CARSON, Calif. - As Mexican clubs compete throughout Texas and Southern California in InterLiga 2006, at least one person has not found himself in unfamiliar surroundings.
As coach of Major League Soccer's Chivas USA, Hans Westerhof spent plenty of time at The Home Depot Center last year. Now, Westerhof is back with the club's parent organization, Club Deportivo Guadalajara, as they attempt to recapture last year's Copa Libertadores glory.
Westerhof's Chivas side will face Veracruz in one of Sunday's final matches at Home Depot Center. But winning is something that Westerhof's beleaguered Chivas USA side rarely did. Westerhof was at the helm for about two-thirds of the club's inaugural season but managed just three wins during that span. Two of those were at The Home Depot Center.
Still, Westerhof is already experiencing a change in fortunes. While Chivas USA frequently squandered leads at home last year, Guadalajara helped Westerhof experience the other side of a comeback. Omar Bravo scored in the third minute of stoppage time Tuesday to help Chivas tie Necaxa 1-1 and gain a spot in Sunday's all-or-nothing match.
As coach of Chivas, Westerhof faces a different and perhaps more challenging set of expectations. Chivas reached the semifinals of Copa Libertadores in 2005 but did not make the playoffs in each of the past two domestic seasons. Chivas have reached exactly one final in the past 14 seasons - the Clausura 2004 final when a Westerhof-led squad lost to Pumas UNAM in penalty kicks.
Still, Westerhof maintained that pressure comes from only one source.
"The only pressure that I feel is the pressure from myself, not from (Chivas owner Jorge) Vergara or anybody," Westerhof said. "When you feel the pressure from owners or anybody else, you'll go wrong for sure."
Chivas appear to have a squad capable of competing and succeeding both domestically and internationally. Even with a bulk of the club's first-choice players on the Mexican national team, the club has talent up and down its roster. Newcomers Gonzalo Pineda and Diego Martinez give Westerhof an added dimension in the center of the midfield as well as along the right flank. Carlos Salcido, Francisco Javier Rodriguez and Hector Reynoso are a formidable trio in defense backed up Mexico's unquestionable number one keeper Oswaldo Sanchez.
Chivas USA did not have quite the talent Guadalajara does but Westerhof said it's all essentially the same.
"It's different. It's not that in Mexico it's much better or here it's much better but it's different," Westerhof said. "But football is football. There is more quality in this team. That's clear. It's a little bit easier to change things during the game because they can read the game more and see more what happens in the game. But I'm sure they can do the same with Chivas USA in one more year."
Now, as Westerhof revisits his former stomping grounds, his task of qualifying Chivas for Copa Libertadores appears somewhat uncomplicated. Chivas needs only to beat Veracruz, a club that has finished dead last in two of the past four Mexican league seasons and second-to-last in another.
Guadalajara also has another thing going for them. A year ago, Chivas followed this same route to Libertadores: they finished second in the InterLiga 2005 group stage and wrapped up a spot in a Libertadores play-in match.
Whether or not Chivas caps off what is thus far a successful InterLiga tournament with a win against Veracruz on Sunday remains to be seen, but Westerhof maintains InterLiga is successful regardless.
"I understand it's a real good tournament especially when Chivas is part of this," he said.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to InterLiga.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs.
