Club América

Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. The club was founded in 1916, and since 1959 has been owned by media company Televisa. The team plays its home games at the Estadio Azteca, the largest stadium in Latin America, and one of the largest stadiums in the world.

América is one of the founding members of the Primera División. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Guadalajara, as both are the most successful and most popular teams in the country, and are the only clubs to have never been relegated. Matches between them are known as '' El Súper Clásico'', considered to be the biggest rivalry in Mexico, and one of the biggest in the world. América also play local derbies against Cruz Azul and Club Universidad Nacional.

Club América have won more titles than any other team in Mexican football, with a record thirteen league titles, as well as a record six Copa México titles, and six Campeón de Campeones cups. In international competitions, América has won ten FIFA recognized club trophies, the most for a club from the CONCACAF region, with a record seven CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League titles, two Copa Interamericana cups and one CONCACAF Giants Cup. The club also holds numerous distinctions, including topping the all-time league table in victories and points, the most appearances in the playoff stage, most finals appearances (23), and most runner-up finishes (10) along with Cruz Azul. América was named by the IFFHS as the best North American club of the first decade (2001–2011) of the 21st century.

History

Founding

By 1916 football was already a popular sport in Mexico, particularly amongst college students in Mexico City. College students from Colegio Mascarones and Colegio Marista de la Perpetua formed two football teams with the names ''Récord'' and ''Colón''. On 12 October 1916, the two squads decided to consolidate to make a more competitive squad. Many names were considered for this new squad, and team player Pedro "Cheto" Quintanilla suggested the name "América", since they had formed the team on Columbus Day (''Día del descubrimiento de América''). The players agreed and soon designed a crest which had the map of the Americas centered with a 'C' for "Club" on the left and an 'A' for "América" on the right. In deciding the team's colors, Rafael Garza Gutiérrez got a pair of his father's navy blue trousers and a yellow shirt and it was decided amongst the group that those would be the club's kit and colors.

In 1916, Club América had to prove itself to the Mexican Football League, then known as the Primera Fuerza.How were Club America accepted into the Primera Fuerza?
https://us.bolavip.com At the time, América was the only club in Mexico City with Mexican-born players. Necaxa, Atlante, Real Club España, Germania, and Asturias were already members of the ''Liga Mayor de la Ciudad''. América's acceptance into the league rested on three games they had to win. América won two games, tied the third and were accepted.

In 1918, the team changed its name to Club Centro Unión, though it would revert to using the name América only two years later.

América won their first Primera Fuerza title in the 1924–25 season, being crowned champions after defeating Asturias 1–0 in the deciding match. América would win the Primera Fuerza three more times, all of them back-to-back. In 1926, América became the first Mexican club to play outside of Mexico."Inicia la aventura (1917–1942)."
www.esmas.com. Redaccion. Aside from broadening their horizons, Club América, along with Atlante petitioned to reduce the number of foreign players in the league. Shortly after the Mexican Football Federation was formed in 1928, Rafael Garza Gutiérrez was designated as the head coach of the Mexico national team. Most of the national team that participated in the 1928 Summer Olympics and 1930 World Cup consisted of players from Club América.

1940–1969

Until 1942, Mexico had several leagues, although the league in Mexico City was considered the most developed. In 1942–43, the first National League was established and it was known as the Liga Mayor (Major League). Club América had declined from its then-prime of the 1920s and 1930s: aging players, diminishing financial resources, and resulting lack of interest made the team a bottom-feeder at the start of the beginning stage of the professional era ⁷.

It was also during this time that the rivalry with Guadalajara was born; especially during the 1945–1946 season when Guadalajara beat América by 6–4 and 4–2 scorelines. The 1951–1952 season saw América finish in 11th place out of 12, with a 3-point-advantage over Veracruz, who were relegated. In 1954 América defeated rivals Guadalajara on penalties after a 0–0 draw in the Copa México final, thus winning their first league cup.

