| Sometimes the attractions of watching domestic | | | | going the other way, with the remaining 66 games |
| football can seem like very plain fare when compared | | | | ending in draws. |
| to the international games. However that all goes out | | | | In league meetings Guadalajara have done better, with |
| of the window when compared to the local derbies | | | | 49 wins and 38 defeats, although when it comes to |
| between two teams, with rivalries that can go back | | | | cups and sudden death championship play-offs, |
| one hundred years or more. | | | | America are the masters, having totalled 40 victories |
| It seems that every country in the World has a local | | | | and only 13 losses. |
| derby which is fiercely fought, sometimes out of all | | | | The rivalry between the two teams really began to |
| proportion to the results that it can bring in relation to | | | | grow in the late fifties, and the bad feelings between |
| league placings. For the fans and sometimes the | | | | the two sides has merely grown since then. A bad |
| players the local derby is much more important than | | | | feeling that has sometimes created for some fairly |
| that. | | | | controversial incidents, one especially famous being |
| One classic example is Mexico's Clásico de Clásicos | | | | when in 1964, Chivas legend Guillermo "El Tigre" |
| played between Club America and Guadalajara is one | | | | Sepulveda strode of the pitch saying that he didn't |
| such derby. Unlike many of the local derbies, this one is | | | | need to be there for his club to beat America. A brave |
| not played by two teams from the same city, as | | | | act to do in front of 100,000 mostly home based |
| America are based in the capital city of Mexico and | | | | supporters in the Las Águilas' Azteca Stadium which |
| Guadalajara represent the city of the same name, | | | | is the largest in Latin America |
| which has a distance of over 200 miles between | | | | In the nineties rivalry between the two clubs reached |
| them. | | | | gargantuan proportions when Guadalajara's talented |
| Although they have played in the Primera División | | | | midfielder Ramon Ramirez being transferred to |
| Profesional simply known as the Primera División, | | | | America. Angry demonstrations almost reaching riot |
| since its formation in 1943, Guadalajara as a club team | | | | proportions were held throughout the soccer crazy |
| only rose to prominence in the late fifties, while FC | | | | city, which became even more frantic when Ramirez |
| America have always been around the top of the | | | | himself declaring that the transfer was being |
| league, winning it ten times out of the 56 times it has | | | | conducted against his wishes. Needless to say when, |
| been competed for. Despite the fact that Guadalajara | | | | Ramirez stepped out in the next derby wearing the |
| only began to emerge as a serious competition fifteen | | | | bright yellow soccer uniform of FC America he |
| years later than Club America, they have succeeded | | | | received the mother and father of all hostile receptions. |
| in lifting the trophy one more time. A statistic that has | | | | Whether by accident or design, Ramirez was a total |
| caused a lot of grief among the FC America followers. | | | | failure at Las Águilas' and was dumped after just six |
| To date, the clubs have met on 206 occasions which | | | | months. Salt was rubbed into the wounds of the FC |
| is not a high number when compared to some of the | | | | America's management and fans, when Ramirez |
| other famous derbies in the UK and across Europe, | | | | returned to play for Chivas and resumed his status as |
| but it hasn't detracted from the fierce rivalry between | | | | a powerful midfielder force who masterminded a few |
| the two clubs. FC America or Las Águilas as they | | | | victories in this, one of the hottest derby fixtures in the |
| are known have beaten Guadalajara or Chivas as | | | | World. |
| they are know in Mexico 74 times with 66 games | | | | |