FRISCO, Texas - Enlivened by their comeback from two goals down Thursday against Monterrey, which earned them a point, Monarcas Morelia will battle Pachuca Sunday in the first game of an InterLiga doubleheader at Pizza Hut Park.
Morelia enter the second match of the tournament tied for second place in Group A with Monterrey. A win Sunday would do a lot to boost their hopes of qualifying for Copa Libertadores.
Morelia head coach Sergio Bueno likes the confidence his team has coming into Sunday's match as his team showed determination and grit in coming back against Monterrey.
"I am very satisfied to see that we came back to tie - knowing what we put to practice and we showed it in the game - coming back to tie a Monterrey team that had a very elaborate scheme," said Bueno. "We were taken by surprise with their level of play. I am very surprised that the team came back to tie it up."
Goalkeeper Moises Muñoz, who helped his club earn the draw with some solid shot-stopping, cited the side's aggressiveness as the main factor in the comeback.
"We had a little chat between with our coach and we knew we had to come out in the second half and be stronger and more aggressive," Muñoz said. We did that and that's how we got a tie."
Monarcas looked confident and focused in Friday night's late practice and look to keep the same formation going into Sunday's match.
"I am thinking of keeping the same formation with a couple of subs, but for the most part we will keep the same lineup," Bueno said. "We are going in with a very positive attitude knowing that they were in a 2-0 deficit and coming back from that game. It was very important for us to tie it up."
Pachuca, on the other hand, must recapture their confidence after falling to Veracruz 3-2 in their InterLiga opener Thursday in LaJoya, Texas. Pachuca held the lead against Veracruz in the first half, only to squander it in the second half by giving up two goals.
Despite the cold weather, Pachuca practiced late into the night Friday, working on shoring up their defense as head coach Jose Trejo stepped up the tempo on his team.
Pachuca goalkeeper Manuel Calero also looks to rebound against Morelia after giving up three goals in his last game. He has seen regained confidence in his teammates.
"The team is looking good," Calero said. "The first game against Veracruz was our first game. Unfortunately, we lost and we are looking to capture the three points against Morelia."
"The level of play for Fausto (Pinto), Fernando (Salazar), Manuel (Vidrio) is good right now. With them it has been a problem," he added.
Pachuca will look to gain three points before heading into their final group match of the tournament at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on Wednesday.
"We are going to improve and we are looking to move ahead into the next round of the tournament," Calero said. "Right now, it's all about Morelia.
Ron Goode is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its teams.
