MIAMI, Florida – He did not know it at the time, but in 2006 when Club America won their fifth Concacaf club title, a 20-year-old Guillermo Ochoa would have to wait 15 years before getting a shot to be a starter on a Club America team in a Concacaf final.
A decade-and-a-half later, opportunity knocks for Ochoa in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Final when Club America face Monterrey on Thursday night in Monterrey.
In that 2006 Final versus Toluca, Armando Navarette served as the starting GK for Club America, while Ochoa was on the bench after appearing previously in the tournament, including in the semifinals.
If he could somehow travel back in time and deliver a message to the younger Ochoa, he would implore the 20-year-old to soak up every moment of being part of a team that made the journey to a Concacaf Final.
“I would tell him that it’s a match to enjoy. They are wonderful matches that go down in history, you have to go out and have fun on the field, but also with a big responsibility. You try to do as much as possible for your fans and for your team,” said Ochoa in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
After going so many years without representing Club America in a Concacaf tournament while he was in European football and then missing out on last year’s SCCL Final when Club America fell to Los Angeles FC in the semifinal stage, Ochoa is keen to take advantage of Thursday’s contest.
“When you are young, you perhaps don’t fully grasp the circumstances that are around you. You think that this will happen many times in your career, but with the passage of time, you see that’s not the case, that it’s not easy to make a final and play in finals, whether with your club or national team. I’ve been able to experience Concacaf finals at club and national level and this is a nice tournament to play, especially in the latter stages.
“We have to enjoy playing in this final because they don’t happen every day. Last year in Orlando we came up just short. Sadly, we couldn’t beat LAFC in the semifinals and get to the final against Tigres, so we have to make the most of this situation and this moment and try to get the best out of everyone,” said Ochoa.
Despite the gap in time, Ochoa still knows what it takes to be the last team standing in Concacaf club competition.
“First, you have to have the desire of wanting to win, of wanting to win an international tournament, because apart from winning, it gives you a path to the Club World Cup. Many of my teammates have not been able to win this tournament. It is something that is missing from their trophy cabinet, so we all have the hope of being able to do it tomorrow. It has been a long time since I last lifted this trophy, so I’m very motivated and eager to play a good game and help this club win another Concacaf title,” said Ochoa.
And like any Final, a hard-fought 90 minutes awaits a Club America side that will be playing in a tough atmosphere away from home.
“All finals are games that are very difficult, close and with little space. It will be a tough game against an opponent with very good players, who play very well and are at home. It won’t be easy, but finals aren’t easy. It’s a one game final in which we are playing away, playing without our fans, so there are a lot of things against us that we have to overcome. But these are tournaments in which you want to play, do things well and give joy to our fans,” concluded Ochoa.
