the prize given to the club with the best regular-season record. D.C. will visit CD Olimpia in Honduras in the opening leg and return to Washington a week later for the second leg.
Puntarenas FC and CD Olimpia each qualified for the tournament by reaching the finals of the Central American qualification on Nov. 1. Puntarenas defeated Guatemala's Deportivo Marquense 2-0 on aggregate in the semifinals, while CD Olimpia topped another Honduras side, CD Victoria, 2-0 on aggregate to reach the finals.
This is the first year that MLS is sending the Supporters' Shield winner directly to the Champions' Cup, placing more importance on winning in the regular season. Last year's MLS Cup finalists, the Los Angeles Galaxy and New England Revolution, each bowed out in the quarterfinals of the Champions' Cup.
D.C. United led all teams with 55 points (15-7-10) this season. Dynamo, who reached the MLS Cup Playoffs as the second place team from the Western Conference, defeated the Revolution in penalty kicks at Pizza Hut Park to take home the league's top prize.
First-leg encounters for the Champions' Cup quarterfinals will take place Feb. 20-22, 2007, with return legs set for Feb. 27-March 1.
The semifinals are set for March 13-15 and April 3-5. The Champions' Cup Final will be played on April 17-19 and 24-26, with the winner qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan later in the year. As a consolation prize, the Champions' Cup runner-up will receive one of three CONCACAF invitations to the 2007 Copa Nissan Sudamericana.
D.C. United is one of just two MLS teams ever to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. In 1998, Eddie Pope scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at RFK Stadium against Mexican champions CD Toluca to take home the trophy. The Los Angeles Galaxy won the continental club championship three years later, defeating CD Olimpia in the title match.
The 2007 matches will be broadcast in the U.S. on Fox Soccer Channel and/or Fox Sports en Espanol.
Patrick Mulrenin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
