Jardine and Baños fall short of their promise to Emilio Azcárraga as América bow out of the Concacaf Champions Cup
Jardine and Baños have an outstanding debt to Emilio Azcárraga: to win the Concachampions with América, an objective that has not yet been achieved.
Club América are out of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup after a 1–0 loss to Nashville SC at Estadio Azteca, a result that eliminates them in the quarterfinals and deepens the club’s ongoing crisis. The defeat highlights once again how much the team continues to struggle on the international stage.
América failed to score a single goal across the entire series, bowing out of a tournament that has become their biggest unresolved challenge. With this latest setback, the club is now approaching a full decade without winning the Concachampions — their last title came in 2016 against Tigres.
Jardine and Baños promised Emilio Azcárraga success
For head coach André Jardine and sporting president Santiago Baños, the mandate from owner Emilio Azcárraga has been clear: win the Concachampions and qualify for the Club World Cup. Despite América’s dominance in Liga MX — including a historic three‑peat — international success continues to slip through their fingers.
Repeated failures outside domestic competition have created mounting pressure inside the organization, with rumors circulating about a possible ultimatum for the current project. The expectation is simple: América must raise its level internationally, especially against MLS teams, a matchup that has exposed their weaknesses in recent years.
A historic streak ends at Estadio Azteca
The loss also marked a historic moment at the Azteca. For the first time since 2015, an MLS team defeated América in the Concachampions on their home turf. The result ends a long‑standing streak that had remained untouched for more than a decade at the iconic stadium.
Before this match, MLS clubs were winless in seven previous visits to América in this tournament. That run is now over — a clear sign of the difficult moment the club is experiencing on the international front.
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