In case it wasn’t already obvious with their league-leading tally of 16 trophies and arguably the largest fan base in Concacaf, Club América have once again proved on Mexico’s loftiest stage that they’re the undisputed kings of Liga MX.
After Sunday’s 1-1 draw clinched the 2024 Apertura title with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Monterrey, Las Aguilas not only extended their record of championships, but also became the first team in Liga MX’s short-season era to earn three consecutive trophies.
There’s an inevitability to the Mexico City giants, and not even divine intervention could stop them. One day before Club América’s away leg of the final, a Monterrey fan social media account posted a video of a priest blessing the pitch at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer with holy water along with the caption: “We need all the help we can get.”
Considering the success that Las Aguilas have had since the 1950s, the blessing was a plea to the heavens and soccer gods that have often looked kindly to Club América, or at the very least since last year, to Brazilian manager André Jardine. Hired in the summer of 2023, Jardine was initially perceived as an underqualified addition after more prominent coaches such as Javier Aguirre and Gregg Berhalter were reportedly in the mix. Due to the status of Club América, hirings tend to be reserved for either larger-than-life or marquee figures, and typically not someone like Jardine whose last two jobs were with Liga MX minnows Atlético de San Luis and the Brazil‘s national youth-team setup.
Highlighting his relative obscurity was the fact that the coach literally began his introductory news conference in 2023 by telling media how to correctly pronounce his name. “Good afternoon to everyone,” said the Brazilian in his first words as coach of Las Aguilas. “It’s André Jar-DI-ne.”
Journalists and fans would soon learn much more about the meticulous coach that rapidly turned his team into a well-oiled machine. Keenly focused on the day-to-day in training and thereby finding a perfect attack-defense balance, while also backed by in-form goalkeeper Luis Malagón, Jardine launched Club América to two positions as the No. 1 seed and two consecutive titles in the 2023 Apertura and 2024 Clausura seasons.
Few could have predicted his immediate rise, and in the recent Apertura run, even fewer anticipated a trophy in a season that looked like Club América were nursing an extended back-to-back championship hangover. Injuries, having to play outside of the Estadio Azteca, a congested schedule that pushed and pulled through different competitions, and an overall sense that teams had figured out his possession-based approach through a four-man backline, knocked Jardine and his roster down to eighth at the end of the regular season.
When the playoffs began in November, the back-to-back champions were underdogs, at best. But as seen in the two-legged final win against Monterrey last week, what elevated Jardine’s status as hero to living club legend was his ability to adapt and evolve in the Apertura’s liguilla. Defense became the priority, as did a five-man backline that helped solidify their own half of the field. Possession numbers plummeted, which led to his roster being more reactive than proactive.
To some in Mexican soccer, this meant going against the Club América identity and culture that embraces being the goal-hungry protagonist. The fanbase motto of “Odiame Mas” (“Hate Me More”), is one gained by a desire for lopsided attack-minded results, not cautious pragmatism. Bigger managerial names, with egos just as large as Club América’s, would have likely maintained a more proactive style in the playoffs. That’s not Jardine, though.
“It’s not easy at all because you have many high-level players, so I used the entire tournament to give opportunities,” the coach said postmatch to TUDN about developing his methods throughout the season. He also later noted about still needing “a spectacular attack, but a very solid defense that would bring us closer to the title.”
After surpassing Toluca and Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the coach held tight in the 3-2 aggregate win over Monterrey in the final with just an average of 38.9% of the ball. Club América were impressive with the way they absorbed pressure, and even more so when they hit Los Rayados with breathtaking counters that were efficient in the final third.
Obviously, the players themselves also deserve an immense amount of credit. In defense, 23-year-old academy product Ramon Juarez was the MVP of the playoff run with his interventions in the backline. At right full-back, the ever-energetic Kevin Álvarez suddenly reminded Mexico national team fans as to why he should still be in the conversation with El Tri. Up top and as a roaming playmaker/winger, United States international Alejandro Zendejas created opportunities and scored, while also hustling to win the ball back. Midfielder Richard Sánchez, who returned to the XI in the second leg and responded with a long-range golazo, is also a worthwhile mention. The list goes on when noting Club América’s standout figures that have made history.
From a much wider perspective on what Jardine and his players achieved, they’ve also halted a shifting of the league’s tides that are gradually moving more north to big spenders like Monterrey, as well as the talent-heavy Tigres. In the 21st century, no Mexican teams have grown and invested as much as the northern crosstown rivals that have regularly lived in the shadows of the traditional big four: Club América, Chivas, Cruz Azul, and Pumas. It’s not just roster investment either that has made a couple of those traditional giants look diminutive in comparison.
Looking at Sunday’s final leg, the match was hosted at Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA Bancomer, the new and modern crown jewel of Liga MX stadiums. Had Los Rayados won, it would have been an exclamation point for the organization that have invested heavily across the board, including their women’s team that are the current back-to-back champions in Liga MX Femenil.
Chivas, Cruz Azul, and Pumas have largely been quiet in this transition to the modern era that has been spearheaded by the likes of Monterrey, but the same can’t be said of Club América who are able to keep pace with their own recruitment. And with crowns being passed around to the players during Sunday’s celebrations, their status as kings extended their reign for a third straight time as they lifted the Liga MX trophy in Monterrey’s brilliant, but also breachable, fortress.
With Jardine leading the charge as the monarch — and leading away fans in chants of “tricampeon” (three-time champion) — Club América haven’t just built a dynasty, but a legacy that no other team may be able to surpass in Mexico. Humble when he first arrived, and perhaps in appreciation of what the soccer gods have given him, don’t think this power with the greatest in Liga MX is getting to his head either. Once an unknown name that had to tell journalists how to pronounce it, he’s now regarded by many as the best manager that his team has had.
“I have — or at least I try to have — my ego very, very controlled, I’m part of an institution that is impressive,” he told TUDN. “I think I’m a little lucky to arrive at a time when the institution, as in everything, was ready to win.”
With the countdown beginning for the 2025 Clausura in early January, perhaps a fourth consecutive crown in a row is in the cards.
