The novelty of the Fire-New York Red Bulls rivalry seemed like it was wearing off a few weeks ago. The two teams had already played twice and Juan Carlos Osorio's return to Toyota Park last month really didn't draw much interest from media or fans.
It didn't help that most of the players and coaches kept using the just another game line, which is the best way to kill the buzz around any game (Denis Hamlett is the king of this line, as well as the that's just you guys trying to stir things up line).
But just when I was ready to write off this rivalry, the scheduling Gods created a game that could re-energize the match-up.
The Fire faces the Red Bulls in a regular season finale tonight that could make or break Osorio's team. If the Fire defeats the Red Bulls and D.C. United beats the Columbus Crew on Sunday, the Red Bulls' season is over.
And that, my friends, is how you keep a rivalry alive. You don't forget the team that ended your season the previous year.
How do you think the Fire-Revolution rivalry got so good?
NOTES: Here is my article on the Fire players wanting to end the Red Bulls' season. ... According to Hamlett, Fire forward Patrick Nyarko didn't play against Toronto on Saturday because his knee has been bothering him since the Columbus Crew game on Oct. 12. Hamlett felt the BMO Field turf would take a toll on the Fire rookie. ... Fire defender Gonzalo Segares will have surgery on his broken right wrist after the season is over and will be sidelined about 8 weeks. ...Northwestern defeated Northern Illinois 1-0 on Wednesday. The No. 2 Wildcats are now 11-0-2.

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