When you speak with Omar Bravo, there’s a mischievous glint to his eyes that feels both organic and practiced. It’s genuine, but also partly informed by the flamboyance of goalscorers used to absorbing accolades. At varying intervals he’ll flash a boyish grin that recedes as quickly as it appears, but only after accomplishing its disarming effect.

On the other hand, Gerardo Torrado – nicknamed "El Borrego" ("The Sheep") for his formerly bushy hair, which today takes the shape of more crimped, curly locks – carries a countenance as steely as his on-field reputation. He’s confident but also monotone, mirroring the hard-nosed resolve of a renowned holding midfielder known for his no-nonsense leadership and propensity for bookings.

Over nearly 15 decorated years, Bravo and Torrado faced off countless times in Liga MX. Their clashes chiefly took place during Bravo’s 380 appearances for Chivas de Guadalajara, where he holds the club scoring record with 132 goals, and Torrado’s 325 appearances for Cruz Azul, where he was team captain for 11 years and won the CONCACAF Champions League in 2013-14.

Beyond the single season they played together at Cruz Azul in 2012-13, Bravo and Torrado were teammates on the Mexico National Team for a decade. Bravo earned 70 caps and scored 15 goals, while Torrado’s 146 caps over 15 years is the second-most in the nation’s history. They represented Mexico at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and together won the 2003 and 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Bravo and Torrado have played with and against one another on the world’s biggest soccer stages. This Saturday, their paths cross again in an unlikely setting: WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. In June, the 37-year-old Torrado left Cruz Azul to sign with Indy Eleven of the North American Soccer League. Then last month, the 36-year-old Bravo went on loan to the Carolina RailHawks, which hosts Indy Eleven this weekend.

“I have a lot respect for where football takes you,” Bravo says, “and it took both of us here.”

RailHawks fans have recently seen this sort of curiosity. Last year, Spanish stars Raúl and Nacho Novo met when the New York Cosmos visited Carolina. But whereas that was the first time Raúl and Novo shared the same pitch, Bravo and Torrado are familiar friends and foes.

“I’ve known him for a long time, so I consider him a good friend,” Bravo says. “We have football in common, and we always had a fantastic professional relationship. But he knows, as well as I do, that once we play against each other, we forget all about that.”

Both players have quickly integrated into their new teams. Torrado earned a spot in the starting rotation for an Indy Eleven squad that already won the NASL’s spring championship and is currently atop the fall season table. Bravo has scored three goals in four games since coming to Carolina, and his presence has boosted the RailHawks home attendance by about 1,000 per game.

Bravo says he first played against Torrado around 2000, when Bravo debuted with Chivas and Torrado was several years into his stint with UNAM Pumas. Torrado soon left to play in Spain for five seasons, then joined Cruz Azul upon returning to Mexico in 2005. Along the way, Torrado played in three World Cups and won three Gold Cups.

Bravo knew Torrado had signed with Indy Eleven before he agreed to go on loan to the RailHawks, but Bravo claims that had no bearing on his decision to join Carolina. While the modest location for their renewed rivalry this weekend is notable to fans and media, Bravo considers the occasion “fairly normal, because we’ve played so many times against each other.”

Indeed, Bravo says this Mexican odd couple hasn’t yet communicated with each other about this Saturday’s reunion.

“But it doesn’t take a game for us to communicate,” Bravos says. “We’ll hug and ask each other how things are going. And I’ll probably invite him to dinner after the game.”