Before D.C. United begins its fifth different competition of 2007 tonight in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16 against Mexican first division power CD Guadalajara (Chivas), lessons need to be gleaned from the disappointing exits in its last three international tournaments with home-and-away series.
“It’s pretty simple,” said United midfielder Brian Carroll. “In past we’ve played well, but we haven’t gotten the lead at home. That’s the key, to get a lead and keep a lead, that way we know when we go down there that we can compete with them down there.”
Chivas dumped United out of the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup semifinals in April with a 2-1 win in the return leg in Mexico after escaping RFK Stadium with a 1-1 tie. It was the same fashion in which the team crashed out of two tourneys in 2005, the Champions’ Cup semifinals (a 5-0 defeat at UNAM Pumas after a 1-1 tie at RFK) and their first appearance in the Copa Sudamericana (3-2 loss at Catolica of Chile after a 1-1 tie at RFK).
But United is more experienced and a far cry from the team still in preseason form when it traveled to Mexico six months ago, now riding a 10-game unbeaten streak domestically and believing it has a score to settle.
“The point we’re at in the season, the personnel changes, it’s completely different facing them this time, and they’re a different team as well,” said United head coach Tom Soehn.
In the current Mexican first division Apertura season, Chivas, last year’s champion, is 3-3-3 and in fourth place in its group. Adolfo Bautista is gone, but Mexican national teamers Omar Bravo (11 goals) and Alberto Medina (five goals) remain and are the team’s top scorers.
“The dynamics of how they play changes a little bit because they’ve made some personnel changes,” said Soehn. “But I think it’s a situation where we match up pretty well against them, even better than before.”
The teams play the return leg Tuesday at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico. The winner will face Brazil’s Goias EC or Argentina’s Arsenal in October.
Copa Nissan Sudamericana
D.C. United vs. CD Guadalajara (Chivas)
» Where: RFK Stadium
» When: Tonight, 8:30
» Radio: WMET 1160 AM, SRN
» TV: Fox Sports en Español
Home renovations
United has begun the transition to becoming sole tenant at RFK, removing the backstop wire and some of the baseball sponsorship signage, and permanently shifting the north bleachers to their position for soccer matches.
