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Feet to the Fire Chicago hosts MetroStars in final game of semifinals
CHICAGO (AP) -- Trying to analyze the Chicago Fire's MLS semifinal series against the New York-New Jersey MetroStars is no simple matter. The teams have traded shutouts in the first two games, Chicago winning the opener 3-0 at home and the MetroStars recovering for a 2-0 win in Game 2 at Giants Stadium. Game 3 is set for Friday night at Soldier Field (8 p.m. ET; ESPN) with the winner advancing to the MLS Cup against Los Angeles or Kansas City. The championship game, which for the first time will not feature D.C. United, is set for RFK Stadium on Oct. 15 (1:30 p.m.; ABC). "They dominated Game 1 [and] we came back in Game 2 and showed a little bit of what we are capable of," MetroStars goalkeeper Mike Ammann. Four players who were at Sydney Olympics returned for Friday's game: Josh Wolff and Evan Whitfield for the Fire and Tim Howard and Ramiro Corrales for the MetroStars. "We've had a lot of inconsistencies due to the national team duty and injuries," Wolff said. "There's no telling what lineup we will use." Ammann, who had been out since Aug. 16 when he sustained a punctured lung and three broken ribs, gave the MetroStars an emotional lift when he returned to the lineup for the second game of the series. The Fire have dominated opponents in Chicago with a 13-2-1 record at home during the regular season. And the team hasn't lost a home playoff game in three years. But this season, the MetroStars won more games on the road -- eight -- than any other team in the league and won the East after a league-worst 7-25 record in 1999. The two teams have played a series of spirited matchups this season, with a brawl erupting at the close of a 4-1 MetroStars home win in May.
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