In just a few hours D.C. United will take to the pitch with their CONCACAF Champions League life on the line. Honduran club Marathon is visiting Washington, fresh off a 7-0 humiliation against Toluca last week. Adding to their misery is the political unrest that forced the club to hop on a bus to El Salvador just to make the flight up.
With Toluca sealing their qualification spot last night with a win against San Juan Jabloteh, United and Marathon will now battle it out for the remaining spot. It's a shock that United is even in the running after dropping their first two games of the competition, but a win tonight would thrust them back into the thick of things.
Along with the necessity for a win, piling on a number of goals would be just as important. Both clubs are at a -3 on goal differential, so a United win by two or more goals would give them the advantage. United will have to win despite dealing with some defensive injuries — Bryan Namoff is out with a concussion, while Marc Burch remains sidelined after ankle surgery. Defender Dejan Jakovic is listed as probable, but it would be surprising to see him in the starting lineup seeing that he's still working his way back to fitness.
Think United can get the result tonight? Can they get the win tonight and even advance to the quarterfinals? Share your thoughts below.