D.C. United, Portland aim to keep their CONCACAF Champions League campaigns on track
Balance remains the primary objective for D.C. United and Portland as the two MLS sides return to CONCACAF Champions League play tonight.
It is a matter of necessity even with the important matches at hand. There are broader concerns to weigh during any midweek affair at this stage of the season, but both teams understand the opportunity presented in Champions League play this week. Good work now can ease the domestic burden next month and secure an international future next year. Any missteps threaten to inject more complications into the crowded fixture list as the CCL and MLS schedules reach their conclusions.
United (1-0-0, 3 pts.) aims to complete a double over Waterhouse F.C. (2-1-0, 6 pts.) and take a massive step toward emerging from Group 4 tonight (8:00p.m. ET, FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Soccer 2Go). Eddie Johnson provided United with the margin of victory in the first encounter at R.F.K. Stadium last month. A similar result in Kingston will place United in a position to guarantee safe passage with a home result against Tauro FC next week.
Waterhouse presents an awkward obstacle en route to that goal, though. This group boasts a combination of size and technique capable of troubling United if the MLS outfit does not apply itself properly at The Office. United defender Bobby Boswell said he and his teammates must display the urgency befitting this sort of affair in order to procure the desired result.
“Considering they won their other group games, this is the make or break game for group play,” Boswell told DCUnited.com. “Being at their house, we expect them to come out, take the game to us and try to score a lot of goals. I think they feel if they win the game, they’re through. If they lose the game, they’re out. We’re a bit of the same. We have to get the result, but we still have a couple of more games left. It’ll be a tough game.”
The stakes involved will likely prompt United boss Ben Olsen to play a stronger team than the reserve-laden side he selected in the first meeting, though Johnson (concussion) is expected to miss out and Chris Rolfe (fractured arm) is unavailable. Olsen said the importance of this tie requires a different approach in order to obtain the preferred outcome.
“Eddie Johnson was the only starter that we played (in the first match), but it’s a good team,” Olsen told DCUnited.com. “We put out a very good team as well. Our second team is pretty sharp. We’ll have a little bit more of a mix of starters in this game because we understand that they’re in a good spot and we need to win this game.”
Portland (1-0-0, 3 pts.) faces a similar quandary ahead of its first CCL home match against Honduran giants Olimpia (10:00p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Soccer 2Go). The heavy 4-1 victory over Alpha United in Guyana last month provided the Timbers with the perfect platform in Group 5, but it also placed the task ahead against the current Honduran leaders (2-0-0, 6 pts.) in stark relief.
Nothing less than the full complement of points will keep Portland’s quarterfinal ambitions on course. If the Timbers fail to win against Olimpia at Providence Park, then they will face a daunting trip to Tegucigalpa on Oct. 21 in a bid to turn the proceedings around.
The state of affairs means Portland must wade carefully into this content. It is a difficult assignment against a canny and talented Olimpia outfit more than capable of snatching a foothold in the game and holding onto it for dear life. Timbers coach Caleb Porter said the situation at hand warrants full attention even with a vital match against Vancouver in league play ahead on Saturday.
“We’re putting out a good team, a strong team because this is a very important game,” Porter told Timbers.com. “The way I see it, it’s either going to be us or Olimpia that will get out of the group. At this stage, that’s pretty clear with where things sit. We’ve got a home game and then we have to go on the road with the last game – which is wedged between two league games. So if we’re able to get a result, three points, a win here, then we can go on the road and get a draw and go through. I think it’s important that we get a win, first and foremost. We can’t be thinking about anything else.”
It isn’t easy to divert attention away from the postseason push in Portland or the pursuit of the Supporters’ Shield in D.C., but the Champions League considerations justify the indulgence. If the night proceeds according to plan for both MLS sides, then they will reap the rewards for their exertions and slide themselves into a more comfortable position as the group stage proceeds toward its denouement.
