Clásico Tapatío

Lore & Background

The rivalry was born shortly after the founding of Atlas in August 1916. Club Deportivo Guadalajara was founded in May 1906. The two clubs are from the same city, with a difference of social class: Guadalajara were followed by the middle class, while Atlas represented and was the favorite of the upper class, as its founders came from wealthy families and learned football during travels to the United Kingdom. The first encounter was a friendly shortly after Atlas was founded, ending 0–0. The first tournament match was in the Torneo de Primavera of 1917, where Atlas won 2–1 despite complaints of bad refereeing by Chivas. Chivas refused to play in the next Liga Amateur de Jalisco tournament of 1917–18 unless the president of refereeing resigned; when he did not, Chivas refused to join. After Atlas won their first amateur league and the leader resigned, Chivas challenged Atlas to a series of 3 matches. Each team won one of the first two matches by a single goal, and Atlas won the third; there were complaints that Atlas used 7 substitutions from the defunct Club Colón. There is a legend of an 18–0 Atlas victory, but the first reference is a newspaper note published about 50 years later, and no data confirms the match. In 1955, Guadalajara goalkeeper Jaime 'Tubo' Gómez, after leading 5–0, sat next to a goalpost and read a magazine in mockery of Atlas fans. Atlas and Guadalajara have faced twice in playoffs, both in the quarter-finals: in summer 2000, Chivas advanced on better league position after two 1–1 draws; in the Opening Tournament 2004, Atlas eliminated Chivas 4–3 on aggregate. In both games Guadalajara missed a winning penalty kick. Neither team advanced past the semi-finals.

In Their Own Story

The bus from the barrio never made it to the stadium before kickoff. It idled on Avenida Vallarta, engine ticking, while a thousand voices from the lower stands bled the first ten minutes into a single sustained roar. I remember the smell—copper and sweat and the cheap beer someone had cracked open three rows back. The ball was in the air, a Chivas full-back clearing it with a header that sounded like a slap, and the whole section jumped as one. Atlas's number ten, small, quick, threading a pass through two legs, and for a second the noise dropped to a held breath. Then the goal, then the explosion, then the stranger two rows over grabbing my shoulder and shouting something about 1971 and a man named Beto. I didn't know who Beto was. I didn't care. The city had spoken, and it had chosen a side for ninety minutes, and that was enough.

Reader's Guide

Official matches include Liga Amateur de Jalisco, Copa México, Campeón de Campeones, Primera División (with two entries noting no game due to Atlas being in Second Division), Play-In, and Playoffs (with one note that Guadalajara advanced due to better overall position). Statistics are updated as of 13 August 2022, with columns for matches played, wins for Atlas, wins for Guadalajara, draws, goals for Atlas, and goals for Guadalajara; there were 44 games where the result is unknown.

Did You Know?

• The first encounter between the two clubs was a friendly that ended 0–0.
• Atlas was founded in August 1916, while Guadalajara was founded in May 1906.
• Atlas represented the upper class, while Guadalajara was followed by the middle class.
• In 1955, Guadalajara goalkeeper Jaime 'Tubo' Gómez read a magazine by the goalpost in mockery of Atlas fans.