HOUSTON, Texas --
One doesn't need to know much Spanish to be able to translate Superclásico. Two of the giants of Mexico, Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara, have created one of the best rivalries in North America and also the world. On Saturday night at Robertson Stadium, the next battle in the Superclásico takes center stage in the form of InterLiga Group B play.
This will be the first match between the two sides in Interliga play. América returns as the defending tournament champions having won the 2008 Interliga. The 2008 final against Cruz Azul was an epic match at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. After playing 120 minutes of soccer knotted at three goals apiece, América converted all five penalties and Cruz Azul missed once, giving the title to América.
Despite winning Interliga, the Águilas del América comes off one of their most disappointing years in league play as they finished last in their group in Apertura and last in their group in Clausura. However, the year wasn't a total disappointment as the team made a deep run into the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores losing to eventual champions LDU de Quito from Ecuador on away goals after tying 1-1 on aggregate.
As a result of their poor showing last year, the Águilas have totally revamped their team in the offseason. Brazilian forward Robert de Pinho recently joined América on loan. The forward, with experience in Russia, Spain, and Holland, was most recently at Tecos for 2008 Apertura.
Robert de Pinho's likely strike partner up top is América stalwart Salvador Cabanas who is one of the team's most prolific scorers. Cabanas scored two goals in last year's Interliga final and narrowly missed a hat trick, as his early bicycle kick was denied.
In addition to de Pinho, a plethora of talented players have joined the forwards including Andrés Chitiva, Jean Beausejour, Pável Pardo, Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Fernando Ortiz, and Àngel Reyna. The standout of the entire group is Mexican National Team stalwart Pavel Pardo. Pardo returns to Mexico after a successful stint in the German Bundesliga with Stuttgart where he helped Stuttgart capture the 2006-2007 title.
For Club America the question will be how quickly the team can incorporate all of these new players. With their match against Chivas to open Interliga it will likely be a trial by fire for the new faces.
As for Chivas, the Goats are also coming off a bit of a disappointing year. In 2008 Apertura, Chivas finished fourth in their group but were a mere one point away from group winners, Pumas. In 2008 Clausura, Chivas earned the top seed, but fell disappointingly in the quarterfinals to eighth-seeded Monterrey. While many teams may be happy with these results, more is expected in Guadalajara.
Like their opponents, Chivas have picked up a couple of new faces. MLS fans will be interested to see how Chivas USA player Francisco "Panchito" Mendoza fits in with big brother Chivas. Joining Mendoza in midfield is Sergio Amaury Ponce, who was acquired from Toluca.
One new face who should be a key addition to the Chivas attack is Carlos Ochoa. Ochoa was acquired on loan from Monterrey and has been productive in several of Chivas' preseason matches. He hopes that will translate to a good start in Interliga and upcoming Clausura.
Chivas also look to be buoyed by the return of their starting goalkeeper Luis Ernesto Michel. Michel suffered an injury during last year's Superliga that cost him the entire 2008 Apertura season. However, not all news is good news for Chivas. Omar Arellano will miss Interliga due to injury.
Two rivals, both coming off disappointing years, are trying to incorporate new faces into their starting lineups. While new faces may come and go, the passion and intensity of this rivalry is second to none, both in North America and around the world. For at least one night, that rivalry will take place here in Houston and should not be missed.
