Larentowicz viewed practice from the sideline yesterday.

“Just taking it easy, no point in leaving it on the training field,’’ coach Steve Nicol said of Larentowicz.

Larentowicz missed two games with injuries, then returned for the final two games, slamming in a free kick in a 1-0 win at Columbus on the final day of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot for the Revolution for the eighth successive year.

“He hasn’t been training properly the last five weeks, and you’re not going to just step on the field and take up where you left off,’’ Nicol said. “It takes time to get into a groove. But it’s typical Jeff; he’s more interested in the cause than himself. Credit to the rest of the team - everyone is looking after everyone else, and if you have that you have a chance.’’

The Revolution and Fire have tied twice (1-1 on May 9 and 0-0 on Oct. 17) in MLS play and the Fire took a 2-1 victory over the Revolution in a SuperLiga match in July, the deciding goal coming on a Cuauhtemoc Blanco free kick.

After the playoffs, Blanco will return to Mexico to perform for Veracruz in the second division. Blanco, 36, could return to the Fire next season, but his priority is preparing for the 2010 World Cup.

“We don’t know if he is going to start or come in off the bench, but whatever he does he seems to have an impact on the game,’’ Revolution defender Jay Heaps said. “His playmaking skills have gotten better and his ability to find open guys has gotten better. The rule about Blanco is if you play him too tight he gets by you and if you stay off him he finds open runners. It’s important we find the right distance so he doesn’t go by and doesn’t have the vision to pick guys out.

“The last two, three weeks we played with a playoff mentality, and that’s good preparation. We went into the Columbus game with a playoff attitude and, for the guys who haven’t played in the playoffs before, they’ve gained experience. We’ve been talking about playing mistake-free and we have to maintain that, keep our defensive shape, and take our chances when we get them. We’ve been in every game. I think guys respect what we’ve done - we have been a consistent team, in the playoffs eight years in a row, four finals. We would really like to get the championship. We haven’t dominated this year like we have in the past, but maybe we can grind out a couple wins and get back to the finals.’’

Frank Dell’Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.