There's not much more to say about D.C. United and the CONCACAF Champions League. As you'll see below, we've already put together a novella on tonight's game with Queretaro. After an offseason of over 3 months, United is back on the field in a game you can look at two ways: It's daunting because it involves opening the season against a Liga MX opponent, but it's also a game against an opponent in mediocre form who, stylistically, is a pretty good match-up for the Black-and-Red.
Are you ready? Let's do this thing!
D.C. United Projected Starting 11:
Starting XI: Dykstra; Kemp, Birnbaum, Boswell, Franklin; Rolfe, Marcelo, DeLeon, Nyarko; Acosta, Espíndola #tchub pic.twitter.com/YQ03h7tqVV
— D.C. United (@dcunited) February 24, 2016
Match previews: We covered United's likely starting eleven over the weekend, talked about Queretaro's projected starters yesterday, listed the keys for United if they're going to get a result, and previewed the game this morning (that piece also has the TV/streaming info, in case you need it). Also, since we're the only English-language outlet covering this game in person, you should check out Steven Streff's exclusive with Ben Olsen (and some players as well).
Referee: We're not sure. It's not posted anywhere that we've found yet.
What are you drinking?: I slept about 3 hours last night, so I will be making a cup of coffee just before gametime. After that, I have Flying Dog's K9 Winter Ale, which is a great beer for a cold, rainy evening.
Prediction: I can see this one going a bunch of different ways depending on when the first goal is scored and who scores it. Last year I was hyper-aggressive with my predictions, so I might scale this one back. United gets a lead on a set piece, but Queretaro uses their fitness and the altitude to haul themselves level and then scores a winner in the final 10 minutes. A 2-1 loss that stings, but still leaves hope for advancement. Steve Birnbaum scores for United, and for Queretaro I'll go with Tito Villa and Angel Sepulveda.
This is your place for pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion.