Inside the Noise: A Night at the Clásico de México

Pedro Gonmoc had just come back from the Clásico de México when we caught up with him, still half-soaked from the rain and buzzing from what he’d seen.

“You know, América and Chivas — they’re the two most popular clubs in Mexico. Doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best, though.” He grinned. “América are, for sure. Even if they’re a little bit past their golden moment, they’ve always pulled off this strange balancing act: poor and rich, global superstars and young academy kids, possession football one minute, then breaking forward at speed the next. Somehow, it all clicks for them.”

“And Chivas?” we asked.

“That’s different,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “They’re still tangled up in what makes them unique. Playing only Mexicans sounds great — and it is special, but in today’s global game, it’s such a handicap. Still, with Gabriel Milito in charge, they’re playing good football again. Not winning loads, but there’s a style to it now.”

So América were the favourites? Pedro laughed. “Of course. Especially as the ‘home’ team. But I’m saying ‘home’ in quotation marks. Because it wasn’t the Azteca, that’s being ripped apart and redone for the World Cup, which, by the way, is all a bit late and messy. Instead, the game was at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes. People still call it Estadio Azul because of Cruz Azul. But América have slapped their colours on it and renamed it Estadio Azulcrema. A temporary fortress.”

He leaned back, remembering the scene. “There was this light rain, steady, never really stopping. Labubus pulling up. People grabbing tacos campechanos outside, rushing to finish them before they fell apart in the drizzle. Then inside, fans everywhere. Both sets. Proper noise.”

And then came the bit where Pedro started to really smile.

“This is what I love,” he said. “Eduardo Galeano once wrote that professional football tries everything to kill the joy in it, but joy survives anyway. And it did that night. Chivas won. One-two. Against América. In Mexico City. No one expected it. No one.”

We raised our eyebrows.

“Yeah,” Pedro said, nodding. “For América, pure frustration. But for Chivas? That’s something to hold on to. Even if they don’t get much more out of this season, that result will stay with them. A little flash of hope from Guadalajara. One of those Liga MX nights you don’t forget.”