For the second time in club history, D.C. United faces Real Madrid this afternoon at FedEx Field. The first meeting between the two teams in 2006, saw a 1-1 draw at Qwest Field in Seattle in front of 68,000 fans. Today's match - which kicks-off at 3 p.m. - is expected to have over 70,000. The game can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura.
A few notes if you're coming to the game today:
- Get there early and pick up your tickets right away, as lines will be long.
- Parking lots open at 10 a.m.
- Ticket and will call windows open at 10 a.m.
- Stadium gates open at 1 p.m.
All of the relevant FedEx Field info you need is at dcunited.com.
Unfortunately for United, it looks like the team will be without Bryan Namoff and Santino Quaranta today, both of whom are dealing with slight hamstring strains. Clyde Simms, recovering from hernia surgery, may see some minutes.
There's a lot to read out there, so just a few choice links ahead of today's match:
- The Best Team Money Can Buy - by Steven Goff (the Washington Post)
- United not backing down - by Alex Sopko (the Washington Times)
- Madrid is used to Real big spending - by Craig Stouffer (Washington Examiner)
- DC abuzz over Real Madrid visit - by Charlie Boehm (dcunited.com)
- United awaits showdown with Spanish power Real Madrid - by Eric Lewis (USA Today)
- Photos: Saturday with United and Real Madrid
- Video: D.C. United and Real Madrid training sessions
- Video: United-Real Madrid press conference
Should be a fun one.
I'd be curious to see your predictions. Do you think United has a chance against one of the best teams in the world? Drop your guess in the comments below and we'll pick one person who gets it right and give them two tickets to an upcoming game.
