DC United - Chivas 2nd Leg

There's a couple things I'd like to address about tonight's game, which is airing live on Fox Soccer Channel at 9:30 EST. The first thing nagging me is the incessant reminders of DC's heavy loss to Pumas two years ago; this is not the same team. That's all I will say on that subject.

One of the most important things for United over the course of this year will be staying healthy, especially in the back. Tonight we should expect the same starting lineup, I think, as the first leg, barring the introduction of Fred. Washington Post writer Steve Goff, who knows more of the nitty gritty than most of us, suggests that Fred may be used as a sub option.

If he is spot on then this is what DC should look like:

Perkins
Erpen Boswell Namoff
Simms (Fred?) B. Carroll Olsen Gros
Gomez
Emilio Moreno

I think one of the keys to this game will be limiting errors in the back. Any errant passes in the first leg were met with howls from the sizable Chivas crowd and I can only imagine shaky nerves being compounded by a disruptive crowd tonight. Estadio Jalisco is a capacity of just under 60,000 and I wonder how many will be on hand this evening. If it's anything close to that, it must be one of the largest crowds in front of which United has ever played.

As Sideline Views noted the other day, Chivas is not invincible, even to a lesser opponent. Tonight I don't think United will be at a lower level after the opening leg where they at least proved capable of competing without resorting to bunker tactics.

Another interesting question, especially after all this talk of Jaime Moreno being called back into the Bolivian squad for Copa America this summer: Will he show more energy, or any at all, tonight than he did in the first leg where he was a ghost except for one threatening shot?

I think that if United could strike early Chivas might be apt to fall apart in front of a pressure inducing crowd, hungry for victory after losses in 2 of their last 3 league games. I would think their faithful are expecting a strong victory over an MLS squad. One the flip side I think going down early would be disastrous for United. An important factor in avoiding that fate is Omar Bravo's absence due to yellow card accumulation (2). While I don't agree with the restrictive rule, I'm not arguing at this point; Bravo was the one consistent threat in DC utilizing his speed against a particularly medium paced backline.

The collection by tonight's winner is substantial. It assures a spot in Copa Sudamerica and the chance to play into the World Club Championship, not to mention whatever prize money is alloted to the winner. MLS would earn considerable respect with the presence of at least one, and maybe two, in the finals of the regional tournament. Lastly, a win here would add more fuel to the Sperliga this summer. I'll certainly be rooting for Houston tomorrow night as well.

Can Christian Gomez find a way to get more involved while the Chivas midfield hounds him? Will Emilio's goal streak continue? Who is Fred? We'll see tonight; what an evening it would be if United could pull out a win in Guadalajara.