Going for the one

I've already gone on about the Fire's offense so far, and I'm not the only one. So let's skip that for now and focus on Saturday's match with New England, a rematch of the Fire's season opener where the two squads tied with a goal apiece.

The most interesting story of this match isn't whether or not Ante Razov and Jay Heaps kiss and make up for Razov's suspension-inducing foul at the end of last year. While that's a subplot, to be sure, all eyes are on coach Dave Sarachan and who will take the field for the opening whistle at Gillette Stadium. So far, Sarachan has looked cautious as he tried to find the rhythm of his players, and that has been effective, to the tune of zero losses in four matches. But now, there's a crossroads. Does Sarachan stay the course, and go primarily for the single point on the road with Ante Razov as lone forward for the bulk of the match, or does he open the throttle and pair Razov with Rodrigo Faria from the outset for the first time?

On the one hand, you really can't argue with results. For a team that was written off by a lot of people very early on, four games without a loss is pretty darn good, and the team only languishes in fourth place in the Eastern conference because of a relatively light schedule. On the other, the lone forward (or lone "true" forward, which is how myself and fellow scribe Ivaldo Basso seem to be skirting around the fact that the Fire, on paper, have been lining up in a 3-4-3) has been due to unavailability of Sarachan's top two strikers. First, there was Razov's suspension, then Faria missed a fair amount of training to see his ailing father in Brazil. So, really, this is the first chance for the two of them to start together.

That said, player availability may again factor into the lineup. Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley will be playing his fourth game in eleven days after midweek clashes with the US senior and U-23 teams. Seeing as how he's been listed as a forward most weeks, Faria for Beasley may end up being the change from last week's eleven, rather than sending rookie midfielder Logan Pause to the bench. This may end up splitting the difference on the defensive vs. offensive strategy debate, much to the chagrin of second-year middie Justin Mapp, who would be the default to replace Beasley on the left side of midfield under most conditions.

The Fire should be able to win this one on the road. Which is much different than saying they will, but there are so many variables in play right now that I'm content to sit back and watch, because this game may establish the character of this team. A lot of that depends on whether they try to win or not to lose. Both the offense and defense are good enough for either option, and quite possibly a mix of both, but the proof will be on the field on Saturday.