This is the Group H preview as the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League gets underway on Aug. 4-6. For comprehensive CONCACAF Champions League coverage, bookmark this page.
D.C. United (USA) | HOW QUALIFIED: First place in 2014 MLS Eastern Conference | PREVIOUS BEST: Quarterfinals (2014-15); Winners, 1998 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup
Arabe Unido (PAN) | HOW QUALIFIED: 2015 Panamanian Clausura winners | PREVIOUS BEST: Quarterfinals (2009-10, 2013-14)
Montego Bay United (JAM) | HOW QUALIFIED: 2015 Caribbean Club Championship 3rd place | PREVIOUS BEST: First participation
DAVID AND GOLIATH
Arabe Unido may give D.C. United a run for their money, but the pecking order is pretty clearly defined here: D.C. are a team rich in CCL history and looking for redemption after a disappointing exit to Alajuelense in the 2014-15 quarterfinals. United should have little trouble against debutants Montego Bay considering they dispatched another Jamaican team, Waterhouse, fairly comfortably last time around.
However, United defender Bobby Boswell contested the notion that the team has an easy draw, especially given the trouble Arabe Unido gave his Houston Dynamo side two years ago.
“It’s silly to me that anyone says you get a lucky draw,” Boswell insisted after the draw was made. “Because you’re going to have to beat good teams on the road, you’re going to have to take care of your home games, and you’re going to play good teams regardless to advance.”
SCHEDULE
| Date/Time (ET) | Home | Away | Venue |
| August 5 | 8 PM | Arabe Unido | Montego Bay United | Estadio Maracana |
| August 19 | 8 PM | Arabe Unido | D.C. United | Estadio Maracana |
| August 25 | 8 PM | D.C. United | Montego Bay United | RFK Stadium |
| September 15 | 8 PM | D.C. United | Arabe Unido | RFK Stadium |
| September 22 | 8 PM | Montego Bay United | D.C. United | Montego Bay Sports Complex |
| October 22 | 8 PM | Montego Bay United | Arabe Unido | Montego Bay Sports Complex |
STAR POWER
Alvaro Saborio, D.C. United: Reunited with his former running mate in Fabian Espindola (another strong shout in this category), Sabo figures to bring years of experience in this competition – both from his time with Real Salt Lake and at the beginning of his career with Saprissa – to bear. A Champions' Cup winner with the Costa Rican team in 2005, Sabo went on to score eight goals in the 2010-11 campaign as RSL made it all the way to the final. He's already found the net with his new team, and as long as they can stay on the field, Saborio and Espindola should have no problem negotiating some tough CONCACAF defenses.
Abdiel Arroyo, Arabe Unido: The 21-year-old Panamanian international forward was one of six domestic-based players to be called into Panama's 2015 Gold Cup squad, where they were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion by Mexico. He appeared in all five of Panama's games as a substitute, and converted penalties in shootout wins over Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. Blessed with speed and good technique, Arroyo was a key figure in Arabe's recent Panamanian title win, picking up a goal and an assist in the final.
X-FACTOR
Arabe Unido have consistently been one of the strongest teams in the region when it comes to “CONCACAFing.” For those uninitiated in CONCACAF play, that means using whatever means possible – within and outside of the rules – to get ahead, eat some time off the clock and get into the opposition's heads. The classic example came five years ago, in what is jokingly known as The Stretcher Game:
A similar fate befell the Houston Dynamo when they were paired with the Panamanians in 2013 – they managed to edge a chippy first game, but couldn’t solve the problem in an equally controversial return game in Panama, which led to their elimination and plenty of recrimination over Arabe's time-wasting tactics.
MLS/US CONNECTIONS
Montego Bay forward Dino Williams played briefly for the Charleston Battery in 2012 and was part of Jamaica's 2015 Copa América squad … Forward AllenOttey was also on Jamaica's Copa América team and was on the roster for the 2015 Gold Cup as well … Montego Bay forward Evan Taylor spent time with the Vancouer Whitecaps Residency in 2009 and the Charleston Battery in 2011 … 19-year-old Arabe Unido defender Chin Hormechea made his senior international debut for Panama against the United States on Feb. 8, 2015.
CAN D.C. UNITED WIN IT ALL?
D.C. have demonstrated a great capacity to grind out results and successfully navigated the group stage in the previous edition of the tournament. The question lies in their ability to perform in the knockout stages, where they collapsed on the road at Alajuelense earlier this year. They're not the sexiest pick to win it all, but if we've learned anything this year, it's that Ben Olsen's side often play best when they fly under the radar.
