by Mark Walsh - Forget clever explanations, Mexican football’s great derby between América and Chivas is founded on grandeur - the biggest clubs, the broadest support, the best players and the richest backers. This is the match known alternately as the “Derby of Mexico”, the “Clásico Nacional”, the “Clásico of Clásicos”, or more simply: “El Superclásico”. Whatever the name, whatever the situation, the facts brook no argument. This is the biggest grudge match in Mexico.

While power and prestige may be shared features of Chivas and América, these heavyweights of the Mexican game have vastly different methods. In the yellow corner sit the Eagles of Coapa, sprinkled expensively with some of the world’s top international stars; in the red-and-white corner prowl the Goats of Guadalajara, fiercely proud of their Mexican identity and history of success.

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Guadalajara’s “Sacred Herd” is the most decorated club in Mexican national history with a record 11 titles, while América follow close behind with 10 championships. Both have enjoyed periods of hegemony over the Primera División, but their mutually exclusive philosophies polarise opinion and add ideological spice to a sharp sporting rivalry. Traditionally, the Superclásico is said to pit Guadalajara’s collection of the best Mexican players against América’s recruitment of the best foreign players in Mexico.

Although Chivas are famous for their policy of only fielding homegrown players, the origins of the club have a distinctly foreign flavour. Founded in 1906 by Belgian shopkeeper Edgar Everaert, Mexican, Belgian and French players all represented the red-and-white of Club Union as the team was known in the early days. Playing in red and white to mirror Everaert’s favourite club Brugge, Union changed to current name Club Deportivo Guadalajara two years later, enjoying success in the Mexican amateur leagues.

It was not until the professional era that the modern Chivas began to take shape, however. In 1943, the club played its first game, beating Atlante 4-1 in Mexico City. The odd nickname of the Goats was earned after a dire 1-0 defeat against Tampico in 1948, when a newspaper editor criticised the team for playing like a headless group of “jumping goats”. For some reason, the intended insult was expropriated by fans and Guadalajara have been the “Chivas” ever since.

The decision to field only Mexican players was taken at the beginning of Guadalajara’s professional era – a policy which set a crash course with their rivals from the capital, América. If Guadalajara pride themselves on being Mexico’s national club, the Eagles preen their feathers as Mexico’s international representatives. Despite lagging slightly behind Chivas in the number of domestic titles, América are the most successful team in the Concacaf region, boasting five Champion’s Cups and one Giants Cup, as well as being the Mexican side with most appearances in the Copa Libertadores. In 2007, the club was also voted the tenth biggest in the world – the highest rating of any Aztec side.

Curiously, América only fielded Mexicans in the early part of their history – even petitioning the league to reduce the number of foreign players in the 1920s and providing the bulk of the national team for the 1928 Olympics and 1930 World Cup. The patriotic bent changed for good with the advent of the professional era and the remorseless commercialisation of the club under controversial owner Emilio Azcarraga, who took control in 1959.

At that stage, Chivas had established a seemingly unassailable grip over the Mexican league. As a successful businessman, Azcarraga, who admitted his knowledge of soccer was weak, realised the sporting product lacked a meaningful rivalry to add spice to the Chivas’ bland domination. Quite deliberately, Azcarraga scoured the world to improve the club’s infrastructure and playing staff, while conducting a radical commercial and merchandising campaign. If the Goats were to field only Mexicans, América would sign glamorous international stars to compete; while Chivas were blessed by Guadalajara’s cardinal after their first league win in 1957, América would make a sinful dash for cash with marketing campaigns and tours at home and abroad.

Thus, the Superclásico was born between two superpowers with opposing ideologies as antagonistic as anything the Cold War could throw up. Although the social pride of Guadalajara brought an avalanche of titles during the “Campeonísimo” period of 1957-70, the inexorable march of Azcarraga’s capitalist Club América brought a first championship in the 1965-66 season. Two more championships were coined in the 1970s, before América established a rich vein of success with five titles in the 1980s.

A bit like the political superpowers, however, the rivalry between América and Chivas remained rooted in ideology – direct confrontations of any magnitude are surprisingly scarce. América won the second game between the sides with a 7-2 thrashing in the mid-1940s, but Guadalajara took ample revenge for the embarrassment with a 7-0 victory in 1957 - still the widest winning margin between the clubs.

For all the sound and fury, the Superclásico had to wait until the 1980s for matches of true importance between the Goats and Eagles. A rampant América side was odds-on favourite to win the 1982-83 championship after sweeping all before them during the regular season, but Chivas had other ideas and secured a shock 3-0 semi-final victory before losing the final to Puebla.

Following that Bay of Pigs-style flashpoint, América and Chivas faced up to each other for the first and only time in a final in the 1983-84 season. A pulsating 2-2 draw in the Estadio Jalisco, in Guadalajara, set the scene for a dramatic night at the Estadio Azteca, where home advantage carried the day and América stormed to a 3-1 home victory.

Curiously, both clubs’ recent history tends to reinforce the historical trends. Currently leading the Clausura 2008 tournament, Chivas have enjoyed fine domestic form while faltering on the international scene and staring at an early exit from the Copa Libertadores. Meanwhile, América have performed woefully in the Primera División this season, dragging along the bottom with a measly eight points and enduring one of the worst runs in the club’s history – but have still put up a decent fight abroad and are poised to qualify for the next stage of the Libertadores.

Meanwhile, Chivas striker Omar Bravo will be looking to record his 100th goal for the club in the Superclásico to inch closer to Guadalajara legend Salvador Reyes’ record of 122 in the red-and-white. Reyes is also the top scorer in Superclásicos with 13 strikes against América, three ahead of Águilas fabled Brazil-born striker Luis Roberto Alves.

The clubs differing current fortunes mean there is unlikely to be any knockout duels between the the two heavyweights in this Clausura 2008 close-season. América have already given up hope of qualifying, while Chivas have all but secured their ticket. Sunday’s bout may have little at stake in terms of championships and qualification, but the pride of millions of fans in Mexico and further afield is always on the line when the bell rings for the latest round of the fight for supremacy between Chivas and América.

And there are few prizes in Mexican soccer greater than that.

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