Neither Jaguares de Chiapas nor Morelia carry any illusions as they head into Thursday's InterLiga showdown at Houston's Robertson Stadium. The clubs, neither among Mexico's big-city elite, expect an uphill battle as they challenge for berths in Copa Libertadores, South America's club championship.
"(Club) America is the favorite," Luis Gabriel Rey, Morelia's top goalscorer, asserted on the eve of Monarcas' Group B opener. "They're prepared (for winning the InterLiga) and won't be an easy team for anybody."
Oscar Rojas, who scored seven goals to lead Jaguares during the Primera Division's Torneo Apertura last fall, echoed the sentiment.
"Jaguares wants to make history and for the first time qualify for Copa Libertadores," he added. "To do that, we must defeat as difficult an opponent as America."
With so much on the line, neither team will be looking ahead to their showdowns with the Mexico City giant. Morelia faces Club America on Sunday in Frisco, Texas, and Jaguares gets the Aguilas next Wednesday in Carson, Calif., but victory in the group opener is vital if the following games are to retain importance.
Both teams are still in preparation for the upcoming Clausura tournament, both still seeking reinforcements, but InterLiga will provide each the opportunity to unveil new players. Morelia's big acquisition is Argentine striker Nicolas Pavlovich, who arrives from German second-tier club Kaiserslautern. Paraguayan national team midfielder Walter Fretes comes to Chiapas from Cerro Porteno.
Morelia, which reached the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals in 2002, is making its third InterLiga appearance. Monarcas reached the third-place game in 2004, falling to America (which advanced to the Libertadores after winning a subsequent series with Atlas), and went 0-2-1 last year.
They reached the Primera Division playoffs during the Clausura season last spring, going 5-5-7 before falling to Pachuca, which won the title, in the quarterfnals. More points were amassed during the fall Apertura, with a 7-8-2 record, but the club missed the liguilla on goal difference.
Jaguares has evolved into one of Mexico's top clubs since Veracruz relocated to Tuxtla Gutierrez in 2002, but they're still looking for their first real success. After three losing campaigns, Chiapas went 12-1-6 in the 2004 Clausura before falling to Cruz Azul in the first round of the playoffs, and it won Group 3 in last year's Clasura but fell to Guadalajara in the quarterfinals when Johnny Garcia's 90th-minute goal in the second leg forged a Chivas upset.
During the Apertura tournament that concluded last month, Jaguares spent a good portion of the season among the top three overall, but they went winless in their final six games and were eliminated by Toluca in the recalcification.
Jaguares narrowly missed qualifying for the Libertadores two years ago, going 2-1-1 in the InterLiga but falling on penalties to Guadalajara folliowing a 1-1 draw in the playoff for Mexico's No. 3 berth.
This time, Chiapas hopes to be more fortunate.
"It is very important, the Copa Libertadores," Jaguares technical director Eduardo de la Torre said. "It would be very good to obtain a berth and participate, but all the teams (in the InterLiga) have different aspirations, and for us the Torneo Clausura is the priority. But if we could qualify, I'm putting together a team that can compete."
Scott French is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the tournament's organizers or clubs.
