In most international soccer competitions, tournament structure calls for a two-game series to decide each round. Sometimes called a home-and-home series, the two games usually occur during consecutive weeks; the week-long break in between games is best considered a seven day halftime separating two 90 minute halves. That D.C. United beat their opponent Pachuca C.F. last night offers scant consolation to their fans. Factoring in Pachuca's 2-0 victory last week, United's 2-1 win last night amounts to little more than a well-played half of soccer. The cold, hard fact: United were eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinal for the third time in four years.

Coach Tom Soehn articulated a plan of attack prior to the game. He would urge his attacking players to put high pressure on Pachuca's defenders in hopes of inducing the visitors to commit turnovers. He illustrated his commitment to this plan by lifting defender Marc Burch from the starting eleven and inserting forward Jaime Moreno in his place. The plan looked great on paper. If Pachuca's skilled midfielders were denied service, they'd be unable to ply their trade. Unfortunately for United, their strategy was undone by Jose Aguilar's whistle. The referee called foul for every challenge executed by United in their attacking half. He gave Luciano Emilio one of the softest yellows I've ever seen after a 50-50 jostle for a mid-air ball in the Pachuca box. Later in the first half, he gave Marcelo Gallardo a questionable yellow for a hard challenge.

The first half was punctuated by fouls, fallen Tuzos (the Gophers, Pachuca's nickname), and missed chances. Pachuca should have scored in the 17th minute when Gabriel Caballero sent in a blistering header from point blank range. Though goalkeeper Zach Wells anticipated the direction of Caballero's header, he did not save the shot as much as the shot found its way to his body. United had a corresponding chance 11 minutes later, but Emilio couldn't take advantage of Devon McTavish's overlapping run and cross, and the Brazilian's shot scooted wide left. Each side developed several other occasions for goal, though neither could convert, thanks to shoddy finishing and defenses that hustled to recover from their mistakes.

As soon as the second half started, United's position became more urgent with each minute. Needing two goals to force extra time, their chances began to dry up as their impetus increased. In the 50th minute, it appeared that Pachuca struck a fatal blow, but it turned out that Andres Chitiva's shot found only the right side of the net. Though the revelation brought a sense of relief to the home squad, their good will was wiped out five minutes later. Marcelo Gallardo sent a perfect through ball to Fred, who sprinted deep into the Pachuca penalty box. Moments away from a shot, defender Leobardo Lopez dragged him down. Referee Aguilar's silence sent the United players into disbelief.

Still searching for that elusive first goal, Soehn subbed out Santino Quaranta for Marc Burch, placing the defender-by-trade on the left wing. Gallardo and Burch insisted on playing the ball down the left flank for a cross, and after three tries they succeeded. Emilio did better to angle the ball on net, but keeper Miguel Calero's lanky reach prevented the goal. United refreshed the legs of their attackers twice more in the half, sending in Franco Niell for McTavish and Rod Dyachenko for Jaime Moreno. In spite of these insertions, United began to look flagged. For most of the second half, Pachuca was a comfortable step ahead of United at every pass, and United seemed to lack the energy or execution to threaten goal.

As United pushed forward, Pachuca dealt the killing blow. After United coughed up the ball in the midfield, Pachuca raced toward goal on a 3-on-3 break. Damian Alvarez drifted to the left side of the box. He received the ball without a defender within ten yards of him. When Wells rushed out to meet him, Alvarez curled his shot under and around the goalkeeper for the score. Seventy-six minutes into the game, and needing three goals, United was cooked.

Only they didn't give up. In a somewhat miraculous sequence, United gradually became more comfortable with the ball as the Pachuca midfield dropped farther back into defensive territory. In the 85th minute, Bryan Namoff collected a turnover, ran towards goal, and fed Fred down the right side of the box. The nimble midfielder sent a low ball diagonally through the box, finding Dyachenko for a clean finish. Too little, too late, it seemed, but Dyachenko picked up the ball and rushed it back to the center circle with confidence and fervor.

When the clock ticked into the 90th minute, United found net again. Gonzalo Peralto sent an exquisite ball floating over the defense and onto the path of Fred. Rushing toward net, Fred declined to take the angled shot, and one-timed his reception back to the top of the box. As the ball settled, Niell blasted a rocket into the far corner. Aguilar signaled for two minutes of added time, allowing United to do little more than send optimistic long balls into the box.

Many times in soccer, a match's result can be qualified as fair, mostly fair, or unfair. This qualification is determined by examining the breaks of the game, the flukes, controversies, and dictatorship of the game's pace. The abundance of these variables in last night's games makes its result difficult to qualify. The best thing for United to do now is not to analyze what happened, or to speculate on what could have been, but to move forward and concentrate on their MLS schedule. I'm still convinced that the pieces are in place for a fantastic season. Will Soehn and United be able to put them together effectively as the season marches on?