Tiny Gimnasia is trying to make history in Argentina

	It's been a dream season for the men of Gimnasia La Plata, but they need one more win to claim the Argentine Apertura title. AP
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Are you a fan of drama in soccer? Then buckle up. Argentina's Apertura Championship is going right down to the wire with two final rounds of matches, and the end result could very well be the biggest surprise of the year anywhere.

Tiny Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata is one win away from the title, an extraordinary achievement for a modest club that hasn't won a single first-division crown in 118 years of existence.

No one, not even Gimnasia's fans, would have predicted that the club would be at the top of the table with less than a week remaining in the Apertura. But there goes soccer again, a sport that has set a new trend of seeing several seemingly unworthy clubs win major championships. It's not hard to see the positive side of this -- after all, change is always a good thing, especially in Argentina, a country that is traditionally dominated by two major clubs.

But as in any suspenseful thriller, there has to be a team lurking, trying to spoil the party. In this case, it's a very familiar name: Boca Juniors. The 20-time champions are built to win trophies and have a history of coming from behind to snatch them. Predictably this season, they've shifted into fourth gear just at the right time.

Los Xeneizes kicked off the Apertura as firm candidates to win the title, loaded with several big names recently added to the club: Federico Insúa, Daniel Bilos, Daniel Díaz, Juan Krupoviesa and Sebastián Battaglia -- not to mention manager Alfio Basile. But the revelation has been pacy striker Rodrigo Palacio, who has found the back of the net 10 times so far this season.

After overcoming an early hiccup, Boca's consistency has proved to be the difference. For much of the season, it looked to be the clear favorite to win the title, climbing several points above traditional heavyweights River Plate, Independiente, Racing Club and Vélez Sarsfield. But while fans in Buenos Aires were counting down the days to when Boca would officially be crowned champion, Gimnasia -- situated less than an hour outside the Argentine capital -- quietly went about its business.

Gimnasia's brilliant campaign went relatively unnoticed until just a few weeks back. El Lobo (the Wolf) is undefeated over its past 10 matches, including a spectacular run of eight consecutive victories. Not bad for a club that has never won a national championship, and generally sits in the shadow of its more illustrious rival, Estudiantes La Plata.

This might just be Gimnasia's lucky year. Much of the credit will go to manager Pedro Troglio, who has overcome the odds by assembling a formidable squad that has proved to be title-worthy, putting on magnificent displays week in and week out. Troglio -- who was hired to rescue the club from relegation -- believes the turning point in the season was a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Quilmes on Nov. 15, in which Lucas Lobos converted a decisive injury-time penalty kick with Gimnasia down to only nine men on the field.

With that kind of good fortune, it's no wonder Troglio is feeling confident. "Do you know why I can already taste victory?" he recently said. "Because I don't have 11 lions -- I have 11 ferocious wolves with a great hunger."

Among Gimnasia's standout performers is Colombian-born goalkeeper Carlos Navarro Montoya, a popular figure in Argentina who ironically came to fame with Boca. The veteran 'keeper, who turns 40 in February, has seven shutouts in 17 matches so far this season. In fact, the Argentine press has suggested him as a possible alternative to Boca's Roberto Abbondanzieri in goal for Argentina at the '06 World Cup.

Another player who has impressed is Lobos, an MVP candidate. The Wolf's aptly named, classy playmaker has proved his worth with some crucial goals and pinpoint assists. One of Lobos' favorite targets is Uruguayan striker Gonzalo Vargas, who is tied with Boca's Palacio for second in the league with 10 goals.

All this adds up to an intriguing two-horse race to the championship. Gimnasia has 35 points and Boca is right on its heels with 34. It would be premature, however, to completely count out Vélez (32) and Independiente (31), who still have an outside chance of lifting the trophy.

But the key matches are on Sunday. Independiente will visit a weary Boca, which is coming off a 1-1 draw with Pumas in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana in Mexico City on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Gimnasia hosts Newell's Old Boys, a club that hasn't won an away match all season. If Gimnasia can manage to grab the three points, and Boca loses to its suburban Buenos Aires rival, the club from La Plata will be crowned kings of Argentina.

It's not quite as easy as all that -- Newell's has improved in recent weeks, and if Gimnasia loses or draws and Boca downs Independiente, we'll be in for an even bigger finish on the last day of the season. On Dec. 14, Gimnasia travels to the south to battle Banfield, while Boca will be up against lightweight Olimpo in Bahía Blanca.

Realistically, it's now or never for Gimnasia -- a club that hasn't been fortunate enough to understand the significance of success. It's about the right time for the organization to be rewarded, especially after all the sacrifices made by its loyal fans. The fact is that Gimnasia doesn't have the massive financial backing as many of Argentina's top clubs -- especially the big five. If it misses out on this huge opportunity, fans might just have to finally give up.

Many can say that even if the men of Gimnasia fail to obtain the championship, they'll still be looked upon as heroes. But don't mention that to the Lobo faithful. The only thing on their mind is the title.

Is Gimnasia ready to make history? Or will Goliath make its final charge and crush David's dreams? Stay tuned.