It’s a less-than-ideal start to the Apertura 2024 season as reigning champions Club América fall to Atletico San Luis on match day one. Not many predicted this result, and even with América’s absences, they were still the heavy favorites on paper. Still, this poor result will serve as a lesson to both the players and the manager that no rival should be taken lightly. Looking back at this game, América left plenty to be desired, but not all was bad, as there were a few takeaways that the team will be content with.

The Champions Stumble in Match Day 1: Atl. San Luis vs Club América Takeaways

Starting Off on the Wrong Foot…Again

This isn’t the first time Club América has dropped points to a “lesser” rival at the start of the season. Just one year ago, América began their 2023 Apertura campaign against FC Juárez, losing that match 2-1 as well. The scoreline isn’t the only matching comparison. Back in 2023, América had notable absences due to players on international duty and pending transfers. Fast forward to today, and this América side suffered the same misfortune. Both games saw André Jardine feature a lot of academy players off the bench, and both times the youngsters failed to impress. It’s a less-than-ideal scenario for Club América, but if history repeats itself in the oddest of ways, this start might just be the ideal one.

Bench Players Showcase Why They Are on the Bench

With the absences of Sebastian Cáceres and Israel Reyes, and uncertainty over whether Igor Lichnovsky will re-sign with América, Jardine was left with a weakened defense. Nestor Araujo and Emilio Lara, players who have fallen out of favor with both the manager and the fans, started this match. This game could have been an argument for why they should still be on the team. However, it was evident that the two are hindering the team rather than helping it. Both goals conceded on the night can be attributed to either one of these two defenders. With Araujo’s failure to clear a bouncing ball and Lara’s poor defensive tackle leading up to the second goal, it’s clear both players are seeing their last minutes in an América jersey.

The Positive: Henry Scored & 16-Year Old Debuted

Not all was bad news for América in this match. One key highlight of this game was Henry Martín’s goal. While it wasn’t the game-winning goal, it will be important for the Mexican striker to get his feet wet in the goal-scoring department. The faster he catches traction, the better news it will be for when the team is in full force. Another key highlight was the debut of 16-year-old Diego Reyes. His name will sound familiar to Americanistas, but he is not related to the former center-back academy player. The debut of the youngster should be celebrated, as not only does it mean América gets closer to fulfilling the 1,000-minute rule, but it also indicates that they have a promising prospect for years to come. With the right timing and coaching, Diego’s development could see him play a bigger role down the line.

Final Words

All in all, it’s not the end of the world for América after this bad result. However, it is a poor start to the season and an outcome no player thought would happen. Still, it’s important to see how the team bounces back from this setback. When looking at the first four matches of this season before the Leagues Cup break, América has several favorable matchups. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that the team could muster up twelve points before the break, but now they will have to settle for a maximum of nine points. Up next for the team will be a debut home match against Querétaro at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in a must-win game for Las Águilas.