The Columbus Crew and D.C. United will each embark on another international adventure April 4 when both teams travel abroad to take on regional powerhouses Saprissa of Costa Rica and Arnett Gardens of Jamaica, respectively, in their quest to win the inaugural FC Giants Cup tournament. The Crew will play the first leg of a two-game quarterfinal series on April 4, against the “Morados” (Violet ones) of Saprissa at Ricardo Saprissa stadium in San Jose (10 p.m. ET). The match represents the Crew’s first foray into international tournament competition. The return match vs. Saprissa will be played at Crew Stadium on Wednesday, April 11 (7:30 p.m. ET). Saprissa advanced to meet the Crew by handily defeating Alianza of El Salvador in a two-leg series by an aggregate score of 5-1 (5-1, 0-0). Crew Head Coach Tom Fitzgerald, who was in attendance at the second-leg, called Saprissa “a very good team. I expect our series against them to produce two very competitive matches.” The 1998 FC Champions Cup and 1998 InterAmerican Cup champions D.C. United, are back in the international arena seeking to add more international tournament hardware to their collection. The Black & Red travel to Kingston, Jamaica, to take on Caribbean power Arnett Gardens at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex tomorrow (4 p.m. ET). United will miss goalkeeper Mike Amman, defender Eddie Pope (sprained toe), forward Jaime Moreno (knee surgery) and midfielder Ben Olsen (broken ankle), all of whom will not make the trip. However, the good news for United is that brilliant playmaker Marco “El Diablo” Etcheverry is back after completing his loan to Oriente Petrolero in his native Bolivia. The return leg is set for RFK Stadium on April 11 (8 p.m. ET). Arnett Gardens, one of Jamaica’s best and most popular Premier Division clubs, reached the quarterfinals of the FC Giants Cup by eliminating Suriname’s SV Transvaal. The home and home series ended with a 6-2 aggregate in favor of the Jamaican side. The first match, hosted by Transvaal, ended in a 1-1 draw. In the return leg, Arnett Gardens cruised on their home pitch to a 5-1 victory over a Transvaal team that had two players sent off in the second half. Each round will be played over two legs leading into the semifinals and finals, which will be played in a “final four” format at a TBD single venue in the United States. The Giants Cup champions will receive $50,000, with the runner-up set to earn $40,000. The winner of the third-place match will receive $35,000, with the fourth-place side garnering $30,000. The winner and runner-up of the inaugural 2001 Giants Cup will also gain berths for the first FC Clubs Cup, to be held in early 2003. Additionally, the winner and runner-up of the 2002 Giants Cup, along with the top two clubs in the 2001 and 2002 editions of the FC Champions Cup, will also gain entry into the 2003 FC Clubs Cup (for a total of eight teams). The 2003 FC Clubs Cup will determine the two FC representatives in the 2003 FIFA Club World Championship. The other half of the field in the 2001 FC Giants Cup features: Guadalajara and America of Mexico, and Comunicaciones and Municipal of Guatemala.