How different, really, are D.C. United and Real Madrid? On the surface, that’s a laughable question. One has spent vast fortunes to attempt to knock off their eternal rivals; the other has only a handful of players who earn salaries that wouldn’t be scoffed at on the other team. One is from Spain, a country that arguably boasts the best domestic league and national team in the world; the other is from the United States, where the domestic league is seen as little but a minnow in the worldwide football hierarchy, and the national team is in a constant uphill battle for respectability. One squad’s bench contains nine players who could wipe the floor with most teams in the world by simply adding a couple guys they found on the street; the other’s bench, while not untalented, would likely struggle to make it through an entire season with a winning record.

But football, if nothing else, tends to be the great equalizer. Here are two teams that certainly can lay claim to being the most successful in their respective countries. And on any given day, United’s character could certainly match that of the Spanish giants, even with such a gulf in talent between them. There was little separating the two teams on the pitch — only a 1-1 draw in 2006.

So, really, what’s the difference?

Well, as one Madrid supporter said to me with unreserved aplomb on the long walk between Morgan Boulevard and FedEx Field, “you just cannot compare D.C. United and the mighty Real Madrid!” That certainly was the case on Sunday. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka may have been the draw, but it was the Arjen Robben and Gonzalo Higuain show as Real Madrid came alive in the second half to defeat D.C. United 3-0 before a club-record attendance of 72,368.