Washington, D.C. - As a result of today's draw for the Copa Nissan Sudamericana, D.C. United has learned it will face CD Guadalajara of Mexico in the round-of-16 stage of the prestigious tournament. Chivas defeated United 3-2 on aggregate in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup this spring in heartbreaking fashion. United will have a shot at redemption when the teams face off in another two-game series that will begin at RFK Stadium the week of September 11. The second leg will see United travel to Mexico prior to October 4. Detailed fixture dates and ticketing information will be announced at a later date.
"Playing Chivas again in a meaningful competition is an ideal scenario for us," said United Head Coach Tom Soehn. "We played them very close over a similar two-game format during our pre-season and we feel that we have unfinished business to tend to with them."
The annual 34-team tournament is hosted by CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, and since 2005 has included teams from CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. United qualified to participate in this year's tournament as a result of the club's third place finish in CONCACAF Champions' Cup. United defeated Olimpia by a 7-3 aggregate score before losing to CD Guadalajara. The club's +3 goal differential in the event was enough to out-pace the Houston Dynamo.
D.C. United was the first team from Major League Soccer to participate in the prestigious tournament when it was invited to play in the 2005 edition of Copa Sudamericana. That year, D.C. faced Universidad Catolica of Chile in a two-game aggregate goal series, but lost in heartbreaking fashion. After a 1-1 draw at RFK Stadium on Sept. 13, United traveled to Santiago, Chile for the second leg on Sept. 22. The Black-and-Red went up 2-0, but eventually fell 3-2 (4-3 aggregate) to the hosts. </p>
