England Revolution are used to meeting up in the postseason.

It clearly is the deepest playoff rivalry from the Fire's perspective, and they meet the Revs once again this Saturday (3 p.m. CT, Fox Soccer Channel) in the Eastern Conference semifinal opener at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

This marks the eighth Fire-Revs postseason matchup. For four straight seasons, the Revs ended Chicago's campaign -- three times in the playoffs, once in the regular-season finale -- until the Fire turned the tide last year in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Whenever these two teams square off -- regular season or postseason -- it is a heated battle, to say the least. Though part of this following list is a thorn in Fire fans' hearts, here is the rundown of their playoff history:

2000 MLS Cup quarterfinals: WINNER -- FIRE: A deadlocked series immediately swayed toward Chicago's direction in a big way. The Fire posted the most lopsided playoff victory ever, a 6-0 thrashing, in Game 3. Ante Razov and Hristo Stoitchkov each netted two goals. That six-goal margin still is an MLS playoff record.

2002 Eastern Conference quarterfinals: WINNER -- REVS: The three-game series heavily favored the home side, which the Revs took advantage of. They posted two 2-0 victories. Sandwiched in the middle was a two-goal effort from Razov en route to a 2-1 Fire win in Game 2.

2003 Eastern Conference finals: WINNER -- FIRE: Chris Armas netted a goal in the 101st minute as the Fire reached the MLS Cup to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. This was the first year that aggregate goal scoring decided which team advanced.

2005 Eastern Conference finals: WINNER -- REVS: Gonzalo Segares' game-tying goal in second-half stoppage time was waved off because of an offside call, and Clint Dempsey's early goal held up as New England topped the Fire, 1-0. Referee's assistant George Gansner naturally received an earful from the Fire side.

2006 Eastern Conference semifinals: WINNER -- REVS: New England goalkeeper Matt Reis made a couple of saves against the Fire's Thiago and Ivan Guerrero in the series-ending shootout. Before the shootout, the Fire held a two-goal aggregate lead after a Nate Jaqua goal, but watched Taylor Twellman and Pat Noonan even things up.

2007 Eastern Conference finals: WINNER -- REVS: Twellman provided the only necessary goal as host New England defeated the Fire 1-0 at Gillette Stadium. The fact that it was a stylish bicycle kick added insult to injury.

2008 Eastern Conference semifinals: WINNER -- FIRE: Following a scoreless Game 1 draw, the Fire offense came to life at Toyota Park en route to a 3-0 victory. Chris Rolfe netted a goal in first-half stoppage time and assisted Segares' 74th-minute tally.

Also noteworthy: In 2004, the Revs eliminated the Fire from postseason contention in Chicago's final regular-season match with a 2-1 victory. To this date that season marks the only time Chicago failed to reach the playoffs.

On this date in Chicago Fire history, Oct. 25, 1998, Major League Soccer's expansion Fire completed their first season in high form with a 2-0 victory over defending champion D.C. United to win the MLS Cup in front of 51,350 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

D.C. won the first two MLS Cups in the league's early years, but 11 years ago a brand-new organization pieced together the right ingredients on the field to end United's reign. To this day, the Fire's first championship remains one of the most memorable in league history.

On Thursday, the Fire inducted midfielder Chris Armas to the team's "Ring of Fire" Hall of Fame, and this illustrious Hall of Fame group had a huge part in the Fire's win over D.C. in '98: Head coach Bob Bradley provided the game plan and preparation. Armas did the dirty work in silencing United's Marco Etcheverry. Peter Nowak was the playmaker, assisting both Fire goals -- Jerzy Podbrozny in the 29th minute and Diego Gutierrez in the 45th -- to earn MVP honors for the match.

The Fire's first season had its share of highs and lows, but they had a superb regular-season stretch from mid-May to early July, when they were unbeatable.

"When we won 11 games in a row, we had that stretch where we won a lot of games," said Fire head coach Denis Hamlett, who was assisting Bradley in '98. "We thought then that we had a good team, and we came together. That was a long time ago. Obviously those are very special memories. That was a special group that came together and won two championships [MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup]."

