As the 2006 FIFA World Cup draws to a close in Germany, D.C. United fans are gearing up for premier international soccer in their own backyard. On July 12 the Black-and-Red will take on defending Scottish Premier League Champions Celtic FC at RFK Stadium.
Celtic has been a stronghold in the Scottish Premier League since the team's founding in 1888, as 2005-06 marks the 40th time the club has been crowned champion. The current squad, which competes in the UEFA Champions League, boasts high-profile players such as Scottish defender Stephen McManus, Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura and Polish forward Maciej Zurawski.
United are no strangers to top-level international competition. In their 11 seasons, the team has played in 32 international matches - including games against the likes of Mexio's Toluca, legendary Brazilian side Vasco da Gama, England's Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, and Germany's Bayer Leverkusen.
The squad was the first MLS team to travel to England, when in October of 2002 it defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in a tribute match at the famed White Hart Lane. The club's most impressive international accomplishment to-date is its 1998 InterAmerican Cup championship win over Vasco da Gama.
United shocked the Brazilian team and established itself as an international contender by breaking the aggregate goals draw in the second leg of the series, coming away with the InterAmerican Cup trophy and the title "Champion of the Americas."
United have been very successful against the world's best, boasting a 21-9-5 all-time record against international competition. The Black-and-Red are 13-2-5 in those games played at RFK Stadium and 8-2-2 all-time in international friendlies.
U.S. Open Cup
United will begin the hunt for the team's second U.S. Open Cup championship as it joins the tournament in the round of 16. The team last won the cup in its inaugural season of 1996.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's national championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt. All 12 MLS teams are taking part in the tournament, which awards its winner $100,000.
The Black-and-Red will be scoreboard-watching on July 12 when the Michigan Bucks of the Premier Developmen League take on the Columbus Crew in Rochester Hills, Mich. United will play the winner of that game on Aug. 2. If the Bucks continue their surprising run, United will travel to Michigan; if the Crew prevail the teams will meet at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md. Should the team advance, a quarterfinal game would take place on Aug. 23.
'D.C. United en Accion' moves to Telemundo
D.C. United's weekly 30-minute Spanish-language television program, 'D.C. United en Accion', has moved to Telemundo Washington. 'D.C. United en Accion' will air every Sunday at 11:30 p.m. ET, following Telemundo's national sports program, Titulares Telemundo. The show will debut on Telemundo this Sunday at 11:30 p.m. ET.
In its fourth season, 'D.C. United en Accion' brings fans the most comprehensive, in-depth D.C. United soccer news, with features, game analysis and interviews with coaches and players.
The show is hosted by Alejandro Bravo, who is also the host of 'La Tribuna del D.C. United,' the club's hour-long weekly Spanish-language radio show that airs Wednesdays at 1 p.m. ET on WZHF Radio Continental 1390 AM.
