Atlante vs. Pumas for the Apertura title has some good side plots, but it's the least-desired matchup among most of Mexico. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

A squad that went 6-5-6 in the regular season, one that scored eight goals in one game and 24 in the other 16 knocked out a club that went 10-3-4 in the first round and the superlíder who romped through the league with an 11-1-5 record in the semifinals.

Pumas, though, appeared far more likely to reach the final in the Apertura '06 season when they finished in second place in the overall league table, as opposed to this season when the Mexico City side finished eighth overall.

At least there's one upshot: It's a lock that one Mexican team will win a piece of hardware this month.

International failure

Club América has accomplished more than most Mexican clubs and, in many ways, is a trendsetter domestically. But the only thing las Águilas showed in the Copa Sudamericana final was how not to handle a tournament final.

They started the two-leg final terribly. In the first leg, Arsenal de Sarandí scored twice moments after taking a goal kick as the hosts were done in by downright shoddy defending. Still, América overcame its own defensive shortcomings to take a 2-0 lead in the decisive second leg, just as manager Daniel Brailovsky had predicted.

But it wasn't meant to be: Arsenal scored just minutes from time to even up the aggregate score at 4-4 and won the final because of its 3-2 edge in away goals.

Afterward, América officials spewed the usual complaints regarding the alleged bias CONMEBOL has against Mexican teams and club president Guillermo Cañedo wondered aloud to reporters whether Mexican teams should continue participating in South American tournaments.

América officials need only point the finger at their own players. Past Mexican teams have far more legitimate claims about wretched officiating and questionable off-the-field decisions that may have influenced prior series. Had América only defended two goal kicks at home properly, las Águilas would have claimed the Sudamericana title handily.

Failure in the works?

Your grandfather's and father's Pachuca sides were terrible. Your older brother's Pachuca side was building its legacy and your Pachuca side was downright dominant. But this isn't your Pachuca side anymore.

The dominance los Tuzos held just as recently as August is over. Though the last pillars of the once-mighty Pachuca dynasty still stand, the club is but a shell of its former dominant self.

Though Pachuca features many of the same players who helped hoist four different trophies in a nine-month span, the club's results have been nothing short of disastrous over the last two months. Pachuca slumped badly the last part of the Apertura '07.

After starting the year off with three consecutive wins, los Tuzos went 4-7-3 the rest of the way. In the repechaje, or wild-card round, Pachuca by a combined 6-0 to Cruz Azul and did not even reach the Liguilla, a huge disappointment for a club that won two of the previous three league titles and reached the semifinals of the other.

Tunisian side Étoile Sportive du Sahel stands in the way between Pachuca and a semifinal date against Argentine side Boca Juniors, but given the recent form Pachuca has displayed, los Xeneizes might be better off facing the slumping Mexican side.

Mailbag

How can you be sad and happy at the same time? I think here in La Laguna we are. I remember the Real Madrid-Manchester United 2003 Champions League semifinal. Man. United won the match 4-3 in front of its fans after losing the first leg 3-1. Real Madrid advanced to the final, but United won the hearts of all the people in the stadium, and those of us who watched the game, for its incredible effort and never-say-die attitude. This resulted in a beautiful and thrilling match.

The same thing happened here in Torreón last Sunday. Pumas won, but Santos, the best team of the entire season, left its soul on the field of the Corona Stadium, and we all mourned the defeat but felt so happy because of the effort made by the entire team. Our slogan is Un guerrero nunca muere -- "a warrior never dies" -- and this attitude served well last season avoiding the descent to the [second division], as it did in this semifinal. We have a special team.
-- Carlos Acosta, Torreón, Mexico

Carlos, it was sad watching a great team like Santos bow out, but as you point out, also uplifting to know this team really cared and that this year wasn't a fluke.