Ajax makes title challenge ahead of United clash

UNITED TO FACE POTENTIAL CHAMPIONS

As league championships across Europe roll to a close over the next few weeks, the Dutch First Division - or Eredivisie - will be the first major competition to crown a champion. This weekend Holland's most successful club, AFC Ajax, will play host to reigning Dutch champion FC Twente at Amsterdam Arena in a winner-take-all season finale. If Ajax claims the contest, it will mark the legendary side's 30th Eredivisie title. The match will be played on Sunday, May 15, at 8:30 a.m. ET, and fans can watch live via ESPN3.com.?

Currently Ajax sits on 70 points in the Dutch table, a solitary point behind first place Twente. Both clubs are coming off crucial victories from the previous weekend, with Ajax coming from behind against Heerenveen to earn a 2-1 win, and Twente thrashing Willem II 4-0 at home. D.C. United will face Ajax on Sunday, May 22 in an international friendly at RFK Stadium (5:00 p.m. ET). The meeting will mark the first encounter between these two historic sides.

WHAT TO WATCH

Ajax is known for producing some of the top players in world football, and this year's team is no exception. The Dutch giants are littered with young talent, including 19-year-old Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen, 23-year-old defender Gregory Van Der Wiel, and rising star Jan Vertonghen. Dutch forward Monuir El Hamdaoui leads Ajax this term with 13 goals in 26 League games.?

United fans will also recognize American defender Oguchi Onyewu in this contest, as the U.S. National Team defender has started seven matches for The Reds since coming on loan from AC Milan.?

UNRIVALED EXCELLENCE

Ajax's history of youth development is unrivaled, with top players such as Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Edwin van der Saar, Patrick Kluivert, and Clarence Seedorf all coming from the club's academy. Current goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg is a member of Holland's National Team alongside Vertonghen.

Stekelenburg has recently been linked with a summer move to the English Premier League, following in the footsteps of former Ajax winger Luis Suarez, who has been a sensation at Liverpool since joining the Merseyside outfit in January. Eriksen has also been linked to a move across the North Sea to Anfield.?

Since the time of Ajax maestro Johan Cruyff, the Amsterdam club has been known for revolutionary attacking football, and this brand of soccer will be on display in Sunday's contest against the fast and direct style of FC Twente. Ajax's Total Football approach has resulted in the capture of four European Cups/UEFA Champions League trophies.?

Source: http://www.dcunited.com/news/2011/05/ajax-makes-title-challenge-ahead-of-united-clash

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