What’s Israel Reyes’ verdict on América’s winless start to Clausura 2023?
América have picked up only three points so far, but recent signing Israel Reyes says he’s confident Las Águilas will soon be back among the Liga MX leaders.
Club América new boy Israel Reyes is refusing to press the panic button, despite Las Águilas’ winless start to the Liga MX Clausura 2023 tournament.
América in mid-table after three Clausura 2023 draws
Fernando Ortiz’s men, who topped the regular-season standings in the Apertura 2022, have been held to draws in each of their first three games of the campaign, playing out stalemates with Querétaro, Toluca and Puebla.
América currently sit 11th in the table, four points off leaders Tigres.
“I don’t think we’ve started badly”
“It’s not the start we wanted,” defender Reyes told reporters on Thursday. “We were up against sides we should have competed better against and could have beaten. But I don’t think we’ve started badly, either.
“I’m confident that when that first win comes, we’re going to set off towards the top spots. There’s a long way still to go in this tournament.”
Reyes, who joined América in the off-season from Puebla, added that the criticism the 13-time Mexican champions have received only serves to motivate him and his team-mates.
“There’s plenty of talk in the media, because América have to be winning week in, week out,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s something that makes us grow as a team; we place demands on ourselves and it makes us push even harder to get results.”
Almada or Herrera for Mexico job?
Asked about the race to become the next Mexico head coach, with Guillermo Almada and Miguel Herrera in contention for the job, Reyes said: “They’re both top coaches with a proven track record. Almada is a defending league champion [with Pachuca] and Herrera, with everything he’s done in his career, would be a great influence on us youngsters.”
What’s América’s next game in the Clausura 2023?
For the second matchday in a row, América play at home this weekend. Los Azulcremas host Mazatlán at the Estadio Azteca at 9pm local time (10pm ET) on Saturday.