This 2009 MLS season, expansion the Seattle Sounders FC has qualified for the playoffs and is not playing like a typical expansion club. The Sounders have a mix of solid veterans and young playmakers. They have head coach Sigi Schmid, who coincidentally surpassed Bradley's MLS record regular-season wins total Saturday.

Should Seattle make a deep run into the playoffs, the correlation between the 2009 Sounders and 1998 Fire will pick up. But around these parts, that first Fire squad was an original.

The Chicago Fire take on Eastern Conference rival New England in the opening round of the Major League Soccer playoffs on Saturday. The first match starts at 3 p.m. CT (televised on Fox Soccer Channel) at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Game 2 takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. That match also will be televised on FSC.

The Revs qualified for the postseason as a wild card thanks to a 1-0 victory over the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Columbus Crew on Sunday. New England needed a win or a draw to advance to the playoffs. The Fire clinched a No. 2 seed in the East on Thursday when they topped Chivas USA 1-0 at Toyota Park.

MLS still was working on the playoff schedule as of 10 p.m. CT Sunday, and according to the MLS communications staff, the league likely was not going to release the complete playoff schedule Sunday night.

Defender Carlos Bocanegra, a former MLS Rookie of the Year and two-time MLS Defender of the Year with the Chicago Fire, played the full match during Stade Rennes' 3-0 victory Saturday over Montpellier in French Ligue 1 play.

Bocanegra returned to Rennes (4-2-4, 16 points) following a one-match suspension that forced him to miss the squad's scoreless draw against Lille on Oct. 17. Bocanegra was red-carded the previous week when he fouled AJ Auxerre forward Dennis Oliech in the 16th minute, leading to a 17th-minute Auxerre goal and a 1-0 defeat on Oct. 3.

On Saturday, Rennes handed Montpellier (6-2-2, 20 points) its second loss of the season. Next up for Bocanegra and Rennes is a home match against Valenciennes on Nov. 1.

In other international news, defender Bakary Soumare, who played for the Fire earlier this year, contributed a full 90 minutes on the back line for Boulogne in Ligue 1 action Saturday. But Boulogne (2-5-3, 9 points) was on the defensive against AS Monaco during the team's 3-1 loss. Monaco possessed the ball for 62 percent of the time. Part of the problem was that Boulogne played with 10 men when Kevin Das Neves received a red card in the 38th minute. Monaco currently is second in the Ligue 1 standings (7-3-0, 21 points) behind Bordeaux (7-2-1, 22 points). Next up for Soumare and Boulogne is a home match against AS Nancy Lorraine on Oct. 31.

The Chicago Fire are playing the waiting game this weekend to see whom they will face in the MLS playoffs.

So now that their regular season is over and there is a short lull in their schedule, I pose the following question: Who is this year's most valuable Fire player?

In a typical season, this question can quickly be narrowed down to a few individuals. But this year, with injuries, national team absences, coaching lineup decisions and more, this actually is difficult to answer.

If Brian McBride hadn't injured his shoulder and had that scoring slump after his league-leading sixth goal, he could have been a top choice. If Chris Rolfe hadn't been coming off the bench early this season, who knows what numbers he would have had. If Marco Pappa had felt more comfortable shooting with his right foot and found the form he had earlier this season, I would have liked his chances. If Logan Pause played a more glamorous position that got his name in the headlines, he would be a prime candidate in the public eye.

The safe answer to this question, for sheer number of minutes logged, is goalkeeper Jon Busch. For a second straight season, he played every minute this year, and he is the team's last line of a defense that has played with a different lineups from day one. But I'm not going that route.

My choice for MVP, even though he missed a bunch of games, is defender Wilman Conde.

The basis for this choice: He was an MLS All-Star. He is a high-impact player who can muscle with the best attackers and keep up with the quicker ones. Of all the defenders, he is the best at pinpointing exactly when he should move to the offensive attack or hold back on the defensive side.

I don't exactly have the numbers to back this decision. The Fire posted an adequate 4-4-3 record during his absences. But as far as the tone of his presence, the back line looks far more comfortable when Conde is available.

There are not too many wrong answers to this question. Who is your Fire MVP?

