After a disappointing 1-1 draw on Thursday against UAG Tecos in Houston, Club América knew that Sunday afternoon's InterLiga 2007 match with Morelia at Pizza Hut Park was a must-win.
After all, Jaguares had won their opening match, a 2-1 decision over Morelia, also on Thursday in the Bayou City and if the Aguilas were going to have a prayer of catching Jaguares in Group B, they knew Sunday's match had to go their way.
It did exactly that as América launched an all-out offensive assault, much like they had done earlier in the week. But in the end, it was a little luck and bad decisions by a pair of Morelia players that allowed them to leave Frisco with a 2-0 victory.
Morelia went a man down in the 73rd minute when Fernando Arce got his second yellow card of the match and was sent off. Arce, who had been previously booked in the 48th minute, had the Monarcas' lone goal in their last match against Jaguares.
Then, in the 77th minute, Monarcas defender Hector Altamirano was booked after a hard foul inside his penalty area and was also sent off the field. He had been previously issued a yellow card in the fifth minute.
A penalty kick was awarded to América as a result of Altamirano's foul on Nelson Cuevas and the Aguilas' Cuauhtemoc Blanco stepped up and calmly converted to give his side a 1-0 edge in the 78th minute. Blanco added a second goal in the 86th minute, giving him three goals for the tournament as he scored América's only goal in their draw against Tecos earlier in the week.
As good as Blanco was for América, they will have to see how the other half lives and will play their next match without him. In first half stoppage time, the Aguilas striker was issued a yellow card, giving him two cautions for the tournament and meaning he will have to watch his side's next match from the bench.
América Technical Director Luis Fernando Tena scrapped the 4-4-2 formation that was used in the tie with Tecos and went with a 5-3-2. The decision paid dividends as the Aguilas' swarming defense was very effective in limiting the Morelia attack to only five shots the entire match.
"This game was very important because of the circumstances," Trena said. "We were in good condition. It was a very even game up until the ejection, which we took advantage of. Refs sometime make a call in favor of you and sometimes against you. Even the best referees make mistakes. It's part of soccer."
With the victory, the Aguilas now have four points in Group B, which temporarily puts them atop the group standings. Jaguares has three points but they are playing Tecos, who sit in third place with one point, in the nightcap. Sunday's loss eliminated Morelia from contention to advance past the group stage; they remain in the cellar with zero points.
Cuevas agreed with his manager about the importance of today's victory.
"This game was very important for us," he said. "We only tied the last game and getting this win allows us to a chance to go to (Copa) Libertadores after a hard run in the playoffs and in Japan."
Next up for América will be what promises to be a spirited affair with Jaguares on Wednesday at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The winner will go through to next weekend's InterLiga finals, also in Carson, while the loser could find themselves eliminated from the competition.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the tournament organizers or clubs.
