LIGA MX
América race to best start as defending Liga MX champions in short tournament era
André Jardine’s men have three wins in three games and have yet to concede a goal. Could they make history?
Defending Liga MX champions América have started the new campaign in the same way they ended the last one. The Coapa team has recorded three wins from three in the Clausura 2024 and top the standings with impeccable figures. In the opening week, they travelled to Tijuana and beat the Xolos 0-2.
On matchday 2 at the Azteca, they beat Querétaro by the same scoreline, and on Wednesday, they beat Juárez away - once again by two goals to nil. On Saturday, the Águilas will visit Necaxa in Aguascalientes in a match corresponding to Week 3. André Jardine’s men have yet to concede a single goal so far and are level on points with Tigres at the top of the general table but with a superior goal difference (+6).
The Azulcremas are the team to beat. They look solid, determined and are showing the kind of form that could lead them to back-to-back championship triumphs. However, while results have been encouraging, the rivals that they have faced so far have not been the strongest sides in the league - Xolos were 13th in the classification, Querétaro 14th, Juárez 15th and their next rivals Necaxa are 18th. So tougher tests await further down the line.
Best start: Apertura 2005
The best Azulcrema start to any Liga MX campaign, as champions, during the short tournament era was in the 2005 Apertura. The Águilas entered the championship on a high after beating Tecos in the Clausura 2005 final, and kicked off the new tournament in style with an 11-game unbeaten run. It was on matchday 12 in Chiapas, when Jaguares brought América’s rampant run to an end.
The players in their ranks included: Francisco Guillermo Ochoa, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Claudio ‘Pijo’ López, Duilio Davino, Pavel Pardo, Kléber and Christian ‘Chaco’ Giménez among others. That team however, were unable to string together three consecutive victories; they drew 0-0 with Pachuca in Week 2... And despite having a great start, and leading throughout the regular season, it didn’t end well - Tigres knocked América out in the quarter finals with the notorious Aztecazo.
Recent starts as champions
Miguel Piojo Herrera was the team’s strategist in the Clausura 2019. His team started with a 1-3 defeat to Necaxa at the Azteca followed by a 1-2 win away at Atlas. The Águilas returned to the Coloso de Santa Úrsula to beat Pachuca 3-0 and on matchday 4 lost 3-2 as guests of Monterrey.
The the title holders didn’t start the Apertura 2015 well either. They lost the first game 4-2 to Puebla, then suffered a 1-3 home defeat to Atlas at the Azteca; the first win came in Week 3 away at Pachuca (0-3) and in Week 4 they beat Dorados de Sinaloa 4-0.