On this date in Chicago Fire history, Oct. 23, 2008, Chris Rolfe scored three first-half goals as he led the Fire past the New York Red Bulls, 5-2. Rolfe also had two assists during the regular-season finale to clinch home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

"It's the first time I have had a hat trick since, I don't know, college or high school," Rolfe said afterward.

Rolfe's three tallies (11th minute, 38th and 44th) in a 33-minute span were the second-quickest in the Fire's history, behind only Ante Razov's 23-minute hat trick span on May 6, 2000.

One year later, Rolfe just completed his final regular season with the Fire during Thursday's 1-0 victory against Chivas USA. Following this year's MLS playoffs, Rolfe is joining Danish club Aalborg in January.

Now that the club has secured a 2009 playoff spot, Rolfe has his sights set on finishing his Fire tenure on a high note with a run toward an MLS Cup. "It would be perfect," Rolfe said. "That's obviously the ultimate goal."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - The weather had such an impact that referee Terry Vaughn slipped 12 seconds into Thursday's MLS match between Chivas USA and the host Chicago Fire at Toyota Park.

With playoff implications on the line, the steady rain and some harsh wind conditions were not about to get in the way of Chicago's mission. It took the full slate of 30 regular-season games, but the Fire benefited from a Chivas USA own goal en route to a 1-0 victory and a spot in the postseason. No playoff opponent is set heading into the weekend's full slate of MLS matches.

Chivas' Eduardo Lillingston had the own-goal mishap in the 67th minute off of Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco's corner kick from the left side. Although the Fire didn't kick in that goal, Chicago (10-7-12) held the advantage in the run of play, creating high-quality chances and exposing plenty of weakness within Chivas' defense. The Fire had 14 corner-kick chances and several other close connections that put Chivas (13-9-6) on its heels.

"I think we earned that one," Fire forward Chris Rolfe said. "It's been a long time coming, and to get the win at home, and obviously a shutout, that's great."

Rolfe had one of the best scoring chances, in the 24th minute. Libertyville native Baggio Husidic had the setup from the back to start the play, and Rolfe's shot was just barely batted away by Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton. Thornton's deflection was just enough as the ball bounced off the left post.

"Baggio laid a great ball off, and it was set up nicely for me," Rolfe said. "I actually kind of mishit it, which caused it to knuckle. Zach went down to get it, and I think it kind of moved on him and hit the bottom of his wrist and hit the post."

Momentum has been difficult for the Fire to find this season. But with the defense holding opponents to only one goal over the past three matches, the Fire will take that as their momentum builder heading into the playoffs.

"The momentum is we've had two [straight] shutouts," coach Denis Hamlett said. "I told the group that you can't win championships without defense. We've got enough attacking guys on the field on this team that we'll create chances. As I said last week, it was 100 percent a red card and PK [when Rolfe was fouled against New England], and we didn't get that. Tonight, we had 14 corners. We still feel we have momentum because we've been playing well in these past two games, and we played a good team tonight."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Chicago Fire technical director Frank Klopas struck a chord in his description of former Fire midfielder Chris Armas. Armas was the model of consistency. Sometimes you see peaks and valleys in many athletes, but not with Armas.

"I think Chris, more than anyone, did his role better than anyone. He did it very well and on a consistent basis for his whole career," Klopas said. "It's not one game, not one season or two seasons. That's what you see a lot of times with some of these younger guys. They play one or two games, but no … it's about consistency. It's about every day at practice. It's about work ethic. He knew his niche, and he battled every day."

Armas was inducted into the Fire's "Ring of Fire" Hall of Fame in a halftime ceremony at Thursday's Chivas-Fire match at Toyota Park. Peter Nowak (Class of 2003), Klopas (2004), Peter Wilt (2006) and Bob Bradley (2007) were there to share in the festivities. Lubos Kubik (2005) was not in attendance.

There is a resounding appreciation among the Fire family regarding Armas' attributes. And now his No. 14 becomes the sixth jersey to grace the east wall of Toyota Park.

