SEATTLE - With every passing game, André Jardine's América gains more and more momentum in their quest of winning a double this season. At the local level, América sits second place , trailing Monterrey by just one point. The reigning Liga MX champions have lost only one of their league games this tournament and look like the team to beat in the tournament.
At the continental level, the 'Águilas' have also been able to take care of business and are one game away from securing a CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinal berth.
América's dominance over the last year is a result of a healthy sporting project dating back to almost four years ago. Since the Apertura 2020, América has managed to finish among the top four teams in Liga MX in seven straight tournaments, finishing as the 'superlíder' in three instances.
The arrival of Brazilian manager André Jardine only made them better, as they linked a 19-game unbeaten streak in league and 'Liguilla' play between July and December of 2023 (14-0-5). In Jardine's first tournament at the helm, América won its 14th Liga MX title in dramatic fashion, defeating André-Pierre Gignac's Tigres 4-1 on aggregate.
The team's level has kept on growing over the last year and a half. Since the start of 2023, América has only lost eight games out of 62 played in all competitions (37-8-17 W-L-D in that span). More important than the individual wins, the 'Águilas' have been able to prove their superiority with trophies. In the last tournament, América extended its record of most Liga MX titles by winning their 14th league trophy at Estadio Azteca. Fast forward less than three months, and Jardine's side remains alive in both the league and CONCACAF Champions Cup.
América's performance in Liga MX - Last seven tournaments
SEASON
Apertura 2023
Clausura 2023
Apertura 2022
Clausura 2022
Apertura 2021
Clausura 2021
Apertura 2020
POINTS
40
34
38
26
35
38
32
LEAGUE POSITION
1st
2nd
1st
4th
1st
2nd
3rd
Currently sitting on second place in Liga MX and with a 3-0 advantage over Chivas in their Round of 16 tie, América can really start dreaming about a potential double this season. Since Mexico swapped to the short tournaments format in 1996, only one team (Pachuca in 2007) has been able to lift both the CONCACAF and Liga MX titles in the same tournament.
There have been other Mexican teams that had gotten close to repeat Pachuca's feat. América won both competitions the same year twice (1987-88 and 2014-15) but not in the same season/tournament. Monterrey and Santos played both the Liga MX and CONCACAF Champions League finals in April-May of 2012, splitting the results that year. Tigres also came close to doing so twice, 2017 and 2019, but failed to win the continental competition in both times.
Atrae para generar espacios.
— Analista América (@Stats_CAmerica) March 7, 2024
Asociarte y dejar de cara.
Conducción y movimientos para fijar.
El toquin del América en el Akron. pic.twitter.com/GJojbSwzwE
With Jardine's team looking like the team to beat domestically and at the CONCACAF level, only a few teams look like they could challenge América for the titles. Liga MX powerhouses Monterrey and Tigres are still alive in the CCC, while Leagues Cup finalists Inter Miami and Nashville SC are MLS's biggest threats to Mexican dominance at the continental level.
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