Heading into this year's InterLiga tournament, Monterrey was one of the favored teams to advance to the Copa Libertadores, the club championship of South America.
After a 2-1 victory over Veracruz on Sunday night, the Rayados find themselves in the catbird seat, leading group A with four points.
Thanks to their result on Sunday, Monterrey need only a draw in their final group game to assure themselves a spot in Sunday's finals at The Home Depot Center. Don't expect to see a Monterrey side sitting back and playing for a tie, though. According to head coach Miguel Herrera, his team will go out looking for goals from the opening whistle.
"Usually we are the team that starts from the outset on the attack, and we're going to continue to do that," Herrera said. "This team is all about creating a spectacle for the fans and giving them what they paid for."
As is the case in the Mexican top flight, the fans come out looking for creativity and offensive flair. Group A in this current installment of InterLiga has lent itself to more defensive minded contests though. Monterrey is tied for tops in the group with just four goals in two contests, a paltry amount when you consider the fact that Guadalajara and Tigres UANL combined for eight goals in their game on the opening night of Group B play.
Regardless, when you put the best eight teams in the Mexican First Division together, goals can come at any time, and as is often the case with great teams, they come in bunches. Monterrey's opponent on Wednesday night is Pachuca, a very capable offensive side themselves, who also have four goals in their first two games.
When asked about the strengths of his opponents on Wednesday night, Herrera said that ball control is the key.
"We need to make sure we keep the ball," he said. "If we keep the ball, Pachuca isn't nearly as dangerous."
Pachuca could also advance out of group play with just a draw, but in order to ensure their place in the finals on Sunday, a win is necessary. Monterrey is fully aware of this and will look to exploit the Pachuca defense whenever they go forward in search of goals.
The old axiom of the best defense is a good offense seems to hold true with Herrera. Possession doesn't mean a dull brand of soccer. Instead Monterrey is looking to go forward with their possession in search of more goals, and to take the next step towards entry into the Copa Libertadores.
"The strategy will always be to go out onto the field and win. We're going to play the same way we did in La Joya (Texas) and in Dallas," Herrera said. "We came with the idea in mind to play in this tournament (the Copa Libertadores), and to show on the international level that this team is just as good as it is in Mexico."
Greg Daurio is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs.
