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Wizards-Fire Preview

Oct 12, 2010 - 1:34 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Kansas City (9-12-6) at Chicago (8-11-8), 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Chicago Fire already know they won't be in the playoffs. The Kansas City Wizards are hoping to avoid that same fate, no matter how stacked the odds are against them.

The Wizards will try to keep their fading postseason hopes alive when they visit the Fire on Tuesday night.

Kansas City (9-12-6) lost 2-1 to Seattle on Saturday for its third straight defeat. The loss put the Wizards on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention, as they'll need to win all three of their remaining games and hope Colorado loses its final two.

"Anything can happen and we just have to focus on our game in Chicago," coach Peter Vermes told the Wizards' official website. "We don't have anything but getting some points there, and that means three of them."

However, the Wizards, who also missed the playoffs last season, have scored two goals during their losing streak and recorded their only one last weekend on a penalty kick by Davy Arnaud in the 83rd minute. Leading scorer Kei Kamara went a third straight game without a goal.

"Mathematically, we're still in it and we're going to push to win the last three games, but tonight's loss hurt a lot," Arnaud said.

Kamara, who has 10 goals, scored twice in a 2-all draw with Chicago on May 15. The Wizards are 0-1-4 against the Fire since a 1-0 win at Toyota Park on April 20, 2008.

The Fire (8-11-8) won for the second time in three matches following a seven-game winless stretch, defeating Columbus 2-0 on Friday. Peter Lowry and Brian McBride scored and Andrew Dykstra made three saves.

It was Dykstra's fourth shutout of the season and he'll get a chance to start again Tuesday in place of Sean Johnson, who is out with a right eye injury after taking a close-range shot to the face during practice last week. Johnson is expected to be back in net Saturday against D.C.

He won't be the only regular sitting out Tuesday. Defenders Steven Kinney (ankle) and Gonzalo Segares (quad) as well as midfielders Marco Pappa (international duty) and Mike Banner (Achilles') are out.

"We need to put 100 percent effort on the field," coach Carlos de los Cobos said. "We need to respect our jersey and we need to respect our fans."

McBride had a goal and Pappa added two assists at Kansas City in May.

While Pappa won't be available, the Fire could use a similar effort from McBride as they had been shut out in five of their previous six games before Friday.