DC United kicked off competition on yet another front – The CONCACAF Champions League – last night looking like a decidedly haggard squad. Jaime Moreno was on the bench. The $1.9 million-per-year Marcel Gallardo was back in Argentina for further rehab, leaving his total games played for the season at 14. That’s over 100 grand per game, spaced out over 7 months. Nice work if you can get it. Also absent was his fellow countryman, defender Gonzalo Peralta, while Coach Tom Soehn decided to he’d had enough of the shutouts and re-installed Zach Wells as keeper.

But facing this second-rate United squad was a first-rate one, at least by CONCACAF standards. Costa Rican champs Deportivo Saprissa featured no fewer than six Costa Rican internationals and entered the 2008 competition as defending champs. Unsurprisingly, they duly took the game to United, camping out in DC’s half of the field, dominating possession, and creating all the good chances. Forward Alejandro Alzipar was lively early, dispossessing Quaranta in midfield before carrying at the defense and hitting a subtle loft that was just high of Wells’ net. Minutes later Wells was forced into a diving block when defender Randall Porras took a well-worked corner kick and struck a rasping twenty-five yard drive towards the back post. DC finally got what they deserved when Saprissa’s goal finally came in the 31st minute. Alzipar gained possession in the area, but McTavish couldn’t react quickly enough to a poor touch. Alzipar flailed on the ground but still poked the ball to Walter Centeno who side-footed a saveable shot past Wells from 18 yards.