Chivas beats America 2-0 in feisty friendly Clasico as Sepulveda scores twice

Two strikes from Angel Sepulveda were all Chivas needed to claim bragging rights in a Clasico Nacional that, friendly or not, was played through gritted teeth. The final score, 2-0 in favor of the Herd, came in a match held in California and left a clear takeaway: preseason game or exhibition, it doesn't matter, when Chivas and America meet, nobody gives an inch.

What stood out is that Chivas showed up with a backup lineup, thinned out by players called into national team duty. And it still didn't need to force the issue. Coach Diego Milito's side repeated the same recipe that had worked a couple of weeks earlier in the league Clasico: press high, make life uncomfortable for America, and never let them breathe. The difference this time is that the Herd didn't take its foot off the gas and avoided the kind of letdown that cost it a draw back then.

Over the full ninety minutes, the red and white side rarely felt any real danger. The Eagles, lacking sharpness up front, barely threatened, and that lack of finishing, combined with the clinical touch Sepulveda brought for Chivas, meant the game slipped away from America almost before they noticed.

A first half with more kicks than soccer

If one thing was clear from the opening whistle, it's that this rivalry doesn't know the meaning of "just a friendly." The first half was full of friction, and the referee had to stop play several times to break up scuffles between both squads.

The first flashpoint came between Erick Sanchez and Daniel Aguirre, who ended up tangled together and both picked up yellow cards after a hard challenge in a fifty-fifty ball. Minutes later it was Alejandro Zendejas and Fernando Gonzalez involved in another heated collision. Tempers flared again when Miguel Borja struck Richard Ledezma directly, setting off another round of shoving between players from both teams. And before the break, there was still time for one more flare up between Jordan Carrillo and Edwin Cerrillo, with the Chivas midfielder coming out worse for wear.

After all that friction, the second half arrived like a breath of fresh air. Both sides eased off the intensity and the match settled into a much calmer rhythm. Far from hurting Chivas, that suited the Herd just fine: with the scoreboard already in its favor thanks to Sepulveda's brace, Chivas simply managed the result without any scares until the final whistle.

In the end, with no points on the line, the match still left a conclusion that will surely be celebrated in Guadalajara: despite the absences, despite the heat of the Clasico, and despite an America side that pushed hard with elbows but not with goals, Chivas once again found a way to get the better of its eternal rival.