Despite giving up a hat-trick to Aldo de Nigris on Wednesday night in Houston, Guadalajara was able to come away with a 5-3 victory over Tigres, giving the club an early advantage in InterLiga Group B.
"Obviously a win in the first game helps us immensely," said Chivas 'keeper Oswaldo Sanchez. "In such a short tournament, one win really makes a difference."
That first big win gives Chivas loads of confidence moving forward, and increases their chances of making a return trip to the Copa Libertadores where they did so well last year making it to the semifinals.
"We started well, no?" said head coach Hans Westerhoff. "I don't know because Cruz Azul is a good team, but I think we have a good chance to win this tournament."
On Saturday, Chivas faces Cruz Azul at Pizza Hut Park at 9:30 p.m. ET in the second game of a doubleheader.
Outside of the InterLiga, Chivas makes regular visits to Texas for friendlies giving their many die-hard fans a taste of the team they love so much.
Of all the four teams in the group who practiced Friday morning at Pizza Hut Park, Chivas had the biggest crowd of fans watching from outside the fence, at times working into a Chivas chant and then mobbing the players for autographs on the way to the team bus.
"This is different, we have a big name in Mexico and also in the States," said Westerhoff. "There are a lot of Mexicans who love Chivas -- so we also have to win in friendly games. But this is different because if we want to qualify for Copa Libertadores this is it.
"It's good for us because it's possible for us to play in the Copa Libertadores and the tournament because we are a team of youngsters, so it's possible to play both. It's important for the name of the team (to play in Copa Libertadores), there are a lot of things to consider."
Guadalajara was caught off guard against Tigres, giving up a goal in the first minute of play. But they regained their composure for a big win to start the tournament.
"We made some mistake, especially in the first half against Tigres," said Westerhoff. "We play with two holding midfielders who play a lot on the same line, so the counter attack was very dangerous.
"If we make the same mistake against Cruz Azul that would be bad, but I talk with the players and we train to avoid that."
Scott Joiner is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs.
