Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

The Chicago Fire haven't had much to celebrate in a season marred by the ouster of coach Carlos de los Cobos and a league-low four wins through 26 games.

But Tuesday's 2-1 triumph over the Richmond Kickers put Chicago in the U.S. Open Cup final Oct. 4 against the Seattle Sounders. For a club that historically has placed significant emphasis on the competition, with five final appearances and four titles, the chance to earn a trophy this season is all the more meaningful.

"You get sometimes opportunities like this, and you can't let them slip away," interim coach Frank Klopas said. "It was a special moment for the team and for the fans, obviously, to put ourselves in a situation now in a final and have an opportunity to win something.

"These guys know the history of the club, but the good thing about it is they want to write their own history."

Here are some more notes from around the Eastern Conference:

COLUMBUS CREW

Tony Tchani has not appeared for Columbus since the Crew acquired him from Toronto FC for Andy Iro and Leandre Griffit in July, and last week's knee surgery could sideline him for the rest of the season. But Technical Director Brian Bliss expressed no regrets about acquiring the 22-year-old central midfielder.

"We've seen what he could do in college," Bliss said to MLSsoccer.com. "We've seen what he's done to this point. This is a future move for the club."

D.C. UNITED

Before getting two full weeks off thanks to Hurricane Irene and an international fixture date, United was 1-1-1 in their past three contests, with a 4-0 win over Vancouver, 1-1 draw at Chicago and 1-0 loss to Kansas City. Looking back on those matches, coach Ben Olsen knows such inconsistency won't get his team far in the playoff race.

"Playing a half of soccer the last three games, even against Vancouver, it's not good enough," Olsen said. "It's not going to get you to where you want. We can't wait to be in the playoffs, we can't let others dictate whether we're going to be in the playoffs. We have to take it."

HOUSTON DYNAMO

With the stretch run on the horizon and Houston happy to have every healthy body it can get, the Dynamo got welcome news this week in the form of Will Bruin and Danny Cruz returning to training. Both players have been out with injuries since late July but should play in Thursday's reserve game against Colorado.

"Most of all, I'm looking to get back into game shape, keep training this week and, hopefully, come back and have another good week of training and get back for Kansas City [on Sept. 10] and Columbus [on Sept. 14]," Bruin told MLSsoccer.com.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

The Revolution had a special guest at training Wednesday in golfer Sergio Garcia, who is in New England for the Deutsche Bank Championship. Needless to say, he drew comparisons to another star athlete who dabbled in MLS this year.

"He's better than [Chad] Ochocinco by far," midfielder Shalrie Joseph said to the Boston Globe. "A lot better than Ochocinco."

NEW YORK RED BULLS

Between his club obligations and national team duty, forward Juan Agudelo has had an eventful summer, to say the least. As a player who has come a long way since logging a grand total of 14 minutes last regular season, Augdelo embraced the cancellation of New York's match against Los Angeles on Sunday ahead of his trip to Carson, Calif., for a U.S. camp.

"It actually works out pretty well for me, getting the chance to get some rest after a busy summer," Agudelo told MLSsoccer.com. "[U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann] likes to work us hard in practice, sometimes twice a day, so having a break before joining the national team is a good thing for me to get ready."

PHILADELPHIA UNION

With centerback Carlos Valdes suspended for Philadelphia's match against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Union coach Peter Nowak will need to find a replacement for the defender who has only missed one game all season. Nowak on Wednesday acknowledged that Juan Deigo Gonzalez, a veteran centerback who hasn't played a minute this year, was one option.

"I believe we'll choose the best possible approach to ensure our back line stays consistent and stays strongly," Nowak said to the Delaware County Daily Times. "We did not make a final decision. We've given a different approach to the training this week and we'll see who will be the best option for us."

SPORTING KANSAS CITY

In surrendering two late strikes in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Dallas, Kansas City saw the number of goals it has allowed after the 75th minute this season rise to 11, or nearly one third of all tallies conceded.

"We did more than enough, being up two goals at home," coach Peter Vermes said to MLSsoccer.com. "We should secure the win. It's not even closing down the game. We, at the end, weren't competing enough."

TORONTO FC

Acquired from Chicago in one of Toronto's many midsummer transactions, Dasan Robinson has mostly been biding his time in reserve matches, limited to a few minutes in Champions League play while he waits to make his MLS debut for the Reds.

"It gets you sharper and more in tune with the game, so when your number is called, you're ready to step in," Robinson said to MLSsoccer.com. "Sometimes, reserve games aren't always the most fun, but at the same time, they do get you sharp and get you ready."