Can Club America defend their title this season? Twelve victories, four draws, and only one loss. This is what Club America’s 2023/24 Apertura tally looked like before the Eagles went into the next stage of the competition. Quite admirable, right? No other team looked remotely close to Club America’s crazy-high level in the opening part of the season, nor was anyone close to knocking out Andre Jardine’s boys in the playoffs.
It's no secret that the Eagles are one of the most prolific Mexican clubs around but let’s see if Club America can defend their title. It certainly won’t be an easy task.
Can Club America defend their title this season?
Club America’s season so far
It’s still too early to tell, as the Eagles played only one official Liga MX game, but the 0-2 win over Club Tijuana was a step in the right direction for Club America. It’s never easy performing at Estadio Caliente, but coach Andre Jardine was prepared for everything his rival could throw at him.
Manager Miguel Herrera opted for an ultra-attacking formation, which did its job to some degree. The Pack produced a massive 36 shots at target, but a sensational Luis Malagon kept a clean sheet, deflecting eight shots on target.
High-flying Eagles are at the top of the table in Liga MX after only one match played, and this comes as a surprise to no one. If coach Jardine’s boys can maintain this steady course, people will soon stop asking themselves “Can Club America defend their title this season?”.
Club America schedule & expectations
The Eagles’ Clausura campaign had a very difficult game right off the bat – the visit to Estadio Caliente. However, coach Jardine’s players managed to secure the three points there and now look forward to the next couple of challenges:
- 21st of January – Club America vs Queretaro
- 25th of January – Juarez vs Club America
- 28th of January – Necaxa vs Club America
- 4th of February – Club America vs Monterrey
As you can see from the schedule above, the Eagles have a rather acceptable schedule ahead of them for the next couple of weeks. Games against lackluster Queretaro, Juarez, and Necaxa should be easily won. Then comes the match against title contenders Rayados. However, the Eagles are again lucky that this match will be held at Estadio Azteca. With the home-field advantage behind them, the Eagles will very likely scoop at least a point from this match as well, which will likely be enough for the team to go into the 6th fixture unbeaten.
Club America transfers & rumours
If you are to look at the expenditure that the Eagles have had this season, you wouldn’t be asking yourselves can Club America defend their title. Coach Jardine was given enough transfer funds to boost his starting XI, and he managed to use those funds wisely by signing a couple of high-profile players:
- €25m for Pachuca’s Kevin Alvarez
- €17m for Atlas’ Julian Quinones
- Cristian Calderon from Chivas Guadalajara on a free transfer
Some €20m were spent on new players, and as you can see, all these players are coming from direct title contenders. Andre Jardine did wisely to weaken his main opponents’ starting XIs and we are sure that this is another answer to the question “Can Club America defend their title”. Judging from the high-profile starters under the Brazilian manager’s disposal, we are sure that the Eagles will be soaring in the Liga MX charts this season.
So, can Club America defend their title in the Clausura?
Well, all the signs for another Eagles triumph are certainly there. First of all, the team began the campaign in a positive fashion beating Club Tijuana. The schedule looks alright, and then we have all of these high-profile players boosting Jardine’s starting XI.
Some of the key title contenders have also been busy on the transfer market. Chivas Guadalajara appointed Real Madrid legend Fernando Gago as their new head coach, Tigres UANL scooped up a couple of decent players as well, but we believe that Club America can defend their title in this season’s Clausura, as the rest of the teams in Mexico just don’t look up to par to the Eagles’ standarts.
