Club América: reasons behind club's name, crest and nicknames

Club América was founded in Mexico City on October 12, 1916, by two soccer teams that merged to form one. The name Club América comes from Club de Fútbol América. A group, some alumni of the College of Mascarones, and others from the local parish, came together to form what is now known globally as Club América. They decided to name themselves América as they formed on Día del descubrimiento de América, also known as Columbus Day.

América is one of the founding members of the Mexican Primera División. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Guadalajara, as both are the most successful and most popular clubs in the country. Matches between the two clubs are known as El Súper Clásico, and the rivalry is considered to be the biggest in Mexico. América also play in derbies against Cruz Azul and Club Universidad Nacional.

América chosen as club name

Many names were considered for the new squad formed in 1916. Team player Pedro Quintanilla suggested the name "América", since they had formed the team on Columbus Day. The players agreed and soon designed a crest which had the map of the Americas centered with a 'C' for "Club" on the left and an 'A' for "América" on the right.

In 1918, the team changed its name to Club Centro Unión, though it would revert to using the name América just two years later. The Club América team won the 1924/25 Primera Fuerza, the club's first honour in its history. América would win the Primera Fuerza three more times, all of them back to back. In 1926, América became the first Mexican club to play outside of Mexico.

Club América crest

Since the club's first crest design, the crest has seen minimal change. At the beginning of the 21st century, the vertical line at the crest's center was removed. During the early 1980s, the crest was surrounded by an image of an eagle and was even enclosed in a triangle. The most recent crest change was in 2010, with the yellow and blue more vibrant and a darker outline and border.

Club nickname

Throughout Club América's history, it has been given a number of nicknames. During the club's early years it was called Estudiantes (Students) as it had been established as a result of a merger of students from the colleges of Mascarones and La Perpetua.

They were also given the nicknames Cremas (Creams) and Azul-cremas (Blue-creams) in reference to the kit colors. During the 1960s, it was given its infamous Millonetas (Millionaires) nickname. In an effort to change the fortunes of the club which for years had been struggling financially and was suffering a five-year trophy-less drought, Azcárraga Milmo prioritized high-profile signings for the club. The Águilas (Eagles) nickname was the result of a club rebranding campaign undertaken in 1981.