They may be ahead or behind their rivals in the Mexican league. Pachuca, Cruz Azul, Toluca and Pumas UNAM are all on equal footing in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The four are the semifinal survivors of the competition, further solidifying the nation's dominance in the region.
Toluca and Pachuca will clash in the two leg semifinals, beginning March 30 at Estadio Nemesio Diez, with the return leg at Estadio Miguel Hidalgo on April 7.
Mexico City rivals Pumas and Cruz Azul will kick off their series at Estadio Olimpico Universitario on March 31 before moving across town to Estadio Azul on April 6.
Cruz Azul is the lone returnee to the semifinals, having lost to Atlante in last year's final. One year after placing three teams in the semifinals - Cruz Azul, Atlante and Santos Laguna - Mexico's Primera Division has swept all four spots, guaranteeing yet another Mexican champion and another Mexican representative in the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
"From the beginning (of the competition) we had this dream and today it's nearing," Pumas UNAM coach Ricardo Ferretti said. "Of course now Cruz Azul, Toluca, Pachuca and we are considered (quality) teams and all four have the same dream. With four games remaining, it further increases the possibly."
Cruz Azul and Pumas meet in the knockout stage for a second straight year with La Maquina winning 2-0 on aggregate in last year's quarterfinals.
Cruz Azul earned its semifinal ticket Wednesday night with a 3-0 victory against Panama's Arabe Unido at Estadio Azul, winning the aggregate series, 4-0.
Javier Orozco scored a pair of second-half goals and Cesar Villaluz added another to lead the Azulinos. Orozco, known as Chuleta, has six goals in the Champions League.
"I know what is required of a young man to start. They ask many things. You have to be nearly perfect in the opportunities they give you is a path that will always be in football," Orozco said. "That's why you have to take all of your opportunities."
After losing 2-0 in the first leg in San Pedro Sula, Pumas thrashed Marathon of Honduras, 6-1, in the return leg at Estadio Olimpico Universitario Thursday to advance to the semifinals.
Led by Ismael Iniguez and Francisco Palencia, who scored two goals apiece, Pumas scored three goals inside the opening half hour en route to a resounding victory.
"(Marathon) did good things naturally to go up 2-0 and we had some doubts," Ferretti said. "But after the game, our satisfaction is that we do have capability."
Luis Montes scored with two minutes remaining to give Pachuca a 2-1 win against nine-man Comunicaciones from Guatemala on Tuesday at Estadio Hidalgo to advance to the semifinals.
Pachuca, which captured the final two CONCACAF Champions Cup titles in 2007 and 2008, won 3-2 on aggregate.
"You enjoy these more," Montes said of scoring a dramatic last-minute winner. "The whole team came and did a great job. There were two minutes left and it was a goal created by passing. That makes it more satisfying to me. The truth is I feel a beautiful emotion."
Antonio "Sinha" Naelson converted a pair of second-half free kicks to twice rally Toluca to a 3-2 victory against a 10-man Columbus Crew at Estadio Nemesio Diez Wednesday.
Hector Mancilla also scored a penalty kick for the Red Devils, which captured the aggregate series 5-4.
Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto converted a first-half penalty kick for Columbus, which extended Major League Soccer's Mexican futility to 20 games in competitive matches.
