United Aims for Revenge Against Chivas

• Washington Post, Wednesday, September 26, 2007 3:45 PM

D.C. United faces a familiar foe Wednesday night when it opens play in the Copa Sudamericana, South America's fall international club competition. The MLS club hosts Guadalajara, a team it played -- and lost to -- in last spring's CONCACAF Champions Cup.

United continued its recent pattern of just falling short in international play when it tied Chivas, 1-1, at home and lost, 2-1, in Guadalajara after taking a first-half lead in the second leg. The loss in the semifinals of the CONCACAF competition followed an extensive preseason training camp D.C. conducted to get ready.

"I think we're about tired and fed up with close," midfielder Ben Olsen said. "We need to start stepping up and making sure that in these competitions, we finish the job." By "we," Olsen says he means all MLS clubs. Houston fell to Pachuca in overtime in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and the Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy lost on penalty kicks to Pachuca in the final  two stages of this summer's SuperLiga.

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