Forget about the Supporters Shield. Saturday night's 3-1 loss to Toronto FC dropped the Fire nine points behind the Eastern Conference and MLS leaders with only nine games remaining in the regular season for both teams. Out of necessity and self-preservation, the Fire now have to focus on remaining in the top three rather than simply backing into the playoffs. There are winnable games remaining in the schedule and the team is all but assured of a playoff spot, barring a collapse of epic proportions.
They're not good enough to beat Toronto FC — that cold reality hit them square in the nose Saturday night as they limped to their first loss of the season at Toyota Park.