D.C. United turned in an unconvincing performance in Saturday's regular season-opening 2-0 loss at Kansas City. But for better or worse there is little time to dwell on the result with Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinal match against CF Pachuca looming large in the minds of the Black-and-Red.
Head coach Tom Soehn's lineup choices confirmed that, as he kept two of his most creative players, Fred and Jaime Moreno, out of the starting XI for the Wizards contest. He then took off striker Franco Niell and left back Marc Burch early in the second half.
"It would be nice to have a little bit of legs going [to Pachuca] at high altitude, playing a really important game," said Burch afterwards. "Not to say this one wasn't important, but it's a really important game we have down there."
The tournament's defending champions and one of Mexico's top clubs over the past few seasons, "Los Tuzos" present an imposing challenge for D.C. on the field -- but the mere location of their Estadio Miguel Hidalgo home will present a substantial obstacle for the visitors as well. The 33,000-capacity stadium has become known around Mexico for the zeal of the local fans, but their passion only bolsters the built-in benefits of the city's topography.
Pachuca sits amid some of the nation's highest mountains, at an altitude that surpasses the 'Mile High City' of Denver by some 2,500 feet. The rarefied air provides the local club with a breathtaking homefield advantage, as the Houston Dynamo can confirm.
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