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Copa Sudamericana Quarterfinal

Universidad Catolica x DC United

San Carlos de Apoquindo Stadium

Santiago, Chile

September 22, 2005

- By Brian Weeks, Tues, September 22, 2005

DC United’s whirlwind second half of the season continues Thursday when they take on Chilean side Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile, in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana total-goals quarterfinal. The distance between the two capitals is close to 5000 miles, and United‘s long journey to the Chile will surely leave them with a formidable task in attempting to secure a result which will see them progress to face the winner of Brazilian club Fluminense and Argentinean club Banfield (editor’s note: the first leg in Brazil finished 3-1 in Fluminense‘s favor.) This is a unique opportunity for United. They are the first MLS team to ever play in the three-year-old Copa Sudamericana, South America’s version of the UEFA Cup. To overcome Catolica and progress to the next round would be a huge boost for the international credibility of Major League Soccer as it completes its tenth season.

In order to win the series, United will have to overcome what Jaime Moreno called a “naivety” which United has displayed in its previous forays into international competition. Remarking on United’s chances in Santiago and why MLS teams struggle internationally, Moreno said that “We are too naïve. We are too nice. We’ve got to have that mentality, let’s not call it cheating, but playing smart.” United would be smart to take some lessons from their last away match in Latin America, which they lost 5-0 to UNAM Pumas of Mexico in Mexico City on April 13. Commenting on that match and what United learned from preparing for it, captain Ben Olsen said, “I hope we do everything opposite of what we did to prepare for the Mexico game.” United had only just begun the marathon MLS campaign back in April when they traveled to Mexico City’s high altitude, and were obliterated in the second half by a more experienced Mexican side. The challenge for Thursday night’s game is not the lack of fitness which was evident in April, but the threat of heavy legs after a full programme in the last the last few weeks. Santino Quaranta begs to differ. “We’ll be fine,” he said Saturday after United defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-0 at RFK, “We’ve been doing it for three months now and we are very deep with a bunch of guys that can step in.”

United has a couple of injury concerns coming into the match. Quaranta suffered a knock to the shin towards the end of the Colorado match which became swollen and limited him in practice this week. He traveled to Chile and is likely to start up top with Jaime Moreno. Jamil Walker, on the other hand, looks set to miss out with a high ankle sprain which he also suffered in the physical Colorado match. Walker, who started Saturday and scored the equalizer against Catolica off the bench last Tuesday, will likely be replaced in his role as super-sub by Freddy Adu. Freddy’s playing time has been reduced since his starting role on September 10 in Dallas. Walker’s increased contributions and Santino’s return from national team duty pushed Freddy out of the starting picture. His role is sure to be increased in the event that either Santino or Walker can’t play on Thursday. Depending on the result when he enters, his contributions could be key to the outcome of this game. In an interesting twist, it may be that Freddy will feel less pressure to produce in the international arena than he does in MLS, where the hype has always been a bit overwhelming. If Quaranta starts up top, it is expected that Joshua Gros will start at right midfield, where Santino lined up Saturday against Colorado. The rest of the United midfield looks set to remain unchanged, with Brian Carroll and Ben Olsen patrolling the center and Dema Kovalenko on the left. The backline should also stay unchanged as Nick Rimando will have Brandon Prideaux, Facundo Erpen, and Brian Namoff in front of him.

Catolica have a big match coming up Saturday against arch-enemies and cross-town rivals Colo Colo. However, their supporters will not let them ease through this game without pressing the North Americans. Catolica was effective going forward in the first leg, and may be wise to continue attacking the United defense rather than sitting back and hitting them on the counter. United’s defense, and especially Argentinean Facundo Erpen, struggled with their distribution against a high-pressure Catolica offense in the first leg. The size of Catolica forwards Jorge Quinteros and Eduardo Rubio presented problems for United’s three-man backline in the first leg. They look set to be a factor again on Thursday. United could possibly switch to a 4-4-2 and include Bobby Boswell for added size in central defense, but it remains to be seen if Nowak feels a tactical realignment is necessary. Nevertheless, the set piece ability of Catolica playmaker Dario Conca will present a grave threat to United’s hopes of advancing. Catolica left-winger Eros Perez, formerly of the Chilean National team, will look to get forward more than he did at RFK in the first leg. His crossing ability should lead to chances for Rubio and Quinteros. Rubio in particular had trouble with his finishing in the first leg, including a shot that clattered off the crossbar while the goal was empty.

United’s best chance for victory lies in a patient approach which starts with solid defending at the back. In addition, Christian Gomez has to be more assertive than he was in the first leg. Gomez is the United player who is best equipped to control the tempo of the match and create chances in front of goal for his teammates. His set pieces, which were less than stellar Saturday night against the Rapids before his goal, have to be better against Catolica if United are to emerge victorious against the Chileans. United can take solace from the fact that they get another chance at making a name for themselves in Latin America after the disappointment of the result in Mexico. They should be better prepared this time.

Brian Weeks