July was supposed to be the month the Fire showed why they’re a playoff team. They had six matches for a possible late run at a postseason berth, giving fans a reason to pay attention even with the future of the franchise in flux.
Well, the Fire showed what they are Saturday: a team that likely isn’t playoff-bound.
In front of a season-high crowd of 18,232 at SeatGeek Stadium, the Fire tied D.C. United 0-0. With just one victory since May 11, the Fire have drifted well off the pace in the Eastern Conference. They lost more ground after sixth-place Montreal and seventh-place New England won their games.
The Fire are nine points out of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining.
“Nobody is going to give up,” coach Veljko Paunovic said. “The way we played today showed me, the guys told me on the field that they are not giving up and they are going to push and everyone here is going to push for every single point that is left, and 30 points is plenty of points that we can aspire for for our ultimate goal, which is [to] get somehow in the playoffs.”
The Fire actually started strong in July, thrashing Atlanta United 5-1. But that was their only victory of the month, as the team went 1-3-2.
The Fire (5-10-9, 24 points) likely will need at least 20 points in their last 10 games to even have a chance at the seventh and final playoff spot. Considering their recent play, and the fact they haven’t won on the road all season, that looks like a tough task.
Captain Dax McCarty said he knows the Fire are capable of winning games but understands if people are skeptical. He stressed, however, that the team won’t lose faith and believes it still can get something out of this season.
“Once you lose that, you may as well give up, and you may as well stop coming into training,” McCarty said. “I promise you guys, I promise our fans we are not going to mail it in. We’re not going to give up hope.”
After the first half, the Fire pushed for a late winner but couldn’t find their way past D.C. United and goalie Bill Hamid. The Fire outshot D.C. United but again failed to convert. Unfortunately for the Fire, it wasn’t the first time that has happened. And that’s part of the reason why they continue to fall behind.
“When you’re creating chances, that means that you have options to win,” Paunovic said. “That’s something the team never lacked during the whole season. What we lack is scoring the goals, and that changes completely our perspective.”
