Facing a Tigres side that needed to win by a three-goal margin to cause an upset, Chivas de Guadalajara showed little respect for their opponent as they lit up the Home Depot Center scoreboard four times and cruised to a 4-2 victory, advancing to the InterLiga Finals on top of Group B with seven points.
With Friday night's impressive showing, coach Efrain Flores and company will enter Sunday's final against Morelia (2nd place, Group A) as favorites to earn a spot in the upcoming Copa Libertadores tournament.
Practically running on autopilot, Chivas nonetheless outplayed and outclassed their rival from start to finish, giving the local crowd, dressed primarily in red and white, a reason to celebrate practically from the get-go, as forward Carlos Ochoa's header broke the ice in the 4th minute.
Not to be outdone, Sergio Ávila joined in on the action 19 minutes later with a shot towards the far post that put things 2-0 in favor of the Mexican "goats".
At this point, Tigres was playing for pride more than anything else, although they somehow made a game of it, albeit temporary, thanks to Lucas Ayala's ball wizardry and cool finishing in front of goalkeeper Luis Ernesto Michel in the 34th minute.
However, any possibility of a comeback was put to rest shortly before halftime when Alberto Medina put Chivas on the scoreboard for the third time.
MLS fans saw a familiar face on the field when Chivas USA original Francisco Mendoza entered as a second half substitute under a thunderous applause.
Ocha added his second talley and Chivas' final goal in the 63rd minute after once again sailing the ball past the outstretched arms of Oscar Perez. Later on, Medina also flirted with the brace, although he was denied by the linesman, who called on offside shortly after he beat the keeper.
Tigres let their frustration get the better of them in the 71st minute, when Jose Antonio "Gringo" Castro cut down an opposing run down the left flank with a brutal tackle that earned him a red card and an early trip to the showers.
With one minute remaing, Ariel Bogado took advantage of Chivas' lackadaisical defending and managed to make the final score a more respectable 4-2.
Jaime Uribarri is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
TIGRES - GUADALAJARA 2:4
January 9, 2009: Carson, CA - The Home Depot Center
Attendance/ Asistencia: 27,000
Referee: Ricardo Salazar (USA)
Scoring:
TIG: 16 - Lucas Lobos, 34'; 22 - Ariel Bogado, 89'; GUA: 27 - Carlos Ochoa, 4', 63'; 13 - Sergio Avila, 23'; 10 - Alberto Medina, 46+'
Lineups:
TIG: 1 - Oscar Perez (GK), 3 - Jose Antonio Castro, 5 - Pedro Benitez, 20 - Hugo Sanchez (45 - Jesus Duenas, 53'), 21 - Mauricio Romero (50 - Francisco Acuna, 53'), 24 - Jose Rivas, 43 - Jesus Molina, 16 - Lucas Lobos (58 - Manuel Viniegra, 66'), 19 - Guillermo Marino, 59 - Jonathan de Leon, 22 - Ariel Bogado
GUA: 1 - Luis Ernesto Michel (GK), 4 - Hector Reynoso, 16 - Edgar Solis, 20 - Edgar Mejia, 33 - Mario de Luna, 5 - Patricio Araujo, 13 - Sergio Avila, 17 - Sergio Amaury Ponce (6 - Omar Esparza, 55'), 18 - Xavier Baez (24 - Francisco Mendoza, 55'), 10 - Alberto Medina, 27 - Carlos Ochoa (14 - Javier Hernandez, 66')
Discipline:
GUA: 10 - Alberto Medina 62'; Sent off / Expulsado: TIG: 3 - Jose Antonio Castro 70'
