D.C. United announced today that the club is returningto Charleston, S.C. for preseason training in 2012. For the seventh time inclub history, United will compete in the Carolina Challenge Cup, hosted by theCharleston Battery of the United Soccer Leagues.
The Black-and-Red will face off against the home sideand two other MLS clubs at Blackbaud Stadium in a round-robin competition. Thetournament will be played between February 25 and March 3 of next year.
United has won the last two editions of the CarolinaChallenge Cup, claiming the 2011 title by defeating Charleston and the ChicagoFire, followed by a draw with Toronto FC. With another title in 2012, Unitedwould become the first team to win three consecutive Challenge Cups in thetournament’s nine-year history.
United has a regional rivalry with second divisionCharleston dating back to the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, when the Battery knocked theBlack-and-Red out of the competition in a third round meeting. Most recentlythe two sides met in the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, with Unitedclaiming that contest 2-1. Charleston finished the 2011 USL PRO season infourth place in the America Division with a 10-9-5 record.
