2019-05-01_World_Soccer

ON BOTH SIDES

CLUB AMERICA GUADALAJARA

NEXT ISSUE ON SALE MAY 17

RI V^ ALS

T

hese are the two most successful

teams in Mexico: Club America

have won the league 13 times

compared to Guadalajara’s 12,

neither has ever been relegated and both

attract huge support throughout the

country, as well as in the United States.

That, however, is where all similarities

end in a rivalry that is as much a culture

clash as anything else.

Based in Mexico City and owned

by a huge media company, Club

America are seen as the wealthy elite

from the capital who import the best

foreign players that money can buy.

Guadalajara, on the other hand,

are regarded as the poor, provincial

upstarts from Jalisco – home of

mariachi and tequila – who only

Latin America’s Super Clasico is a clash of cultures

CLASSIC ENCOUNTERS

1944

Feb 20

Guadalajara won the first two

games, but then America thrashed them 7-2

and now lead in head-to-head games, with

84 victories, 74 losses and 75 draws.

19 8 3

May 22

The second leg of the

championship semi-final would become

known as “La Bronca del ’83” (“The Riot of

’83”) with players from both sides fighting

one another as Guadalajara won 3-0 to

overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit and progress

to the Final.

1984

Jun 10

In the only time the two have

met in the league play-off Final, America

won 3-1 after drawing the first leg 2-2.

1986

Aug 17

Another on-field brawl began

when Guadalajara’s Fernando Quirarte was

shown a red card and only ended when the

referee sent off all 22 players. With the

game abandoned, the last 18 minutes had

to be played later in the season and finished

with America winning 1-0.

recruit Mexican players.

America edged ahead in terms of

domestic dominance in December when

they beat Cruz Azul 2-0 on aggregate

in the Apertura Final. It was a campaign

to forget for Guadalajara, who failed to

even make the play-offs as they finished

outside the top eight.

And things aren’t looking much better

for the team known as “Chivas” (the

goats) in this year’s Clausura, either.

Having topped the league table

after three games, they lost 2-0 at

home to their great rivals in March

and slipped down the table to 11th

place – just three days after being

knocked out of the quarter-finals of

the Copa MX by the same opponents

and by the same score.

OSCAR RUGGERI

● 1992-93; (coach)

2004

● (coach) 2001-02

LEO BEENHAKKER

● (coach) 1994-95,

2003-04

● (coach) 1996

JAVIER AGUIRRE

● 1979-80,

19 81- 8 4

● 19 8 7- 9 3

FRANCISCO JAVIER

RODRIGUEZ

● 2002-08

● 2013-14

JESUS MOLINA

● 2011-14

● 2019-present

IGNACIO AMBRIZ

● (coach) 2012

● (coach) 2015-16

Fanatical...

Guadalajara

supporters

Cup clash...Club America’s Bruno Valdez

(left) and Jair Pereira of Guadalajara in

March’s Copa MX quarter-final

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