 The tournament format consisted of doubleheaders at each venue with the opening match in Miami featuring Necaxa, led by Mexico national team captain Alberto García Aspe, national team forward Luis Hernández and Ecuador's national team striker Álex Aguinaga against the Mönchengladbach side that included star midfielder Stefan Effenberg and Swedish national team striker Martin Dahlin, who led his country to the semi-finals of World Cup USA '94.In the "South American Showdown", Brazilian national team defender Cafu, and Freddy Rincón, starting midfielder for Colombia's 1990 and 1994 World Cup teams, led Palmeiras against Club Atletico Junior, one of the oldest clubs in the Colombian first division that featured the then-rising star forward Miguel Asprilla and former Colombian national team goalkeeper José María Pazo.The opening match of the doubleheader in Chicago decided third-place in the tournament.