In 1956, the club was sold to soft drink manufacturer Jarritos. The new owner was trying to build upon the club's National Cup titles in 1954 and 1955 against Guadalajara. During the 1954–55 season América won their first Campeón de Campeones championship, defeating Zacatepec 3–2. The owner failed to build upon previous success and on 22 July 1959, Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, owner of Telesistema Mexicano, bought América from Isaac Bessudo. Following the acquisition, Azcárraga told his players, "I do not know much about football, but I do know a lot about business, and this, gentlemen, will be a business."

The 1959–1960 season saw América reach second place in the league, behind Guadalajara. On 21 April 1964, at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, the team, now coached by Alejandro Scopelli, defeated Monterrey 6–5 in the final match of the Copa México. During the match Alfonso Portugal scored five of América's six; José González scored the other goal to win the championship.

On 7 May 1965, América regained the Mexican "Copa" championship after a 4–0 victory over Morelia at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario. The goals were scored by Javier Fragoso and Vavá, each scoring twice.

1970s

After Mexico hosted the 1970 FIFA World Cup, the league tournament format was changed in response to the championship's disputed winners, hence the Liguilla (play-offs) format was started. The first play-off final was in 1971 between Toluca and América, leaders of Groups 1 and 2, respectively. After a 0–0 draw in Toluca, América obtained their second league title after winning the second-leg 2–0 at the Estadio Azteca. The following season saw América eliminated from the playoffs by Cruz Azul. América would defeat Cruz Azul in the 1973 Copa México final. A few years followed in which América did not qualify for the playoffs. They finished in first place during the 1975–1976 season, and defeated Tecos UAG and Union de Curtidores in the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the final against Universidad de Guadalajara. América won the championship after beating UDG in the Jalisco Stadium 3–0 and 1–0 at the Estadio Azteca. They also won the Campeón de Campeones title by beating Tigres UANL 2–0.

In 1977, América participated in their first Copa Interamericana, playing against Argentine club Boca Juniors, winners of the 1977 Copa Libertadores. After losing the first-leg and winning the second, América would win the championship in a playoff match in 1978 by a score of 2–1 after extra-time, with a last second free-kick goal by midfielder Carlos Reinoso. América became the first team from Mexico and from the CONCACAF region to win the competition. América also became the first confederation side to earn the "double" in a single year as it won the delayed 1977 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

1980s

The 1980s are generally considered América's "golden decade". During this period, América won the league title five times, including three consecutive titles; the 1983–84 season, the 1984–85 season, the Prode-85 tournament, the 1987–88 and 1988–89 seasons. They also won the Mexican Super Cup twice, in 1987–88 and 1988–89, as well as the 1987 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

The 1983–1984 season saw América reach the top of the table and reach the finals, where they would face arch-rivals Guadalajara, who the previous season had eliminated América in the semi-finals. Following a 2–2 draw at the Estadio Jalisco, América defeated Guadalajara in the Azteca Stadium 3–1, and a 5–3 aggregate score. To date, it is the only match between these two teams in the league finals, though they would face each other in other phases of the playoffs. The series has since been dubbed the ''"Final del Siglo"'' (''"Final of the Century"''). The following season América once again reached the finals, this time against city-rivals Pumas UNAM. After two draws in both the Azteca Stadium and the Mexico '68 Stadium, the last game was played in the Estadio Corregidora in Querétaro, where Daniel Brailovsky secured the championship for América by scoring two goals with the final score of 3–1.

Due to Mexico hosting the 1986 World Cup and stadium and infrastructure preparations, the tournament was split in two short tournaments: Prode-85 and Mexico-86. América clinched the top of their group in the Prode-85 and defeated Universidad de Guadalajara and Atlante (which was rescheduled following the earthquake suffered in Mexico City) to reach the final, where they faced Jaibos Tampico Madero. The game in Tampico was a 4–1 victory for Tampico, but at the Azteca Stadium, América beat Tampico Madero 4–0 to win the championship.

