Club America never could've imagined it would get this chance.
After an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Chivas in league play, it looked like Las Aguilas would have to stew in a rivalry defeat until next tournament. But then the Copa MX bracket shook out and gave us Wednesday's Clasico Nacional, a rematch just two months after that loss to the Guadalajara side hated by America fans and players alike. Now, the capital club is one step closer to winning a trophy in its centennial season, albeit not the one it has its eyes set on, and perhaps more importantly to exact revenge.
"We all know what a rivalry means. Nobody wants to lose it," America midfielder MIchael Arroyo told reporters. "The most beautiful thing about soccer is that there are chances to get revenge."
So for now the league is set aside, with even the players declining to pay lip service to the Apertura campaign. Everyone's attention is fixed squarely on the semifinal between the nation's two most successful teams historically.
A lot has changed since late August. Ignacio "Nacho" Ambriz was fired and Ricardo La Volpe brought back in to coach Club America. This is not, however, the story of how a new boss has turned a team around. Frankly, while America was performing well below expectations before Ambriz was fired, the performance haven't been much more impressive under La Volpe. But America is undefeated in its last seven matches between the league and the cup and looks like a squad that can topple Chivas. This will be La Volpe's biggest test since returning to the touchline.
Chivas has traveled with a side even better than the one that beat America in August, with summer addition Alan Pulido healthy after a knee issue and 20-year-old Orbelin Pineda and 23-year-old Michael Perez latching down on the center of the midfield. America will need Rubens Sambueza to take control of the game and help set up Oribe Peralta with scoring chances from the wing, as there likely will be little success going at Pineda and Perez with center backs Carlos Salcido and Hedgardo Marin behind them.
America also will need a good showing in the center of its own midfield. If Arroyo gets the start after a man of the match performance in a 1-1 draw with Queretaro this weekend, he'll need to get back to provide support defensively as well as providing his typical dynamic play going forward. And the match may hinge on what Jose "Chepe" Guerrero is able to do in midfield to keep Chivas from attacking regularly.
This Clasico is full of pressure, with both teams hoping to impress in a full stadium. There will be Chiavs fans in attendance, that much is clear form the hordes of red and-white clad fans that have followed the team everywhere in the capital.
ChivaHermanos, ¡gracias por pintar la #CapitalRojiblanca! Nos vemos mañana en el Azteca. pic.twitter.com/EX6cxMXEoE
— CHIVAS (@Chivas) October 26, 2016
But the Estadio Azteca will largely be full of fans wanting to see the home side come away with a victory (tickets reportedly are selling on the second-hand market for nearly three times their face value). The fans will want to be able to believe that America can lift a trophy during this centennial campaign. America can get that revenge, but executing that game plan will dictate whether the team is able to put its frustrating loss behind it or if it's left to relive the same fate and rue a missed chance at revenge.
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