History against the Red Bulls and D.C.

If you surveyed players in Major League Soccer, most would name RFK Stadium as the toughest place to win a playoff game. The boisterous supporter's section and normally potent D.C. United attack make for a troubling combination for any visiting team hoping to get a result in the nation's capitol.

Any team except the Chicago Fire, which has had more success at RFK than any visitor. The Fire's perfect playoff record against D.C. (4-0-1 after its Game 1 victory last week) is well-publicized, but their playoff record at RFK is more staggering. Two postseason visits to RFK (in 2003 and 2005) have resulted in two shutout victories by a combined score of 6-0.

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Chad Barrett and the Fire will be looking to end D.C. United's quest for the MLS Cup.

D.C. coach Tom Soehn doesn't read too much into the playoff history between the teams. He was a defender with the Fire when they beat D.C. United in the 1998 MLS Cup, a Chicago assistant coach when the Fire beat D.C. in 2003, and a D.C. assistant when Chicago thrashed D.C. at RFK Stadium in 2005. He knows the history and doesn't think it will factor into his team's psyche and motivation nearly as much as last week's 1-0 loss to Chicago in Game 1 at Toyota Park.

"I was actually part of the Chicago teams that beat D.C. so that seems like centuries ago," Soehn said. "I'm looking forward to this game [Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2]. I think we wanted to get back on the field after the first game and show them what we're about."

D.C. wasn't able to show much of what made it the league's most potent attack in last Thursday's 1-0 loss. Injuries to starting forwards Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno forced Soehn to use them as second-half substitutes. Both forwards are healthy and ready to start on Thursday, which is at least part of the reason Soehn sounds confident about D.C. winning Game 2 and the series.

"We need to make sure that we create more opportunities than we created there," Soehn said. "We also studied and have an understanding of what makes them tick.

"We broke them down and spent a lot of time this week making sure that we're ready to prey on some of their weaknesses, and I think they have quite a few," Soehn said. "They're not a team that tries to play a lot. They play very direct, pack guys in behind the ball and hope their counterattacks are successful."

Last week's physical game was typical of what has become the league's most heated rivalry. The teams combined for 41 fouls in Game 1. Game 2 shouldn't be much different, at least on Chicago's end. The Fire has put together a nine-match unbeaten streak on the strength of an organized and physical defense and deadly counterattack led by Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

How will D.C. crack the Fire's stingy defense? With Chicago focusing on smothering D.C. playmaker Christian Gomez, you can expect Moreno to play more of a role in initiating the attack. In his 45 minutes in the first leg, Moreno showed that he is still capable of breaking down a defense with his passing and movement.

D.C was missing those qualities when these same teams met in a scoreless tie at RFK Stadium just three weeks ago (Moreno was with the Bolivian national team). It could force Chicago coach Juan Carlos Osorio to assign Colombian defender Wilman Conde to shadow Moreno. Whether that will be enough to slow Moreno and D.C.'s attack remains to be seen.

D.C. doesn't appear to be motivated by its playoff history against Chicago as much as by last week's loss, a feisty affair with its share of mini-scuffles, arguments and subtle cheap shots.

"We're excited to go out and just beat them," Soehn said. "And not just beat them, but we want to beat them bad."

A history of playoff losses against the same team will make a team that hungry for a win, but a history of playoff success against the same team should also give Chicago plenty of confidence when it takes the field at RFK on Thursday night.

If Chicago has nothing to fear based on its past success against D.C. United, then the New York Red Bulls should be filled with Halloween fright about the prospects of traveling to Gillette Stadium on Saturday. The Red Bulls have not won at Gillette Stadium since their first visit to the venue, as the MetroStars, on June 29, 2002. In their past 13 visits to Gillette, both regular season and playoffs, the Red Bulls have managed just three ties to go with 10 losses, none more crushing than their 3-1 loss to the Revs in the second game of their 2005 first-round playoff series (the last game New York played as the MetroStars).

The Red Bulls aren't alone in fearing Foxborough, Mass. New England has not lost a home playoff game in 10 years, posting a 7-0-3 mark during that stretch, both at Foxboro Stadium and Gillette Stadium. The Revs also haven't lost a first-round series in seven years.

So how will the Red Bulls beat the Revs? They could force a second tie and send the series into a 30-minute overtime followed by penalty kicks, but that isn't a scenario Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena is likely planning for. Arena is aware that his team cannot afford to sit back and defend.

No, the Red Bulls must attack the Revs with forwards Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore and Francis Doe, assuming the rest of the Red Bulls can get them the ball. That was a problem in the first leg, a problem Arena may try to rectify by inserting another midfielder into the starting lineup and pushing Altidore up front.

The Red Bulls will need goals because keeping New England off the scoreboard is extremely difficult. The Revs were held goalless in only one home game all year, and The Red Bulls' erratic defense isn't one you want to count on to pitch a shutout. Taylor Twellman and Pat Noonan have ravaged the Red Bulls throughout their careers, combining for 23 goals and 11 assists in 34 appearances.

Game 2 at Gillette will hinge on which attack can finish its chances early and which midfield can control possession in the second half. The Red Bulls were able to do neither in the first leg and will have to do both on Saturday to have any chance of winning the series and breaking their own streak of four straight first-round playoff losses.

Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPNsoccernet. He is a writer and columnist for the Herald News (N.J.) and writes a blog, Soccer By Ives. He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.