After a disappointing result in the Champions’ Cup against Mexican club Pachuca on Wednesday night, D.C. United now has to turn its focus back to its regular-season schedule and prepare for a tricky game at Real Salt Lake today.
No doubt there will be some hand-wringing on how United failed again to get past a Mexican club.
United beat Pachuca 2-1 at RFK Stadium but lost the total-game series 3-2 on aggregate, after losing in Mexico 2-0.
Playing better on the road in international tournaments will be a major area of discussion, but that always will be a difficult task in the region and especially at high altitudes in Mexico.
In the offseason United bolstered its club with five South American players, including Argentine ace Marcelo Gallardo, in hopes of improving in these kind of events, but so far it hasn’t paid off. However, United will get a chance to face other Mexican teams in the SuperLiga and the Champions’ League event, which replaces the Champions’ Cup, later in the year.
“We go out with our heads up,” Jaime Moreno said after the Pachuca match.
United can take some positive points from the game. The club has found a solid goalie in Zach Wells and Brazilian midfielder Fred looks on course to have an impressive season. United also has found a top-class defender in Gonzalo Martinez, a bone-crunching tackler. And the team appears to have depth coming off the bench with Rod Dyachenko and Franco Niell both earning goals against Pachuca.
“You can see the potential in this team,” Wells said. “It takes a great team like Pachuca to bring that out in us and hopefully we can maintain that kind of form in the MLS season.”
As for today’s game United (1-1) will be cautious against Real Salt Lake (0-1-1). United lost in its last two trips to Real Salt Lake. In 2006, Real snapped a 14-game unbeaten streak for United and in 2007, Salt Lake’s win over United was its first victory of the season, in its 12th game.
“We don’t do well [at Real] for some reason and we have to sort that out,” forward Santino Quaranta said. “We shouldn’t lose a whole lot of games. People know that. We expect to win. That’s not the same for other teams in this league.”
United will meet some familiar faces in Real’s lineup. Former United players Nick Rimando, Carey Talley and Dema Kovalenko all started in Real’s 3-1 loss at Chivas USA last week.
Kovalenko, a native of Ukraine who played 77 games at United from 2003 to 2005, became a U.S. citizen last month.
Notes — After winning at Poland 3-0 last month, the U.S. men’s team rose seven places in the world rankings to No. 21. Argentina, which plays the United States at Giants Stadium on June 8, holds onto the top spot. The United States plays 11th-ranked England on May 28 and fourth-ranked Spain on June 4.
The game against Argentina will serve as the final tuneup for the start of World Cup qualifying games in June against Barbados. …
The U.S. women’s team won a berth at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday after defeating Costa Rica 3-0 in the semifinals of the qualifying event in Mexico. …
Bayern Munich’s UEFA quarterfinal match at Getafe in Spain this week, was one for the ages. Playing with 10 men for most of the game, Getafe led the German giants until the final minute, when Franck Ribery tied the game, sending the match into 30 minutes of extra time.
In the first three minutes of overtime Getafe scored twice to make it 3-1, and set up what looked a like an upset. However, Bayern scored with five minutes remaining, leaving Getafe clinging to a 3-2 result. Then in the final minute, with its last attempt at goal, Luca Toni tied the game 3-3 (4-4 on aggregate) sending Bayern through to the semifinals on the away goal rule.
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