2 August 2003 - The Cynic In Me Suspects That Deal Was Already Done

On 2 August 2003, the MLS All-Star Game featured a foreign team for the first time, hosting Chivas de Guadalajara.

Established in 1996, the league's first season, the previous All-Star Games pitted an East team against a West team. The only exceptions were in 1998, when the format changed temporarily to a contest between MLS USA and MLS World teams, and 2002, when the All-Stars played against the US national team (and won, 3-2).

For the 2003 edition, the league invited Guadalajara, one of Mexico's most popular and successful teams, with 10 league titles to their credit at that point (though none since 1997). They met at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, where a crowd of 27,000 watched as the All-Stars took a 57th-minute lead with a goal from Chicago Fire forward Ante Razov.

Chivas quickly equalized with a strike from Jair Garcia (66'), but LA Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz (68') put the All-Stars back ahead and a late score from Chicago's DaMarcus Beasley (83') sealed the 3-1 victory.

It wasn't all bad for Chivas, however, as MLS announced a few months later that their next round of expansion would include a new affiliated club, Chivas USA.

1 August 1943 - An Uncommon Symmetry

On 1 August 1943, América and Guadalajara played each other for the first time, starting a rivalry that would become known as El Súper Clásico.

Both clubs had been around since the early 1900s, with Guadalajara founded in 1906 and América following ten years later, but they played in different regional leagues until the establishment of the Mexican national league in 1943. Guadalajara won that first meeting, 1-0.

At the time, the two teams were not close rivals. That came later, when they rose to become two of Mexico's most popular and successful teams (they currently have 11 league titles each, sharing the record).

Counting that first meeting, they have met a total of 205 times, including 137 times in the league, 12 times in the Copa México, and twice in the Copa Libertadores. América have a slight edge, with 75 wins to Guadalajara's 73 (and 63 draws).

Their most recent meeting was in a July 2013 friendly, played in Las Vegas. Guadalajara won 1-0.