"Every player has a strength, a certain quality that they bring to the table to make it at this level. Some guys have that gift of speed and strength and height. My ability was to be tuned into games, to bring a consistent level of play," Armas said. "That's something that's been a strength of mine. It's one of the attributes I had. I could stay focused on players and stay tuned in on what was going on. It sounds like an easy thing, but to be tuned in for 90 minutes, it takes a mental and physical exercise."

Here is what some other people within the Fire organization had to say about Armas:

Fire coach Denis Hamlett: I've known Chris from Day 1 in 1996, when I was playing in Colorado and he was playing in L.A. He's a hardworking midfield guy. He was a pit bull, just relentless. He was always attacking the ball. When he steps out there, he gives you everything. Words really can't describe what he is as a soccer player. I'm honored and excited that we are putting him in the Ring of Fire. Of all the guys, the quality player he was, I think that is what the Fire is all about. He's right up there."

Fire defender C.J. Brown: "It was fun playing with him. He's a great leader. He leads on the field, off the field. He puts everything into the game. He's a role model for soccer players, what you need to put into training, what you need to put into the game, what you need to do to prepare your body. He embodies all of that. To this day, I still want to hear from him about what I should do in a game. He's been a big factor for my career. … There is nobody more competitive than Chris Armas. He can turn the littlest game into the biggest game. You could be throwing paper into a trash can and he would do something to try to become a champion in that game."

Technical director Klopas (fellow Fire Hall of Famer): "I've played over 18 years, and I've been fortunate to not only play in this country but in Europe. I've played with some excellent players, and there are very few that stand out in my mind. It's a very short list, and at the top of the list is a guy like Chris Armas. I've been very fortunate and thankful to not only finish my career in Chicago but to play the last few seasons with such a great player and such a great human being."

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Fire's long list of key absences has been prevalent for much of the season. You can chalk up another potential setback for Fire defender Wilman Conde. The talented center defensive back has played in only 19 of the team's 29 games, and this time it is not his frequent hamstring problems that are the main issue.

Fire head coach Denis Hamlett said Wednesday that Conde has battled the past two days with flu-like symptoms and will play things by ear Thursday to see if he is ready to go for the Fire's match against Chivas USA at Toyota Park (7 p.m. kickoff, ESPN2).

Can't play for the draw: The Fire need a win or a draw against Chivas to qualify for the MLS postseason, but the latter part of the playoff equation better be thrown out of the window. Any time a team starts settling back for a draw, the opposing squad typically finds openings in the defense and amps up the offensive attack.

"We're going out tomorrow to win the game. That's our No. 1 goal," Hamlett said. "As you get into the game, depending on how the game is going, you become well aware of the situations. We're going to put the onus on [Chivas] and take advantage of being at home, getting the crowd behind us."

Hamlett's keys to defeating Chivas: "They are a very good passing team that stays in their system," Hamlett said. "We're going to try to take away their space, pressure the ball and make it hard for them. We're going to attack them, put them on their heels and test [goalkeeper] Zach Thornton."

Busch's perfect attendance: The one constant within the Fire's lineup this season has been goalkeeper Jon Busch. He has played every minute this season and looks to duplicate his perfect attendance record of 2008, when he earned MLS Goalkeeper of the Year accolades. Busch has nine shutouts this season, his latest effort a seven-save performance in a scoreless draw against New England last week.

Honoring Armas: During halftime of Thursday's game, former Fire midfielder Chris Armas will be inducted into the "Ring of Fire" Hall of Fame. Armas' career résumé is obviously impressive: seven-time MLS All-Star, 48 assists and more than 23,000 minutes in 264 regular-season games. But beyond the stats, it was his sheer energy and grit from start to finish that set him apart. "When he was not in the game, the game looked a lot different," Thornton said. "It was a lot harder for us when Chris didn't play, that's for sure."

