D.C. United have spent the past two days acclimating to their new environment ahead of Thursday night's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal first-leg clash with LD Alajuelense in Alajuela, Costa Rica, including two training sessions on the firm artificial turf of Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.
Flying directly from their final preseason camp in Texas, the Black-and-Red arrived in Central America late Monday and trained at Alajuelense's home stadium, located about half an hour northwest of San Jose, the nation's largest city, on Tuesday and Wednesday. And they are taking particular care to get accustomed to the relatively unfamiliar playing surface at the compact, intimate ground.
“It’s turf. It’s bouncy. It won’t play the prettiest soccer. But both teams have to deal with it and I think we can still manage the game well,” veteran D.C. attacker Chris Pontius told DCUnited.com. “It's something different, and we haven’t played on it in preseason at all. It’s different than most turf is. It plays a lot bouncier than most turf so we have to get used to that.”
While they're fully aware of the stern task awaiting them on Thursday (8 pm ET, Fox Sports 2), United are also enjoying the warm tropical sunshine as their home city shivers in sub-freezing winter conditions up north. But the balmy temperatures also mean some unfamiliar – and downright frightening – flora and fauna were there to greet the estadounidense visitors:
This week marks a homecoming for striker Jairo Arrieta, a Costa Rican international who experienced a “rock-star return” as fans and media alike flocked to his side from the moment D.C. hit the airport.
But Arrieta and his teammates will receive a different sort of welcome altogether when they take the field against Alajuelense on Thursday. Hostile conditions are expected at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, where “Los Manudos” have raced out to a solid start in their domestic league, sitting in second place with 17 points after two months of play.
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United watched the Montreal Impact earn a 2-2 draw at Mexico's Pachuca in their CCL quarterfinal first leg on Tuesday, and know their own hopes of advancement likely hinge on gutting out a similar achievement.
“You have to understand we are in a very good position so I think the guys understand how important this game is and how rare these opportunities come about,” said Pontius. “It’s about getting in the right mentality to go get a result on the road.”