For the 1987–88 season, América met UNAM in the final, in a replay of the 1985 final. They defeated UNAM by an aggregate score of 4–2. The following season, América once again reached the league final and faced Cruz Azul, which was the first time the two clubs met in the final since 1972. The first-leg finished in a 3–2 victory for América. A 2–2 draw in the second-leg meant América won the championship by a 5–4 aggregate score.

1990s

During the 1990s, América only managed to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1990, a Copa Interamericana in 1993, and a second CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1993. During the 1990–1991 season, América dominated its group and reached the playoffs to eliminate Universidad de Guadalajara in the quarter-final round and Guadalajara in the semi-final round, only to reach the final and lose to UNAM.

In 1994, club president Emilio Diez Barroso announced the hiring of Dutch manager Leo Beenhakker. The club also announced the signing of two African players, Cameroon international François Omam-Biyik and Zambian national team captain Kalusha Bwalya. Other Mexican players such as Joaquín del Olmo, Raúl Gutierrez, among others were signed as well. América finished the season with 51 points, and scoring 88 goals. With only a few matches remaining in the regular season, Beenhakker was abruptly fired as manager. It was rumored that conflict between the coach and Diez Barosso regarding Beenhacker's defending of playing Del Olmo was the reason for his sacking. América reached the semi-finals, losing to Cruz Azul. This América team is considered one of the best in the club's history, despite not winning any silverware.

In 1998 América, along with Guadalajara, became the first Mexican club to participate in the Copa Libertadores tournament. They were inserted in a group where both teams confronted clubs from Venezuela. América finished in second position of the qualifying stage and advanced to the group stages. América was put in Group 3 along with Guadalajara and Brazilian clubs Grêmio and Vasco da Gama. América qualified to the next round finishing in third place, being eliminated by Argentine club River Plate.

2000s

In August 2001, América won the CONCACAF Giants Cup after defeating MLS club D.C. United 2–0. The following year, América would reach the league final against Necaxa, winning by a 3–2 aggregate score. After losing in the first-leg 0–2, América won the second by the same scoreline, forcing extra-time to be played. A golden goal from a Hugo Norberto Castillo header in the 107th minute gave América the victory, and the club its first league championship in 13 years.

The club once again reached the league final during the Clausura 2005 tournament, finishing third in the standings and defeating Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals and semi-finals to face Tecos UAG. After a 1–1 draw in the first-leg, América was victorious in the second, winning the match 6–3 at the Estadio Azteca – 7–4 on aggregate – to win the club's tenth league title.

On 19 April 2006, América defeated fellow-Mexican side Toluca to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, thus qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup that same year. At the tournament, América won its first match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea. América went on to lose the next match against Spanish side FC Barcelona. It ended its participation in the tournament, losing the match for third place to Al Ahly of Egypt.

2007

After the Club World Cup, América qualified for the playoffs of the Clausura 2007 defeating Atlas and Guadalajara in the quarter and semi-finals. They played the final against Pachuca, finishing runners-up.

For the Apertura 2007, after starting off the season on a poor run, Luis Fernando Tena was sacked, and was replaced by Daniel Brailovsky. After finishing third in their group and sixth in the general standings, América played Morelia for the last spot in the playoffs, being beaten 3–0 in the first-leg, and winning 1–0 in the second-leg. With this, América was eliminated from the competition.

América also participated in the Copa Sudamericana, reaching the finals to play against Arsenal de Sarandí of Argentina. They would lose the first-leg at the Estadio Azteca by a 2–3 score, and win 2–1 in Argentina. The aggregate result was 4–4, but due to the away goals rule, Arsenal won the championship.

América finished 2007 ranked tenth in the IFFHS's Club World Rankings, becoming the first Mexican club to reach the top ten.

2008

América started off 2008 winning the InterLiga tournament, defeating Cruz Azul 5–3 on penalties in the final following a 3–3 draw after 120 minutes, thus assuring qualification to the Copa Libertadores tournament that same year.

