GUADALAJARA - In another "El Clásico" reprise, Guadalajara and América square off here Sunday in a second-leg semifinal match for the right to play Pachuca in the league finals.

Despite the enormous popularity of the Chivas, a beloved squad that never fields foreign players, América will no doubt draw hoards of yellow-clad fans to Estadio Jalisco.

In virtually every part of the Republic, Mexico City-based América attracts a vast and loyal following due to its winning ways, glamorous and powerful image and a steady dose of slick marketing from Televisa, the oft-maligned broadcasting giant, which owns the team.

The side has its detractors, though, who proudly brand themselves "anti-americanistas" and express resentment of América´s deep pockets and status as a symbol of the country´s wealthy and influential capital city.

"The interesting thing about Club América is that you either love it or you hate it," said Héctor López Zatarain, a Guadalajara sports marketing expert, who added that the team deliberately cultivated a polarizing and controversial identity after Televisa assumed control in the early 1960s.

"They decided that if Chivas were going to be the good guys, then they were going to be the opposite."

América and its fans seemingly relish the bad-guy image. After claiming a 10th title in 2005, ads for América invited its critics to "hate me more."

Juan Carlos Ladrón de Guevara knows the feelings of ill-will quite well. The Guadalajara native backs América, even though, "It´s always me against the world!" he explained emphatically.

He figured América draws fans that want to back a winning side and pointed out that every country has a wealthy, powerhouse squad - Real Madrid in Spain, Manchester United in England and Bayern Munich in Germany, just to name three - that gains a nationwide audience.

Zatarain attributes América´s popularity in the provinces to the large number of chilangos that decamped the capital after the 1985 earthquake. Guadalajara was one of their main destinations. He also said Televisa´s influence grew during the 1970s and 80s, making the network´s promotional efforts extremely effective - especially in its children´s programing.

After buying the team, "Televisa instructed all of the people at the station to promote Club América," López Zatarain explained, adding that many programs will include positive references to the soccer club and, in many small towns, the only stations traditionally available came from Televisa.