Atlas are not a powerhouse. They are not even the most popular team in its home city. That's Chivas de Guadalajara.
But after Friday night, and for a moment, Atlas might be the favorite in Guadalajara after a 4-1 InterLiga Group B win against Mexico's wealthiest soccer team, Club America, at a sold out Home Depot Center.
Atlas not only beat the defending InterLiga champions but they eliminated an Aguilas team mostly despised in Guadalajara.
Sprinkles of Atlas fans combined with a mass of Chivas faithful, here to see CD Guadalajara in the night cap of a doubleheader, erupted into frenzy when Atlas forward Jorge Achucarro sent in an injury-time goal that eliminated the Aguilas from the eight team tournament.
Achucarro sent a one-timer off his right foot after finding a bouncing ball just outside the goalkeeper's box. America goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa couldn't reach the bouncing ball.
With the win Atlas move on to one of two finals Sunday. The Chivas-Tigres match up will determine the pairings in the finals. Pachuca and Morelia advanced from Group B play.
Atlas finished group play with a plus-one goal differential, one better than America who finished even with five goals in favor and five against. America came into the match with a plus-two goal differential, meaning they had a four-goal advantage over Atlas.
That could be summed as a failure comparable to the Aguilas' abysmal Apertura tournament in which it finished 13th in the overall standings and last in its group with 21 points.
"Of course it's a failure not to reach the Libertadores," said Club America president Michel Bauer. "We have to do better than this. We'll take it for what it is and move on.
"We have to wash our faces. It starts from the front office. We're the ones that have to face the heat."
Bauer was the only Americanista to face the media in the post-match interview zone. One after another, Aguilas players refused to speak with the media, refusing interviews.
Aguilas goalkeeper Ochoa passed by reporters ignoring their call for interviews as he stared at the ceiling, walking toward the team bus.
Jean Beausejour and Salvador Cabanas waived their index fingers at reporters, signaling "no."
Atlas didn't hesitate to express their thoughts about the improbable win. Especially coach Dario Franco.
"This game was all about the players," said Atlas coach Dario Franco. "They fought against all odds. I'm happy that they experienced this moment. It was a game you dream your team is capable of accomplishing. I again thank the players for this."
Achucarro could be the first to be thanked.
Without Achucarro's late goal, Atlas would have been eliminated. The Zorros reached last year's finals via a coin toss after finishing in a tie for second place with Toluca.
There were no coin flips Friday. The Mexican soccer federation (FMF) changed the tie breaker rules prior to the tournament's start. In order, goal difference and goals scored are the first two tie breakers.
Atlas needed only one of those.
But goals from Edgar Pacheco, Gonzalo Vargas and Bruno Marioni in addition to Achucarro's were the difference.
Pacheco's goal came in the 66th minute off an Atlas counter attack. Pacheco dashed away from defenders with only Aguilas goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to beat. Ochoa tried to close Pacheco's angle and got a piece of the shot with his right hand but it wasn't enough. The ball bounced into the net for Atlas.
Bruno Marioni gave Atlas a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute. The Argentine striker sent one of his signature left-footed blasts past America goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. With the ball at his feet, Marioni rotated his body clockwise 180-degrees, giving his back to a defender before sending the ball off the right post into the net.
Atlas took a 2-1 lead into halftime after Marioni's score..
Atlas tied the game 1-1 in the 19th minute thanks to an alert Gonzalo Vargas. The Zorros' forward sent a point-blank shot in for the score off a rebound. Ochoa blocked a shot by Eduardo Regis but it ricocheted in Vargas' direction.
It didn't take long for the Aguilas to find the net. Four minutes into the match, Andres Chitiva sent a shot rolling into to the bottom right corner of Atlas goalkeeper Pedro Hernandez' goal.
Soon after, a handful of yellow smoke bombs sporadically began to fly on to the field from the stands and sent America's faithful into a frenzy.
But the gold-and-blue clad Aguilas crowd's noise was equaled every time Atlas scored. The cheers came from Atlas fans and the many CD Guadalajara faithful soaking in an America defeat and elimination.
Ivan Orozco is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
ATLAS- AMERICA 4:1
January 9, 2009: Carson, CA - The Home Depot Center
Attendance/ Asistencia: 27,000
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)
Scoring:
ATL: 9 - Gonzalo Vargas, 19'; 11 - Bruno Marioni, 36'; 22 - Edgar Pacheco, 66'; 17 - Jorge Achucarro, 92+'; AME: 7 - Andres Chitiva, 5'
Lineups:
ATL: 21 - Pedro Hernandez (GK), 30 - Darwin Chavez, 16 - Hugo Ayala, 4 - Luis Enrique Robles, 2 - Ismael Fuentes (55 - Oscar Vera, 91+'), 22 - Edgar Pacheco (25 - Carlos Gutierrez, 84'), 23 - Eduardo Rergis (6 - Jorge Torres Nilo, 57'), 8 - Lucas Ayala, 17 - Jorge Achucarro, 11 - Bruno Marioni, 9 - Gonzalo Vargas
AME: 1 - Guillermo Ochoa (GK), 2 - Ismael Rodriguez, 6 - Juan Carlos Valenzuela, 49 - Lampros Kontogiannis (15 - Edgar Castillo, 71'), 20 - Alejandro Arguello, 5 - Enrique Vera (29 - Jean Beausejour, 46'), 7 - Andres Chitiva (11 - Robert de Pinho, 70'), 23 - Joaquin Martinez, 14 - Armando Sanchez, 9- Salvador Cabanas, 21 - Enrique Esqueda
Discipline:
ATL: 23 - Eduardo Rergis 25'; 17 - Jorge Achucarro 47+'; 16 - Hugo Ayala 67'; 6 - Jorge Torres Nilo 74'; 8 - Lucas Ayala 83'; AME: 5 - Enrique Vera 29'; 23 - Joaquin Martinez 42'; 14 - Armando Sanchez 64'; 20 - Alejandro Arguello 83'