Former Chicago Fire and current Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton has had a robust 2009 season. In fact, the 36-year-old has posted a career-best 12 shutouts and currently a personal-best 0.78 goals-against average. Thornton went through a two-year stretch from 2007 to 2008 that included only nine regular-season games and 683 minutes in the net. I caught up with Thornton on Wednesday to chat about his return to form this season and, of course, some Fire topics:

On former Fire teammate Chris Armas (2009 "Ring of Fire" Hall of Fame inductee): "When I first heard he was coming to the team [in 1998] ... I didn't know many of my teammates because of the expansion. One of his teammates from the Galaxy said that 'the bigger the game is, the better Chris plays.' I thought, 'Yeah, that sounds good.' But playing with him for six, seven years, that is the absolute truth. The bigger the game is, the better he plays for sure. ... He knows how to break up plays. He's good with the ball. He's one of the best guys I've ever played with."

On his battle to get a starting role again: "It's tough. It's always tough when you're not playing. When you're a backup, you've got to just prepare yourself. When you get that one chance, you've got to prepare for it. It could be the first game, it could be the last game of the season. It could be a half, it could be three games. Whatever it is, you've just got to be ready for it. It's not easy, but I'm glad I got through it."

On the 1998 MLS Cup-winning Fire (11th anniversary is Sunday): "We didn't think we were pretty good until the end of the season. We had a lot of ups and downs. We won two, lost five, then won a whole bunch, then lost five again. So we weren't really sure what kind of team we were until toward the end of the season. Then we knew that we had a good team here."

On Thursday's game plan versus the Fire (Chivas at Fire, 7 p.m. CT, ESPN2): "They're a very good team. They need the points as well as we do. It's going to be tough. With Brian McBride, he's obviously a great player ... in England and with the national team. He's just a goal scorer. You have to try and keep him away from the goal and keep him off of the ball as much as possible."

On this date in Chicago Fire history, Oct. 21, 2000, the Fire defeated Major League Soccer counterpart Miami Fusion, 2-1, to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Soldier Field. It marked the third championship in the Fire's first three years (1998 and 2000 U.S. Open Cup champions, 1998 MLS Cup champions).

Bulgarian forward Hristo Stoitchkov netted the Fire's first goal in the 44th minute off of an Ante Razov cross to take a 1-0 lead. The match stayed that way until the 88th minute with an own goal from Fusion defender Tyrone Marshall. Marshall's lapse came from a DaMarcus Beasley cross as Chicago garnered a 2-0 advantage.

Brazilian forward Welton did tally a goal deep into second-half stoppage time for the Fusion, but it was too little, too late.

The Fire controlled the match with a 13-7 advantage in shots. Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton made two saves.

Also noteworthy on this date: In 2005, the Fire and D.C. United set an MLS playoff record with the fewest shots on goal in a game, combining for just three during their Eastern Conference semifinal series match. Not surprisingly, the game ended in a scoreless draw.

With a win or draw Thursday against Chivas USA, the Chicago Fire will advance to the MLS playoffs. It is that plain and simple. They still control their postseason fate.

But "simple" and "Toyota Park" have not gone hand in hand for the Fire. They are 4-4-6 in front of their home crowd in league play -- the third-worst MLS home record. And with Chivas on a mission to earn the Western Conference's top seed, this game (7 p.m. CT kickoff, ESPN2) carries added meaning.

If the worst-case scenario occurs and the Fire (10-7-12) fall to Chivas (13-9-6), they'll remain at 42 points. The No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference still would be within the Fire's reach. But Toronto FC, New England and D.C. United all have 39 points with one game remaining.

Should any of them win during the weekend and equal Chicago's 42-point total, the tiebreaking rule factors in head-to-head regular-season competition. Chicago would like to avoid this scenario.

The Fire have a 1-3-3 record this season against those 39-point East teams: 0-2-1 against D.C., 0-1-1 against New England and 1-0-1 against Toronto. If D.C. or the Revolution beats Chicago for that second East spot, you then would have to factor in that the four wild-card spots can come from either conference.

Two of those wild cards are guaranteed to come from the West, with four teams (Chivas, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle) still battling for the top two playoff positions in their conference. Aside from the remaining East teams in the hunt, the West's Colorado Rapids (40 points), red-hot FC Dallas (39) and Real Salt Lake (37) still are in the mix.

This is a glass-half-empty way of looking at Thursday's game, but the Fire are tinkering with their first losing home record in their 11-year history. Should they win, however, they'll earn their rightful spot in the postseason once again.