D.C. UNITED vs. ATLANTE FC
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 8 p.m. ET
RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Group Stage - GROUP A - Match 5
REFEREE: Carlos Batres (GUA)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Edwin Rodolfo Gonzalez (GUA); Hermenerito Leal Mo (GUA)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Mark Geiger (USA)
Two teams that almost certainly must win to stay alive in SuperLiga 2008 meet at RFK Stadium when D.C. United faces Atlante FC. United could have come away with a draw in their opener, only to see a penalty saved as Chivas de Guadalajara claimed a 2-1 win, while Atlante must rebound from a 4-0 defeat by the Houston Dynamo.
D.C. United
Jaime Moreno is the all-time MLS goalscoring leader - and all-time penalty kick goalscoring leader - but he saw his equalizing attempt turned aside by Luis Ernesto Michel. It's not too often a 'keeper is able to stop Jaime [Moreno]'s PK so the loss is disappointing but we can't hang our heads, we have to come out now and get a couple of results to make sure we advance," said United head coach Tom Soehn. United started the game with four defenders, but after Chivas took a deserved early lead, changed to three in the back and added a player in the midfield. "We seemed to lose a guy in the middle and gave them possession more than I'd like. I thought when we adjusted it actually closed the door a little bit on that and we were able to keep the ball," Soehn said. The change meant that Marc Burch played central defense, as United are missing injured Argentineans Gonzalo Peralta and Marcelo Gallardo. "We pretty much have 18 guys. Don't have many guys to choose from," Soehn said.
Atlante FC
The first-half blitz by the Houston Dynamo has Atlante re-evaluating heading into their second game. "This loss has us reflecting and reorganizing things. In two minutes we were killed off; they scored two goals that were mortal for the morale in the team. We knew about the strength of the Dynamo defense, and we weren't capable of raising up our game after those two goals," said coach José Guadalupe Cruz. Atlante is the only of the four Mexican SuperLiga participants to have not played preparatory matches in the USA. "We're rising up, there isn't much to say - this team has a lot of work, we're gradually coming into form, but that's not an excuse," said Cruz. Said forward Gabriel Pereyra: "We're barely starting our preseason, and they've had a chance to get a rhythm as a team. It's to be expected that they're more prepared than we are at this point." Atlante were held without a single shot on goal for the match. "We're trying to incorporate three forwards, and we haven't had much time to practice together," Pereyra said. "The idea is to generate good opportunities. Today we couldn't do it, but we're going to keep trying."
State of Play: Group A With opening match winners Houston Dynamo and CD Guadajalara meeting in Houston, a victory by either team there will all but secure their passage to the semifinals. Conversely, a loss by either D.C. United or Atlante FC in Washington will all but end any hopes for advancement to the final four.
