WASHINGTON - Luciano Emilio's header off an assist from

Christian Gomez in the 91st minute gave D.C. United a 1-1 tie with

Chivas de Guadalajara in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions' Cup

semifinal on Thursday night.

Omar Bravo's header off a crossing pass from Sergio Santana gave

Guadalajara a 1-0 lead in the 63rd minute.

The 11-time Mexican Primera Division champions got a lot of

support from the crowd of 26,528 that chanted ''Chivas! Chivas!

Chivas!'' during much of the rainy match at RFK Stadium.

But D.C. United, winner of the 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup,

battled back for their fans.

Emilio, a Brazilian striker and former national scoring champion

in Honduras, was signed Jan. 16 by D.C. United as a senior

international player. Emilio's tying goal was his

tournament-leading fourth in this CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

On one of Guadalajara's best scoring opportunities, Bravo's shot

from point-blank range was denied by D.C. United goalkeeper Troy

Perkins in the 55th minute.

The second leg will be played April 3 at Estadio Jalisco in

Guadalajara, Mexico. The team with the most goals after two legs

advances to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, set for April 17-19 and

24-26.

The Houston Dynamo defeated Pachuca CF of Mexico 2-0 in the

first leg of the other semifinal series on Thursday. This is the

first time since 2000 that two U.S. clubs have reached the

semifinals and the first time they've ever faced Mexican sides in

the CONCACAF Champions' Cup's final four.

The tournament champion will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup

Japan 2007.