Club America seems to have put one foot into the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup. After a thumping display last night in Foxborough, Massachusetts against New England Revolution winning 4-0, it seems like the series is all but defined. With one more leg to play between these two teams, the question for Americanistas will be; Is America really that good? Or was New England Revolution that bad?

Club America Stomp New England Revolution: Champions Cup Recap

Dominant Display Against New England

The biggest takeaway from the 1st leg of this quarterfinal entangle will be Club America’s dominant result. Scoring four goals in any occasion merits celebration. Even more so when it’s done in away match in the Champions Cup. America came into this game with a lot of underlining questions regarding the squads health and depth. Which surprisingly to everyone the two players we all thought would see the bench, started. Alvaro Fidalgo and Alejandro Zendejas both picked up muscle injuries last week in America’s friendly against Cruz Azul in Carson, CA. There was speculation regarding both players whether or not they would even see any minutes against the Revolution, and shockingly they both started.

America lined up their strongest possible eleven against New England. The big question mark was, with no Diego Valdes on the pitch could America orchestrate a dominant performance going forward? The answer soon came quickly into the match. America dominated possession from the start and was in the driver seat for majority of the game. Andre Jardine high press worked perfectly forcing mistakes from the Revolutions back line which lead to America scoring. All in all it was a well rounded game in where America outplayed their opponent even without their star number ten on the field for majority of the match.

Putting Away Their Chances

The running narrative for America this season has been their lack of being clinical in front of goal. To many times early in the season we talked about America winning by a small margin but if they would have taken a good amount of chances they created the story would have been different. Now against New England it looks like those issues in front of goal have disappeared, for now. That may be because Julian Quiñones didn’t play in this match but it could very well be a coinsedence.

Regardless America was clinical from the start. Two goals with in the first half showed just how clinical America can be. For this team it’s one thing to be dominant on the ball and play a very good tactical game, it’s another thing to put your chances away. In this match America was able to do both and because of that we got this scoreline.

Is America that good? Or is New England that bad?

Thats the question everyone will be asking themselves after this game. An argument can be made for both. America is the current Liga MX champion and current league leaders in the Clausura 2024 season. They didn’t achieve their accolades on accident, they’ve merited it. Yet you have to look at the other end of the spectrum. New England sit dead last in the MLS Standings, and while many will say that doesn’t paint the entire narrative for the Revolution it does reflect their current reality. Sure they have plenty of rebuilding to do since their coaching drama last summer. Yet I believe in the end New England was just not at the level to play against America the way they wanted to.

I am hesitant to say America is just that good only because I have still to see a dominant series performance from America in the Champions Cup. Will they learn from their past match against Chivas? Where they won the first leg 3-0 away at the Estadio Akron. The parallels are there, so for me America still needs to dominate in the second leg and get past possible opponents Pachuca, for me to then soundly say we are the most dominant force in this competition.

Conclusion

In the wake of Club America's resounding victory over New England Revolution, it becomes clear that Las Águilas have sent a powerful message n the Concacaf Champions Cup. The 4-0 triumph not only highlights their offensive prowess casting a shadow of doubt over the Revolution's ability to compete with them. While questions about America's consistency in delivering dominant performances in the Champions Cup linger, this match served as a testament to their potential. As we look forward to the second leg and beyond, the true measure of América's dominance in the competition remains to be seen. Will they maintain this level of excellence, or was this a one-off performance? Only time will tell, but for now, America fans can revel in a display of football that promises more thrilling encounters ahead.