InterLiga has its faults, but the fans support tourney

Many players like América keeper Guillermo Ochoa aren't fans of InterLiga, which doesn't even reward Mexican champions. AP

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The Copa Libertadores is to South America what the Champions League is to Europe. Well into its fifth decade of existence, it matches up the South American league champions against each other in a battle for international club glory.

Although its clubs have been participating in the Libertadores for a decade, Mexico's inclusion has been a bit of an anomaly. Mexican clubs don't gain entry into the Copa by being the most deserving over a 12-month period. They get in by by surviving an annual cold-weather, in-between-seasons slugfest: InterLiga.

The U.S.-based tournament, which kicked off Wednesday in Frisco, Texas, is in its fifth year. And with each go-around, the complaints grow louder.

During the 2007 edition, Club América goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa called the tournament "absurd." Weeks before the start of this year's tournament, Pumas announced they wouldn't send many of their top players to InterLiga, deciding instead to keep them in Mexico City to focus on the upcoming Clausura '08 season.

But through it all, Mexican soccer officials have stood behind the tournament even if it isn't the best way to select teams for entry into the Copa Libertadores.

The easiest, and probably most rewarding way for Mexican clubs to gain entry into the Libertadores would be to send the champions of its two seasons each calendar year. Thus, Pachuca and Atlante would, in theory, be the most deserving clubs to represent their league and country in this year's Libertadores.

As champions, however, their international participation is limited to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Instead of facing such Latin American superpowers as Boca Juniors or São Paulo, Pachuca and Atlante will square off against Motagua of Honduras and Saprissa of Costa Rica -- strong clubs within their own right, but not in the same class as the South American heavyweights.

If the last two champions are ineligible to participate, then what would be the best way to send Mexican clubs through to the Libertadores? The Mexican Soccer Federation settled on a system that might not send its best clubs.

The eight clubs with the most points during the Apertura '06 and Clausura '07 seasons were placed in InterLiga -- with the exceptions of Pachuca and Atlante. Chivas booked a direct ticket to the Libertadores by winning the Apertura '06 tournament and doesn't need to participate in InterLiga.

Thus, while strong clubs like América (a total of 59 points over those seasons) and Cruz Azul (58 points) are logical choices to participate, a club like Atlas is also eligible. While Atlas was in good form during the Apertura '06 and Clausura '07 regular seasons, this team is in tatters. The Guadalajara-based club finished in last during the recently concluded Apertura '07 season with 12 points.

Good form in early January, though, would trump poor form over the last five months. If Atlas were to walk away with the InterLiga title, a Libertadores group featuring Argentine power River Plate would await.

Veracruz was in a similar situation in '06. Some 14 months after finishing at the top of the table, los Tiburones Rojos limped into InterLiga in poor shape, having finished at the bottom of the table the season prior to InterLiga. But Veracruz won its InterLiga group and needed just a win in the finals to secure a berth in the Libertadores.

Chivas, though, beat Veracruz and went on to win a spot in the Copa, sparing fans from seeing a relative small fish as a representative of Mexico. Chivas reached the Libertadores semifinals that year and also reached the league semis, while Veracruz went 5-7-5 in the domestic campaign and failed to make the playoffs.

Now, Santos Laguna -- a club in much better form than Atlas -- has no shot of South America since the Laguneros were staving off relegation during the tournaments in question.

InterLiga '09 and '10 are contractually obliged to happen, and even though many of the clubs dislike it, it's difficult to imagine the Mexican federation (FMF) not continuing the tournament beyond that. Both the FMF and Soccer United Marketing (the tournament organizers) are bent on tapping into the lucrative market for Mexican soccer in select regions of the U.S.

Players and coaches may not be keen to the idea of a tournament on foreign soil in between seasons, but fans apparently aren't turned off by the concept -- and if they are, they aren't showing it. Crowds of 20,000-plus are not unheard of for InterLiga matches.

Last year's finals, which featured América, sold out the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. A midweek match in '06 featuring Chivas drew more than 26,000 to the same venue. Frisco, Texas, has seen many crowds of at least 20,000 over the years, though Wednesday's turnout of fewer than 9,000 was an eyesore.

Mexican fans are passionate and loyal to their clubs and turn out in droves to see their beloved teams play meaningful games in person. And that is apparently as good a reason as any to keep InterLiga alive.