Mark Walsh

It’s happy days at the Estadio Jalisco at the moment. The Easter break might have finished, but another impressive Guadalajara victory in week 11 of the Mexican Primera División meant Chivas fans could go back to work on Monday looking forward to the playoffs and the possibility of a record 12th title.

Working out the reason for Chivas’ current optimism does not require a beautiful mind, of course. Saturday’s 2-1 win over Pachuca demonstrated the growing power of the Guadalajara machine; without really moving into top gear, Chivas ground out another inexorable victory after first establishing an obsessive control over the pattern of the game before clinically taking advantage of the opportunities that came their way.

With the Fonz banging the goals in up front and Potsie marshalling the defence, perhaps there should be no surprise that Guadalajara are enjoying happy days. Scoring more and conceding fewer goals than the other team is generally a recipe for success in soccer and in the shape of Omar Bravo and Jonny Magallón, Chivas have a slick forward and obstinate defender to match any in the Primera División.

Marked out by his trademark cool finishing, striker Bravo fits the bill as the Fonz of the Guadalajara side. The 28-year-old notched his 99th goal in Mexican soccer’s top flight with the opener against Pachuca after a fine through ball from Sergio Santana in the 32nd minute. His classy left foot finish gave Pachuca’s flamboyant Colombian keeper Miguel Calero no chance and eased the Guadalajara forward to the top of the Clausura 2008 goalscoring charts with eight strikes to his name.

While Bravo calls the tunes up front, Chivas’ rearguard has been just as impressive. Marshalled by the majestic Jonny Magallón, Guadalajara have allowed just seven goals in 11 games. With his Potsie-style curly hair and studious approach, Magallón is a mobile defender who also threatens in the opposition box – as witnessed by his two goals for Mexico against the USA earlier this year.

Along with the likes of fellow defenders Francisco “Maza” Rodríguez and Patricio Araujo, Guadalajara have the luxury of knowing they can grind out results even when the team is not firing on all cylinders. Along with the energetic industry of veteran campaigner Ramón Morales in midfield and the creativity of Sergio Santana up front, the spine of the Chivas team looks impressive.

Against Pachuca, the Goats also showed a mental resilience. Tuzos boss Enrique Meza had fielded a three-man forward line of Christian Giménez, Juan Carlos Cacho and Andrés Chitiva to take the game to Guadalajara, but the characteristic obstinacy of the Chivas defence meant Pachuca were stunted in attack.

After Bravo’s opening strike, Meza then sacrificed two more defenders to introduce a further attacker in Luis Gabriel Rey and midfielder Damián Álvarez. The no-holds-barred approach brought reward in the 81st minute when Rey equalled the scores, but Chivas held their nerve and took advantage of the unbalanced Pachuca line-up to fire a winner through substitute Sergio Ávila just four minutes later.

Despite lacking stardust the performance and result were symbolic of the effective manner Chivas have dominated the Clausura 2008 tournament. The Goats are still unbeaten and have yet to hit top gear, despite topping the general table with 26 points. Guadalajara boss Efrain Flores was in bullish mood following the Pachuca victory: “It’s always important to win,” he said. “Three points are important, but I was even more pleased by the way we won.”

The comfortable position at home means Chivas can concentrate on improving their international hopes. The only shadow of disappointment so far this season has been their Copa Libertadores form, which has seen the team beaten twice out of three games and sitting bottom of their group on three points. A win against Colombian outfit Cúcuta Deportivo on Thursday(26MARCH2008) is crucial if the Goats are to sneak into the later rounds of the continental joust.

From the summit of the Primera División, however, Chivas fans are enjoying looking down from a great height on traditional rivals América. With Mexican soccer’s Super Clásico looming in just three weeks, the Eagles’ season continues to lurch from crisis to crisis with more regularity than Elliot Spitzer’s political career. Never one to miss an opportunity to goad, Gaudalajara president Jorge Vergara has even expressed his hope that America start improving. “We don’t want the Super Clásico to be too easy,” he smirked recently.

Unfortunately, after another meek loss against Toluca in front of baying home fans in the Estadio Azteca, América look as far away from regaining some semblance of respectability as Client 9 himself. The battling draw against Cruz Azul in the Clásico Joven the week before looked nothing more than the twitchings of a dying body as Christian “Jimmy” Gimenez’s 28th minute goal gave the Red Devils of Toluca an Easter Saturday win. In the wake of the defeat, America coach Rubén Omar Romano admitted: “Things aren’t going our way in the league, so I think we’d better concentrate on the Copa Libertadores.”

Elsewhere on Saturday, the reborn Jaguars survived a late fightback from UANL Tigers to register a 3-2 home victory and pip Toluca for top position in the tight Group One section. Morelia and Necaxa played out a typical 0-0 bore-fest, symbolic of both team’s mediocrity so far this tournament, while Monterrey boosted hopes of a playoff place by beating Cruz Azul 3-2 in the Estadio Tecnológico.

Honours finished even in the Friday night Guadalajara derby between Tecos and Atlas who shared an entertaining 3-3 draw. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Santos Laguna lost further ground at the head of the general table after a 1-1 draw at inconsistent Pumas, though still command top spot in the weak Group Two section. Surprise package San Luis kept the pressure on Chivas at the top of Group Three with an impressive 2-1 away victory over newly-promoted Puebla, while Veracruz rescued a late draw away to defending champions Atlante.