Beating Mexico Hasn't Reached Club Level

United Looks to Reverse Trend Against Chivas of Guadalajara in Champions' Cup

For the last decade, American soccer largely has measured international progress by its accomplishments against Mexico, the region's long-dominant program. But while the national team has made a habit of beating its counterparts in the World Cup and friendlies alike, club encounters have been heavily tilted in the Mexicans' favor with gory scorelines such as 6-1 and 5-0.

It's a grim fact not lost on D.C. United, which will attempt to reverse that trend when it faces Chivas of Guadalajara in a CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinal series beginning tonight at RFK Stadium.

"Any time you match yourself against anybody outside your country, you are always going to gauge where you are in relation to them," United Coach Tom Soehn said. "And the rest of the world is going to gauge where we are."

United did enjoy some success against Mexican clubs in the early years of MLS. It won this 45-year-old tournament in 1998, but in its most recent matchup two years ago, D.C. was trounced by Pumas, 5-0, in Mexico City following a 1-1 tie in Washington. United's MLS brethren have not fared particularly well against Mexico's finest either -- a stark contrast to the U.S. national team's 8-2-1 record against El Tri the last seven years, including a 2-0 victory last month in suburban Phoenix.

"Things have changed in North American soccer, and the playing field has leveled out more," said midfielder Ben Olsen, who has been involved in U.S.-Mexico games on various levels. "They used to be very dominant in both the national team and with their club teams, and now you're seeing more teams around North America develop very good teams that can compete.

"The main thing, whether it's a Mexican team or a Honduran team, is for us to keep pushing forward and doing well in these competitions. They are so important for this league and for this team to do well and increase the brand."

In this two-game, total-goals series, which will conclude April 3 in Guadalajara, there is more at stake than national pride. The survivor will move a step closer to winning the regional club championship and earning an automatic berth in the Club World Cup in Japan later this year.

In the quarterfinals, United overpowered Olimpia (Honduras) by a 7-3 aggregate score while Chivas overcame a first-leg defeat to subdue W Connection of Trinidad and Tobago, 4-2.

As pleased as United was with its efforts against Olimpia, particularly at such an early stage of preseason training, the club is well aware of Chivas's capabilities. United presented a formidable attack in the earlier round, keyed by Argentine playmaker Christian Gomez and Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio, but its defense will have to tighten against a more lethal opponent.

"As a team, we let up a couple goals we should not have let up and allowed some opportunities that they did not capitalize on," midfielder Josh Gros said of the Olimpia series. "Other than that, we can take a lot of positives out of it, so hopefully that continues. We have a lot of confidence in our offense; we just have to make sure we don't bleed any goals."

Beyond the tournament significance, United is well aware of the broader impact.

"I don't care if it's the national team or club sides, when Mexico and the U.S. play each other, it's always a rivalry," Olsen said. "They want to beat us pretty bad and we always want to continue pushing U.S. soccer, whether that's the club game or the national team.

"It's going to be a huge challenge for us to get a good result."

United Notes: Fred, the Brazilian midfielder-forward who recently signed a multiyear contract, was scheduled to arrive in Washington today to meet his new teammates. The club is hoping he will be eligible to play in the second leg of the series. . . . English midfielder Kasali Yinka Casal, who signed several weeks ago, was added to the senior roster. . . . Goalkeeper Troy Perkins, recovering from a quadriceps injury, participated in regular workouts again and is almost certain to start tonight. . . . Ticket sales surpassed 18,000 last night and club officials are expecting between 22,000 and 25,000. . . . The other semifinal first leg, between defending MLS champion Houston and visiting Pachuca of Mexico, was postponed last night because of a power outage.