D.C. United vs. Alajuelense
RFK Stadium Washington, D.C.
Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, second leg
Mar. 4, 8 pm ET (Fox Sports 2, Univision Deportes Network)
After witnessing the Montreal Impact pull off an improbable finish on Tuesday night, D.C. United will be hoping to do them one better and cancel out a three-goal deficit against Alajuelense in their own Scotiabank Champions League quarterfinal series.
Head coach Ben Olsen's men suffered a crushing 5-2 defeat in Costa Rica on Thursday night, a game that Alajuelense dominated from the start and found a way to hit the visitors back every time it looked as though they might give themselves a chance in the series.
Goals on the road from Fabian Espindola and Steve Birnbaum should give D.C. a reasonable amount of encouragement that they can find the necessary offense, but the team's performance on defense will need to improve. The return of first-choice goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who practiced Monday without any problems, will certainly be a huge boost in that department after Andrew Dykstra struggled in Costa Rica.
Elsewhere, extended layoffs for Eddie Johnson, Luis Silva and Michael Seaton have limited Olsen's options in attack. This means plenty of work for newly-minted Designated Player Espindola, who led D.C. in scoring with 11 league goals in 2014 and took his career CCL total to five with his latest strike. Chris Pontius will likely continue to make his case for a starting spot after playing 276 minutes last year due to injury, while Jairo Arrieta, an ex-Saprissa player, could prove to be a wild card against his longtime former rivals.
The Opponent – What you need to know about Alajuelense
Coach: Oscar Ramirez (Costa Rica)
Position: 2nd in Costa Rican Primera division (5-3-2; 17 pts, 16 GF/11 GA; Last five games: L-L-D-W-W - did not play over the weekend)
Best CCL/Champions' Cup finish: Winners (1986, 2004)
Player to Watch: Armando Alonso – The attack-minded midfielder can present a variety of threats going forward, as D.C. found out in the first leg when Alonso drew the penalty for Alajuelense's second goal before applying the final touch for Jose Ortiz to strike for the team's fourth. He can also finish, though, as evidenced by his 10 goals in the 2014 Invierno tournament and another so far in the current 2015 Verano season.
- Find more D.C. news at DCUnited.com
Possible XIs:
- D.C. (4-4-1-1): Hamid; Franklin, Boswell, Birnbaum, Kemp; DeLeon, Arnaud, Kitchen, Rolfe; Pontius; Espindola
- Alajuelense (4-4-2 diamond): Lewis; Gutierrez, Acosta, Lopez, Peralta; Rodriguez; Matarrita, Venegas; Alonso; McDonald, Matarrita; Ortiz
Why D.C. will win: Miracles happen, right? In all seriousness, a 3-0 or 4-1 result is not outside of this D.C. squad's capability (just check the results table from last year). That being said, a lot has to go right. If United haven't made one (or even two) breakthroughs by halftime, it's hard to see them pulling out the result they need. And then there's the small task of shutting out – holding to one goal at the very least – a team that put five past them less than a week ago.
Why Alajuelense will win: The sheer size of their advantage makes them heavy favorites to progress. After conceding two at home, they will likely rely on a defense-minded showing against a D.C. United side out for revenge and attacking from the get-go if they are to take the result on the day as well.
