D.C. and Houston coming off tepid displays

When D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo opened the MLS season last weekend, their aim was not only to get their league campaigns off to a credible start, but to generate some precious momentum ahead of their respective semifinals this week in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. But based on each team's performance last Saturday, there won't be much in the way of good vibrations ahead of each team's first-leg encounter.

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D.C.'s Fred is expected to be back in the lineup against Pachuca.

United, who will face cup holders Pachuca away on Tuesday, delivered a tepid display in a 2-0 loss at Kansas City. It was a match where United struggled to find their attacking rhythm and one where they were also punished for a lapse in concentration in the 61st minute, when the Wizards' Claudio Lopez scored just seconds after Gonzalo Peralta's apparent equalizer was disallowed for offside.

Given the quick three-day turnaround between matches, head coach Tom Soehn was also forced into time management mode. Brazilian midfielder Fred started the game on the bench, and forward Jaime Moreno, who is still nursing a tender hamstring, missed the match entirely.

"We wanted to rest some guys, realizing that our big game is Tuesday," said Soehn. "It's always a Catch-22 in the fact that you never want to start the season out the wrong way, which is what we did last year, but we realize the importance of this next [game] and making sure the guys are fresh and ready to go in a tough environment."

Of course, United looked positively rampant compared to the Dynamo's display against New England. The reigning MLS champions were barely recognizable in losing 3-0 to the Revolution, with their much vaunted defense in shambles. Basic concepts such as staying with your man were routinely ignored, and a grateful New England side, minus Taylor Twellman, Khano Smith and Wells Thompson, took advantage.

"We just looked hesitant, we didn't talk, all stuff that is very correctable," said Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear. "But we just had an off, off night."

It means that both teams will need to engage in some selective amnesia, essentially remembering the pain without losing confidence. Houston does have the luxury of coming home to the cozy confines and raucous crowd of Robertson Stadium. The return of midfielder Ricardo Clark, who was suspended for the New England match, and whose range and bite were badly missed, will also give the Dynamo a boost.

"I think [Clark's] suspension has had a little bit of a trickle-down effect, where you're always adjusting," said Kinnear. "Last year we had a good run at it where [Richard] Mulrooney was in there for seven games in a row, but getting Rico back will help us for sure."

While the Dynamo will attempt to forget Saturday's nightmare, their opponents, Costa Rican champions Saprissa, will be brimming with confidence. The "Monstruo Morado," fresh of their 2007 Apertura triumph, have been laying waste to their domestic league in the current Clausura tournament, sporting an unbeaten record that has seen them win nine of their 10 matches.

Much of that success was achieved with departed midfielder Alonso Solis in the lineup, but Saprissa still has plenty of attacking weapons. Old standbys Walter Centeno and Ronald Gomez still add punch to their team's attack, while 19-year-old Celso Borges has assumed Solis' spot in the lineup.

The Saprissa back line did look vulnerable during its quarterfinal triumph against Mexican champions Atlante, with sweeper Victor Cordero dropping so deep at times that it ended up inadvertently stretching his team's defense. Employing such a tactic on Wednesday would play right into Houston's hands. The Dynamo don't have the pace up top to get behind defenses anyway, and by dropping deep, Saprissa might create the kind of spaces underneath that Dwayne De Rosario loves to exploit. Stuart Holden will also be counted on to bolster the Dynamo's attack, especially with Brad Davis' participation still uncertain due to a left groin strain.

United face a test of a different sort. There was a time when Pachuca were winning every trophy in sight, claiming the Copa Sudamericana, the CCC, the SuperLiga, as well as two Mexican championships in the past two years alone. But lately, "Los Tuzos" have seemed a shadow of their former selves. Last year's departure of defender Aquivaldo Mosquera to Spanish side Sevilla left a hole in the Pachuca defense that Soehn contends "has changed the complexion of their team."

As a result, the side has become average defensively, although having attacking players like Christian Giménez, Andres Chitiva, and Juan Carlos Cacho has allowed Pachuca to remain competitive.

"There is a reason why [Pachuca] has had success, and a lot of those pieces are still there," said Soehn. "At any time one of those guys can hurt you."

That will require a strong performance from defensive midfielder Clyde Simms, and good communication along the back line, the better to keep track of Giménez, who is a threat to pop up anywhere in the attacking third. But perhaps the most daunting aspect of Tuesday's match will be the lung-searing altitude and intimidating atmosphere of Pachuca's Estadio Nuevo Hidalgo.

In last year's CCC semifinal, United were faced with another high-altitude adversary in CD Guadalajara, and spent two weeks in Mexico getting acclimated. The close proximity of Tuesday's match to the start of the MLS season won't allow for that kind of extended preparation, with United forced to go for the zip-in/zip-out approach.

Compounding matters is the status of Moreno. Soehn added that the Bolivian could have played last weekend, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will line up against Pachuca.

"We've got to be very cautious about using [Moreno] in this game, for the fact that we don't want to set him back," said Soehn. The return of Fred, who helped take apart Harbour View in the previous round, should aid the Black-and-Red's offense. But given the hostile environment and the altitude, a cautious tactical approach will likely rule the day. It might not be enough to deliver a victory, but even a narrow defeat will probably give United enough momentum to win the series when they return home for the second leg.

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com