D.C. UNITED v MONARCAS MORELIA
Group Stage - GROUP B - Match 3
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 8 p.m. ET
RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
REFEREE: Courtney Campbell (JAM)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: C.J.Morgante (USA); Nate Clement (USA)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Alex Prus (USA)
Two teams which are not strangers to international competition face off in their SuperLiga opening match when D.C. United plays host to Monarcas Morelia. D.C. United have participated in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup six times in the club's history, winning in 1998 and reaching the semifinals three times, including two of the last three years. Morelia reached the final of the continental championship in 2002, falling to Pachuca. A year ago United had the best record in MLS, but have struggled to find the same form this year. Morelia took 22 points from their 17 matches in the 2007 Clausura, but did not advance from the repechage round in the Liguilla.
D.C. United
Major League Soccer's most honored club begins its chase for another international trophy winless in its last three league games, the latest a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday. United became the first U.S. team to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (in 1998, defeating Toluca), and also won the Interamerican Cup (defeating Brazil's Vasco da Gama). United currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 24 points from 16 matches. Luciano Emilio has scored 10 goals for the Black-and-Red, second in MLS (behind K.C.'s Eddie Johnson).
Monarcas Morelia
Now seven years removed from their first championship in the professional era (Invierno 2000), Monarcas Morelia have reloaded this year in advance of SuperLiga and their Primera Division opener on Aug. 4 against Veracruz at home. Morelia recently added two Brazilian attackers, Wanderson de Souza and Marcío Batista, both from Vasco da Gama, while also securing the services of Mexican international Fernando Arce with a long-term deal. Most recently, Morelia continued their preseason preparations with a 2-2 draw with Léon.
State of Play: Group B
Also this evening, Houston Dynamo and Club América will begin their SuperLiga campaign when they face each other at Robertson Stadium. On July 29, the MLS and Primera División sides will exchange, as D.C. United will take on Club América and Monarcas Morelia will travel to Houston to face Dynamo. On August 1, the group stage will conclude when Houston Dynamo plays host to D.C. United and Club América and Monarcas Morelia play at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.
