Desperados quarterback Clint Dolezel called the Soul cheaters for hosting the game at the Wachovia Spectrum instead of the Wachovia Center. (The Flyers have a playoff game tonight.)

"They did that for a reason," said Dolezel, who considers the Spectrum a tougher place to play. "We aren't buying all of that bull."

"I can remember Dallas cheating and playing a couple of games in Reunion Arena, too," Soul quarterback Tony Graziani fired back.

Don't expect the shots to be so playful when the teams take the field at 8.

The victor will gain sole possession of first place in the Eastern Division. While both the Soul (8-0) and Desperados (7-0) downplayed the game's significance, there is that little Dallas-Philly rivalry at stake, too.

"I don't think there's anybody in Philly that likes anything to do with Dallas," said Jon Bon Jovi, the Soul's co-owner. "I mean the whole city . . . Trust me, the people from Dallas don't want anything to do with us, either."

Dolezel might be the exception.

"I love going to play in somebody else's home field, especially in Philly, where they're going to dog you the whole time," he said. "That makes me step up my game and makes my other teammates step up their game."

The veteran Dolezel missed four weeks nursing a separated shoulder but returned during Week 6. In the meantime, Chris Sanders tossed 18 touchdowns against three interceptions for Dallas.

"What we did in the off-season was to go out [and] find a guy that we thought would help us if something did happen," Dallas coach Will McClay said. "And it has helped us as a football team to grow and get better. When you lose your best football player, it causes your team to bind together."

That sounds a lot like the Soul, who leaned heavily on Matt D'Orazio after Graziani went down with a left knee injury in Week 3. Graziani returned last week but aggravated the knee and sat out the second half. Graziani's status will be a game-time decision tonight.

"We're both preparing like we're going to start," Graziani said. "And if I'm healthy enough to go, I'll start. If not, Matt will step in and play well again."

Despite the quarterback situation, the Soul boast the league's best offense, averaging 66 points per game. Wide receiver Chris Jackson has scored a league-high 29 touchdowns.

That explosive offense will meet the league's best defense. The Desperados, who yield just 42.7 points per game, have yet to allow an opponent to score 60 points. The Soul have reached that level six times.

"We're going to have us a good ol' brawl," Bon Jovi said.

Boost from Belichick. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick nominated Bon Jovi as one of Time magazine's annual 100 most influential people.

"Jon Bon Jovi is one of the most accomplished entertainers of his time," Belichick wrote in the magazine's latest issue. "But he is also a businessman and philanthropist who, by virtue of incredible vision, energy and intelligence, has bettered the lives of so many. There isn't a more loyal, hardworking, generous person."

If you think tonight's game against Dallas is huge for the Soul, check out the Soulmates' approach to the rivalry.

Go to http://go.philly.com/

soulmates