As most of you know, Blanco was sent-off last night and was apparently involved in further altercations on his way off the field, as the Fire fell 2-1 to DC United in extra time of their US Open Cup quarter-final.

The Washington Post is reporting the following:

In addition to his on-field conduct, which according to D.C. United defender Marc Burch included both punching and eye-gouging D.C. midfielder Clyde Simms, Blanco also allegedly head-butted a D.C. United operations employee as he was being escorted off the field, according to sources.

Here is D.C. United's comment on the situation: "As a result of incidents last night, Major League Soccer has requested video footage, which we are preparing and will be sending to the league," United spokesman Doug Hicks said. Hicks said MLS will have the video today.

It is highly unlikely, however, that MLS will take any action that would suspend him from MLS play, as the game was under the auspices of US Soccer, not MLS.

Fire spokesman Gregg Elkin said that "An MLS official told me today that it is a US Soccer issue because it happened in their “event”. He thought it would be left to them to make any disciplinary decisions, if any at all. He did add if there was a tape sent, that they would look at it."

Backdraft has also sent the following tape of the incident to MLS:

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The Fire XI

Plenty of excuses have been made for the Fire's poor performance in the opener, which left the team elated to escape with a point from Salt Lake City after Blanco's late equalizer. It was the altitude, or the cold, or the artificial turf, or the offseason rust, or the missing players, or the referee, or -- you get the picture.

Some of those are valid points, but that doesn't excuse the Fire's failure to seriously trouble the opposing goalkeeper until 90 minutes had elapsed, nor the insipid performances by Justin Mapp and Chad Barrett.

Tomasz Frankowski's disappearing act can be excused on his MLS debut, but the temptation to move Chris Rolfe to his best position upfront must have grown given the lack of activity from the forward line.

In midfield, meanwhile, Logan Pause plugged many holes and worked gamely, but was often left with too much to do as the sole defensive-minded midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation.

At the back, Chicago looked impressively solid despite missing key players. Soumare did score an unfortunate own goal, and once or twice looked like he might play his way into trouble, but was also an imposing physical presence and stepped up to sniff out trouble on numerous occasions.

In goal, Busch's positioning was exemplary, though a slight injury scare in the first half could have left the Fire scrambling, given the lack of depth at that position.

The Fire's official game guide seems to suggest change is coming for the home opener (though it's 'probable lineup' guide is not always accurate). Thorrington is listed on the left in the place of Mapp, who though he was substituted early in the opener, doesn't appear on the injury report -- does that mean his poor performance has earned him a dropping?

Calen Carr is also listed in place of Barrett upfront. Carr came on and did well on Saturday; though many suggest he should be kept as a "super-sub", his effort level relative to other players might have earned him a start.

Let's consider the opposition and the injury report too as we wrap up this preview.

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Can you miss something you never had? Dominic Cervi, with his huge frame and promising performances for the U.S. Olympic team this spring, looked to be an ideal solution to the Fire's need for depth at the goalkeeping position and for a future starter, given the departure this offseason of Matt Pickens.

But he left before he even arrived. What does this final twist this offseason mean for the Fire?

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