Group Stage - GROUP B - Match 7
Sunday, July 29, 2007 - 8 p.m. ET
RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
D.C. UNITED v CLUB AMERICA
REFEREE: Carlos Batres (GUA)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Kermit Quisenberry (USA); Sean Hurd (USA)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Hilario Grajeda (USA)
MATCH BACKGROUND
Two of the most storied club names in their respective countries meet at RFK Stadium when D.C. United takes on Club América in a vital match in SuperLiga Group B. D.C. United has won four Major League Soccer titles - most of any club - while Club América have won 10 championships in Mexico, second to Chivas. América have also won five CONCACAF Champions' Cups, more than any other outfit, while D.C. United became the first U.S. club to win the continental honor. The teams also did meet for a championship, playing in the final of the one and only CONCACAF Giants Cup, América winning 2-0 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2001.
D.C. United
The draw with Monarcas Morelia to begin SuperLiga play was another in a string of disappointing results for D.C. United. The club is now winless in four consecutive games - losing 1-0 to Houston, losing 1-0 to third division Harrisburg in the U.S. Open Cup, failing to hold a three-goal lead in a draw with FC Dallas, then failing to hold the one-goal with a man advantage against Morelia. "It's very disappointing. Obviously, we played a pretty solid game over all. [Diego] Martinez scored a great goal. If you're going to go down like that, at least it's going to be a play like that that's going to beat you. But, we had plenty of chances to put the game away," United head coach Tom Soehn said. Drama has highlighted United's battles with Mexican teams this year: in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, they scored a last-gasp equalizer in the home first leg with Chivas, then went up a goal in Guadalajara before seeing the home side come back with two goals to advance to the final. "As disappointing as a tie is, it was a pretty good performance," said Ben Olsen. "We still could do better managing the game when they're down a man - can we keep the ball? And can we make them work a little bit harder? ... But we've got to put this one behind us and move on because there's a very good [Club] América team waiting for us Sunday."
Club América
In their SuperLiga opener, facing the current class of Major League Soccer, Club América felt well beaten in a 1-0 defeat by Houston Dynamo. "Undisputedly the Dynamo was better. They pressured us a lot. They have a very well coordinated team that's playing at a very high level right now. We couldn't find out how to open up their massed defense and the result says it all," said Luis Fernando Tena. América came into the game with up-and-down results in their three preparation matches, though against high-quality opposition - losing to Chelsea and Boca Juniors while defeating Alianza Lima. "We had good spells we didn't take advantage of - the opponent showed it is very strong at home and has a great capacity to run, to close ranks and then counterattack with great confidence. But all the same, we know we still have chances to continue fighting for this trophy," said midfielder Federico Insua. Tena is also using SuperLiga as a chance to see what his team is about. "We have some players that need to bring up their level of play, and there are others that are there. We especially need to work on our coordination as a team. ... We're trying out different formations. We have to give minutes to players who are not at their best right now to get them better physically. They need to play to get in a better rhythm."
State of Play: Group B
After their victory in the first game, Houston Dynamo sit atop the table in Group A and can seal a berth in the semifinals with a victory against Monarcas Morelia. D.C. United can also go a long way to securing their own spot in the semifinals with a victory against Club América, while the Aguilas all but need a victory if they are to have hope of advancing.
