D.C. United's CONCACAF Champions Cup adventure reaches a new level on Thursday with a visit from one of the most menacing opponents in the hemisphere, Mexican giants Club Deportivo Guadalajara.
With legions of fans throughout the continent and a cherished legacy of attacking soccer, Chivas will pose a tall task for United if the club is to play for the continental championship for a second time -- especially at the defensive end, where a few untimely hiccups marred an otherwise strong showing against CD Olimpia in the quarterfinals.
"We know what we did wrong in those games, and we're going to try to prevent that," said central defender Bobby Boswell. "The main thing is, you can't make many mistakes, because they will punish you. This is not Olimpia, this is Chivas. They have some great [Mexican] national team players."
After easing past the Honduran side, the Black-and-Red are braced for a dramatic surge in speed and intensity as the 11-time Mexican Primera Division champions invade RFK Stadium for the first leg of their semifinal series. Goalkeeper Troy Perkins has been pleased with his defense's shape thus far this season, but is keenly aware of that there will be little room for error against Chivas.
"We're a lot more organized this year, I think, both as a back line and with our midfield in front of us," said Perkins. "We've just got to be a little bit more composed now - this team is a lot better than the team we just played, and they're going to attack us."
United's possession game requires the three-man back line to be comfortable on the ball and routinely switch play from side to side, although Bryan Namoff and Facundo Erpen showed some jittery moments against Olimpia and could become targets for Chivas' high-pressure tactics. Head coach Tom Soehn and his players are prepared for their opponents - who typically prefer a 3-4-3 formation - to take an aggressive approach at RFK.
"They pressure well with the three [strikers] up front, and they love to swing balls in," said Boswell of the Mexican side. "That's what we're planning for defensively. Offensively, we just want to play our game and try to make them adjust to us, just like we're going to make some adjustments in the back for them. They're a good possession team and if you give them any room, they're going to make you pay."
Opening at home heaps additional pressure on D.C., who are keen to roll up as much of an advantage as possible before traveling to the hostile confines of the Estadio Jalisco in 19 days time.
"Obviously we want to win," Perkins. "If you win both, then you're in. We want to get as many points as we can here, coming away with as many goals and as a big a spread as we can."
Perkins is the primary question mark for the home side, having strained his right quadriceps muscle while taking a goal kick against Olimpia two weeks ago. He's been kept out of full-intensity workouts this week and will have to limit the use of his right foot on goal kicks and clearances, but with backup Jay Nolly still acclimating to life with United, Perkins is determined to adjust to the situation.
"There's still some pain, but come game time, we'll get through it," he said after Tuesday's training session. "We've done everything over the past 10, 12 days to make sure that I will be able to play. So I don't want to put all that work in for nothing."
Up front, United are looking for continued productivity from the attacking trio of playmaker Christian Gomez, captain Jaime Moreno and new striker Luciano Emilio. Gomez's strong form might prompt Chivas to try to mark him out of the game, but he's confident that he can still create chances for his teammates.
"We're in a situation now where all teams have access to videos and are able to target certain players, and there's where I fall in, one of those guys they look to, to see how they can prevent certain things about my game," acknowledged the Argentinean. "So I have to be intelligent how I approach my game, and also how we approach it as a team. Finding ways to open up the defense, create space behind the defense - it isn't just me. It's a team effort."
The appearance of "El Rebano Sagrado" ("the sacred cloth", referring to their traditional red-and-white stripes) in Washington is expected to attract a strong turnout of Chivas fans, but United are focused on pushing their visitors onto the back foot with a poised, forceful display.
"We've got an experienced team, and they love to play games of this caliber," said Soehn. "We're excited to be playing in front of our home crowd, and we're going to make darned sure we get our fans behind us. We're going to give them everything they can take."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
