Three América youth players who will play with Tigres in Apertura final

The final of the Apertura 2023 tournament has been determined, with the Club América overcoming Atlético de San Luis, while the Tigers eliminated Pumas with a not-so-convincing aggregate score compared to the other series. Now, Las Águilas and Los Felinos will face each other in the key matches to decide the champion.

Tigres and the Club América youth

Robert Dante Siboldi’s team has the opportunity to achieve a Bicampeonato, becoming the third team to do so, as Pumas, León, and Atlas have already accomplished it in the past. However, they will face the Coapa team with three homegrown players from the capital’s team: Sebastián Córdova, Diego Lainez, and Diego Reyes.

Sebastián Córdova, a native of Aguascalientes, went through the youth ranks of América until the Apertura 2016 tournament, where he made his debut with Alebrijes de Oaxaca in the then Liga de Ascenso. Subsequently, he returned to América, and on 14 May 2018 he made his professional debut in the top flight with the team in the Concacaf Champions League against Tauro. Tigres would become his new home as he sought more playing time on the field, which he was not getting at América.

Diego Lainez is also a homegrown player of América, and before reaching the top tier, he was with the club since the under-13 category. Ricardo La Volpe was the one who granted him his debut in the First Division against León, and prior to that, he played in the Copa MX against Santos Laguna. He later ventured into European football, where he did not achieve notable success, leading to his return to Mexico with Tigres.

The other player is Diego Reyes, who joined América in 2006 to play in the youth divisions. It took four years for him to make his debut in Liga MX in a match against Santos Laguna. After a stint in European football, he was brought back to Mexico by the Tigres, with whom he currently plays.