Atlas meet Pachuca in early final

Clubs begin doubleheader at The Home Depot Center

By Ivan Orozco / InterLiga.com Staff

Bruno Marioni (L) celebrates with his Atlas teammates after the club topped America on Friday. (AP Images)

CARSON, Calif. -- F.C. Atlas coach Dario Franco got more than expected out of his club during InterLiga Group B play.

The Zorros were on the brink of elimination after two games, sitting at the bottom of the standings with only a point to show for their efforts.

The thought of playing in one of Sunday's two InterLiga Finals at The Home Depot Center was distant. But it wasn't impossible.

Atlas beat the odds and clinched a slot in Sunday's first final against C.F. Pachuca after an improbable outing against one of Mexico's wealthiest and most popular teams, Club America.

The Zorros answered with a 4-1 win against the Aguilas on Friday. It was a performance Franco called "perfect [...] a dream match."

It was a match with a dramatic finish. When it appeared America had clinched a slot in the finals, Atlas forward Jorge Achucarro sent in the club's fourth goal, to put the Zorros in the finals over America. America would have advanced with a 3-1 loss.

"It's good thing it didn't turn out [a 3-1 Atlas win]," Franco said. "The idea was to play good soccer. That makes teams difficult to beat. We did that against a talented team."

Sure, America rested some of its stars and relied on what could be considered a "B" team, but Franco saw it differently.

"They had some of their starters in there making plays," Franco said. "I don't think they were disrespecting or overlooking our team because they had reserves in there. Either way, they have very good players coming off the bench. It didn't matter."

But it mattered to America. The loss equaled disaster. America blew a four-goal advantage over the Zorros.

That meant Atlas needed to rout the Aguilas.

The Aguilas were carrying heavy momentum after the Mexico City team tied with CD Guadalajara and beat Tigres 3-1. Think again.

Atlas are in the finals against a Pachuca team that is coming off a 3-0 loss to Morelia, who faces CD Guadalajara in the nightcap of the doubleheader.

The Tuzos will come out looking for redemption after they improbably lost to the Monarcas. Pachuca, which finished atop the group standings with six points, had qualified prior to facing Morelia.

Pachuca started the tournament with a blowout win (4-0 against UAG Tecos) and beat Toluca 1-0 before its setback against Morelia.

The Tuzos will face a team that is looking to carry momentum from its match against America and a team that perhaps didn't expect to be in this scenario.