CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP
Chivas fans conquer Niagara Falls ahead of CONCACAF Champions Cup clash
Supporters traveled all the way from Guadalajara to see their side’s opener against Canadian side Forge.
The 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup got underway on Wednesday with two games involving Mexican sides. Monterrey won 4-1 against Guatemalan side Comunicaciones, while Club América were defeated by Real Estelí.
The Mexican involvement continues on Thursday, with Chivas Guadalajara among the Liga MX sides in action. They take on Candian team Forge in their first round fixture, meaning a trip to Hamilton, Ontario.
Chivas always bring a vibrant fanbase but the travelling Guadalajarans will rarely have been in a more idyllic spot than they found themselves on Wednesday: the Niagara Falls.
Hamilton is just a 50-minute drive from the iconic waterfall and an army of red-shirted Chivas supporters made the trip, bringing jerseys, drums, flags and horns to really make their presence known.
Among the flags laid out on the ground by the travelling Chivas fans was one that simply read: ‘Somos el alma’, or ‘We are the soul’. It may only be the first leg from Round One of the competition, but the Chivas supporters are taking things seriously on their trip up north.
How many times have Chivas won CONCACAF Champions Cup?
Chivas are one of the most decorated teams in Mexican soccer history so it will be no surprise to learn that they have an impressive record in continental competition too.
Los Rojiblancos lifted the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1962 and have gone on to make a further eight appearances, including the 2024 edition.
Their most recent victory came in 2018 when they triumphed over Toronto FC with a penalty shootout win. Their other CONCACAF Champions Cup appearances came in 1963, 1984, 1985, 1997, 2007 and 2012.
Their two continental triumphs is impressive, but it leaves them some way short of the most decorated sides in Mexico. Liga MX has a number of multiple winners: Club América (7 wins), Cruz Azul (6), Pachuca (5), Monterrey (5), Pumas (3), Toluca (2), Atlante (2), Necaxa (2) and Tigres (2).
“I understand the question but I don’t see it as pressure,” said new Chivas head coach Fernando Gago, when asked about his side’s trip to underdogs Forge. “The truth is I don’t see it as pressure, I don’t feel pressure. Yes, it is a commitment, a desire and we are going to work, it is clear, but pressure is something else. My dad was under pressure to feed us, that’s where I see the pressure.”