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Tigres' Elias Hernandez creates waves by suggesting Club America is no longer a 'big team'
Tigres' Elias Hernandez has stoked the flames ahead of Sunday's America-Tigres clash by suggesting the home side is no longer a 'big team' following contrasting 2011 campaigns
Feb 3, 2012 4:59:00 PM
By Nick Rosano
Club América
SAN NICOLAS, Mexico -- There are plenty of mouth-watering clashes in Mexican soccer this weekend, but on Thursday, Tigres winger Elias Hernandez almost single-handedly made sure that his team's trip to America would be the marquee matchup of the round.
In a soccer culture where history is a defining factor in a team's identity and fans take pride in supporting a 'big' team, Hernandez made waves by claiming that America, perhaps Mexico's storied teams, and certainly its most popular along with Chivas, was no longer a 'big' team.
"The big team is Tigres, the one that's living in the moment and was just crowned champion," Hernandez claimed.
Asked if he thought America was a big team, the 23-year-old, recently arrived from Pachuca replied, "I don't think so. That's in the past."
Hernandez's argument is largely based on Tigres' recent coronation as Mexican champions in the 2011 Apertura tournament. America, meanwhile, has not won a domestic title since 2005 and endured one of the worst campaigns in its history during the Apertura, finishing in 17th place out of 18, collecting only three wins from 17 games.
When one looks beyond the last six years though, the picture changes dramatically. Tigres' title was their third overall and first since 1982, a dry spell of nearly 30 years. America, 44 years older than Tigres, has claimed 10 professional titles and four amateur titles, not mention five CONCACAF titles, tied for most on the continent with Cruz Azul.
Hernandez made his point clear, though, by hinting that although America has the history of a 'big team', its under-performance in recent years has given it the mentality of a 'small' one.
"You have to live in the present and not the past," he explained. "[America] is a team that is playing in a different way and playing good soccer. The players have a lot of quality and good individuals, but they are worried about what Tigres can do, that is an advantage."
America seems to have put its miserable 2011 behind it, having started off the season with two wins and two draws, good for second place in the table and the best offense so far, largely thanks to four goals from Christian Benitez. Tigres, meanwhile, is not far behind, sitting among a host of teams tied for third on seven points. However, the northern side's performance in the middle of the week has raised plenty of doubts over Hernandez's earlier claims.
Tigres, with head coach Ricardo 'Tuca' Ferreti fielding a second-string team, fell 3-2 on aggregate to Chile's Union Espanola, after only managing a 2-2 draw in the second leg at home. The elimination led to widespread criticism of Ferreti across Mexico, with the elimination of the favored Mexican champion by a team that finished third in Chile seen as a slap in the face to Mexican soccer. Furthermore, some even went as far as to suggest that Ferreti's disregarding of the Copa Libertadores displayed the mentality of a 'small' team.
Despite all the attention surrounding Tigres and now America this week, Sunday afternoon's clash (5 p.m. ET at the Estadio Azteca), the showdown will not decide any titles. But if Hernandez's mind games have any effect, then it will certainly raise more questions about where exactly the two teams stand in the world of Mexican soccer.
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