When we last left D.C. United, they were ambling off the field, humbled by Taylor Twellman and the New England Revolution. Though their season ended on a sour note, they were able to reconcile the Revs loss with a significant piece of hardware, the Supporters’ Shield, earned by compiling the best regular-season record in the MLS.

It was this accomplishment that allowed United to participate in the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, which began last Wednesday night in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They entered the match with a poor record at Latin American venues (recent defeats to Pumas UNAM and Universidad Católica come to mind), but United had the closer’s mentality and manhandled CD Olimpia, 4-1 [highlights].

Luciano Emilio impressed in his United debut, finishing a cross with a brilliant backheel. Christian Gomez picked up his MVP-caliber play and scored on two impeccably placed drives from the edge of the box. Facundo Erpen put an exclamation point on the victory, converting a header across the mouth of the goal.

Tonight, United complete the home-and-home, total goals quarterfinal at RFK. Realistically speaking, the quarterfinal was all but decided last Wednesday. In addition to Olimpia’s inherited defecit, they face the challenge of playing in a cold-weather environment as a warm-weather team. Despite these factors, it should still be an interesting game. United’s defense will be tested all game, and Olimpia’s expected aggression will serve United well to prepare them for offensive-minded MLS teams such as New England and Dallas.

D.C. United v. CD Olimpia, RFK Stadium, 7:00 p.m.