When was the last time Club América started a game with only Mexican players?

The Clausura 2024 has kicked off, and among the various matches in Mexican football, one particular fixture grabbed the spotlight for two specific reasons. Firstly, the team that secured the victory did so with a lineup of several back-up players, and secondly, this saw the formation of an all-Mexican starting XI, a feat not accomplished for many years. This notable match was the 2-0 victory of América over Tijuana in Matchday 1.

Due to another scheduled match on the same day (a friendly against Leones Negros), América had to split their squad in two. They faced the opening match of the recent tournament with a substitute squad, which proved sufficient to secure the first three points of the season. Additionally, this victory marked the end of a lengthy drought since they last started a game exclusively with Mexican players.

When was the last all-Mexican América?

It took 16 years for Club América to step onto the field with an all-Mexican lineup, with the last recorded instance dating back to the distant year of 2008 in a match against San Luis. Regardless, it’s worth noting that on the night of Saturday 13 January 2024, the current champions of Mexican football not only fielded 11 national players but also included five homegrown talents, adding extra significance to the event.

Emilio Lara, Ramón Juárez, Santiago Naveda, Sebastián Martínez, and Román Martínez, all products of the Nido (América’s youth academy), took the field at the Estadio Caliente to secure the victory against Tijuana Xolos. The rest of the starting lineup comprised Luis Malagón, Israel Reyes, Kevin Álvarez, Cristian Calderón, Emilio Lara, Ramón Juárez, Santiago Naveda, Salvador Reyes, Sebastián Martínez, Illian Hernández, and Román Martínez.

Next up for América is a home game against Querétaro on Saturday 20 January, in matchday 2 of the Clausura.