For the second time in six days, FC Dallas won, 2-1, on the road sin Carlos Ruiz in the starting lineup.

On Saturday, FCD beat Kansas City. On Thursday, Coach Steve Morrow fielded the same starting lineup the beat the Wizards and FCD prevailed over Chicago in the Brimstone Cup to take over first place in the Western Conference.

With Ruiz, a subject of trade rumors, sidelined with what was described as a tight left hamstring, Kenny Cooper and Colombian Juan Toja again provided the scoring.

Cooper converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute after Fire keeper Matt Pickens took him down in the penalty area. Abe Thompson, playing in Ruiz's place, set up Toja's goal, taking a ball on the left side of the area and laying it off for the charging Toja to strike past Pickens with a deflected shot.

Luck wasn't on the Fire's side at Toyota Park. All it had to show on the night was a goal by Calen Carr, set up by Thiago and Chad Barrett for an easy tap-in in the 73rd minute.

FCD keeper Dario Sala didn't record a save on the evening, but the Argentine was saved by the woodwork three times -- once in the first half on a shot by Dasan Robinson and twice after halftime.

Carr, starting in the place of the injured Chris Rolfe, hit the crossbar three minutes before he scored, and Thiago's header off a Justin Mapp corner in the 83rd minute struck the near post.

GAME REPORT:
May 17 in Bridgeview, Ill.
Chicago 1 FC Dallas 2. Goals: Carr (Barrett, Thiago) 73; Cooper pen. 24, Toja (Thompson) 60.
Chicago - Pickens, Robinson, Curtin (Plotkin, 64), Brown, Segares, Armas, Guerrero, Mapp, Pause (Thiago. 68), Bedrossian (Barrett, 64), Carr.
FC Dallas - Sala, Gbandi, Goodson, Moor, Yi, Toja, McCarty (Saragosa, 80), Ricchetti, Nunez (Rhine, 85), Thompson (Oduro, 68), Cooper.
Yellow Cards: Chicago - Curtin 26, Carr 85, Segares 90, Robinson 92+;?FC Dallas - Toja 94+.
Referee: Brian Hall.
Att.: 12,164.