El Clásico de México
Danilo Perez | Writer & Photographer
Two giants in Mexican soccer brought their rivalry to the Rose Bowl.
El Superclásico, a rivalry match between Club América and Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas), returned to Los Angeles County for the first time since 2018. It is the biggest club soccer rivalry in the North American continent, on the scale of other Clásicos such as the one in Spain between F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid, or the National rivals match between the United States Men's National Soccer Team vs. the Mexican National Football Team.
This year’s Clásico was played in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday, Oct. 15, to a sold-out crowd. There were over 86,000 people in attendance, breaking the previous record held by the ‘El Trafico’ match between both Los Angeles MLS teams, which had 82,110 earlier this year.
The rivalry began after the Azcárrega family, owners of what is now Televisa, bought América in 1959, which brought in a lot of money for the team, making them a powerhouse that lured in foreign players. This frustrated Chivas and its supporters due to them having one major law: Guadalajara will only sign Mexican players.
For Oscar Osorio, an Américanista, it’s more than a game, “To see your team [América] come on top is everything. El Clásico is not just a game, it’s life or death. Winning the game means more than anything to a fanatico. Losing El Clásico can really hurt people.”
Before the start of the match, Majo Aguilar, the “princess of regional Mexican music”, performed the Mexican National Anthem.
During the first half, there was constant pressure from Chivas both in attacking and defending, forcing América goalie Oscar Jimenez into becoming a “wall,” stopping ball after ball. 28 minutes into the game, América striker Julian Quiñones scored the first goal from outside the box to cause Américanistas to go wild and begin chanting. The score stayed 1-0 at the end of the first half.
For the halftime performance, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, known for “La Chona” and one of Mexico’s most popular bands, played some of their biggest hits for the sold-out crowd. They left fans cheering and dancing before the start of the second half.
Just eight minutes into the half, Quiñones got his second goal of the day, making the score 2-0. It was a big week for the Columbian, as Quiñones had recently gained Mexican citizenship, making him eligible to play for the Mexican National Team.
With 20 minutes left, fans from both sides popped smoke bombs and fireworks, lighting up the stadium, but causing the match to be put on pause due to a lack of visibility. With smoke and drinks being thrown on the field, security quickly formed lines in front of fans to prevent pitch invaders. Some fans even got involved in fist fights throughout the game.
It ultimately ended 2-0 giving América their 94th overall win against Chivas, who has 78 wins since their first meet in the early 1940s. Both teams will return to their league (Liga MX) in Mexico to continue competing for the top spot.
