D.C. Has Daunting Task in Mexico

D.C. United's players and coaches have heard all the reasons why they have no chance of defeating Chivas tonight in the second leg of their Champions' Cup semifinal series.

They have been reminded repeatedly that no MLS team has ever won a competitive match in Mexico, that they yielded five goals in their last visit there and that they will be playing in one of Latin America's most daunting venues before the Mexican league's most loyal supporters.

"I know the rest of the world probably doesn't have a lot of faith in us," United Coach Tom Soehn said, "but as we research it and watch our opponent and continue to grow as a team, I like our chances."

The consequences are substantial. Following a 1-1 tie in the opening leg three weeks ago at RFK Stadium, tonight's survivor will advance to the final of the 45-year-old regional club championship to meet MLS champion Houston or Mexican club Pachuca and maintain the quest for a berth in the lucrative Club World Cup in Japan in December. The tournament runner-up will be invited to a second-tier South American competition.

United won the Champions' Cup in 1998, beating two Mexican teams along the way, but did it in an event held exclusively in Washington. This year, with a home-and-home format and total goals determining the winner, D.C. will have to find a way to either defeat Chivas in regulation or during a 30-minute overtime, or drag the hosts into a penalty kick tiebreaker.

MLS teams are 1-9 in Mexico (New York was awarded a forfeit victory over host Chivas in 2001), but United believes it has the personnel and confidence to break that streak. The club was not given much hope of winning at Olimpia of Honduras in the quarterfinal opener after faltering in Central America over the years, yet rolled to a 4-1 victory. And although the opposition is considerably better in this round, the players do not think Chivas's celebrated history or the feverish setting will have any impact.

Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio said his last-minute tying goal in the opening leg "lifted our spirits and gave us some confidence for the next match. We have the players to beat them."

One of those players is Fred, a Brazilian midfielder-forward who has been training with United for a couple weeks and was finally cleared to play last week. Fred brings an attacking sophistication that should blend well with Emilio, Argentine playmaker Christian Gomez and Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno. Although Fred has yet to play for United, he is likely to jump into the starting lineup tonight.

While United added a significant player, Chivas has lost one: star forward Omar Bravo, who will serve a one-game suspension for accumulating yellow cards in the tournament.

"Chivas is a great club, but I can already tell you that my team has very good players and we can win this match," said Fred, who watched the first leg from the mezzanine seats at RFK.

In order to win, though, United will have to upgrade its performance from the first leg, when Chivas's pressure smothered United's attack and dictated the pace for long stretches.

United felt it did not exploit Chivas's back line effectively, but in preparation for the second leg, "we've become very good students of Chivas," Soehn said.

Added defender Bobby Boswell, "We didn't pass and possess it the way would have liked to, and I think that is going to be the key to everything this time."

MLS Notes: Eight United players, including midfielders Rod Dyachenko and Kasali Casal, were sent home as the club reduced its game-day roster to 18. . . . MLS announced that the top two teams in each conference and the four clubs with the best records regardless of conference affiliation will qualify for the playoffs. Last year, the top four finishers in each conference advanced. . . . The league also announced that the teams with the four best records overall will qualify for the 2008 SuperLiga tournament against Mexican opponents. This year's participants -- D.C., Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles -- were pre-selected.