The Clausura tournament saw América end in next-to-last place in the general standings. This had not been seen since the mid-1950s. In the first five months of 2008, América was showered with twelve defeats, two draws and three victories, which resulted in the third-straight tournament without qualifying for the playoffs. The manager at the time was Rubén Omar Romano, who was one of the least successful coaches in the club's history. Coincidentally, after being replaced by Juan Antonio Luna, América got their third victory of the Clausura against Monterrey. Despite their poor domestic form, América fared well in the Copa Libertadores, defeating Brazilian side Flamengo 3–0 in the round-of-16 at the Estádio do Maracanã, overturning a 2–4 first-leg deficit, and advancing to the quarter-finals. They defeated Santos FC to reach the semifinal stage of the tournament, being eliminated by eventual champions LDU Quito after drawing 1–1 on aggregate.

2010s

For the Apertura 2010, América brought back former manager Manuel Lapuente, who led the club to the league title in 2002. The return of striker Vicente Matías Vuoso and the signing of Uruguayan Vicente Sánchez gave América one of the most dangerous front lines in all of the league. They finished the tournament in first place of Group 2, fourth in the general standings, with 27 points. With this, they would advance to the playoffs, and automatically qualify for the first time since 2008 for the 2011 Copa Libertadores. They would be eliminated in the semi-finals by Santos Laguna by a 4–5 aggragate score.

América had a bad start to the Clausura 2011 tournament; a 0–2–1 record in the first three games the tournament led to the sacking of Lapuente. Carlos Reinoso was named his successor, who had already managed the club two times before. His first game was against Atlas, which América won 2–0. América ended the Clausura with an 8–1–5 record, and would be eliminated in the quarter-finals by Morelia. On 18 September 2011, Reinoso was sacked as manager, with Alfredo Tena taking over as interim-manager. América would finish the Apertura in 17th place, the second worse finish in the club's history. On 8 November, Michel Bauer stepped down as president. That same day, former América player Ricardo Peláez was presented as Sporting President, while Yon De Luisa would be named Operations President. Miguel Herrera was presented as the club's new manager, the fourth in a year. In his first year at the helm, Herrera brought the team to the semi-finals on two consecutive occasions.

On 26 May 2013, América won their eleventh league title by defeating Cruz Azul in the Clausura final 4–2 on penalties after a dramatic comeback from a 0–1 first-leg loss to win 2–1 in the second-leg, and tie 2–2 on aggregate, with goalkeeper Moisés Muñoz scoring the second goal in injury-time. With this, América tied Guadalajara for most league titles. For the Apertura 2013, América finished the regular phase of the tournament at the top of the standings with 37 points and would again appear in the league final, though failing to achieve a repeat, being defeated by León by an aggregate score of 1–5. On 17 December 2013, Antonio Mohamed was announced as América's new manager for the Clausura 2014 tournament, replacing Miguel Herrera after two years in charge. América would finish fifth in the standings, and was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Santos Laguna due to the away-goals rule after drawing 6–6 on aggregate.

América finished the Apertura 2014 tournament at the top of the general standings with 31 points, and defeated UNAM and Monterrey in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Prior to the league final, the club was marred in media speculation regarding the future of Antonio Mohamed (he ultimately admitted he would leave the club after the final) and the separation of Paul Aguilar from the team prior to the first-leg of the semi-finals. On 14 December, América won a record-twelfth league title after defeating Tigres UANL 3–1 on aggregate in the final, coming back from a 0–1 first-leg loss to win 3–0 in the second-leg at the Estadio Azteca. Three days after winning the final, América announced Gustavo Matosas as Mohamed's successor, signing a two-year contract.

In April 2015, the club won its sixth CONCACAF Champions League title after defeating Montreal Impact in the finals by a 5–3 aggregate score. Despite inconsistent displays throughout the Clausura tournament, América managed to finish second in the standings, though was eliminated by Pachuca in the quarter-finals. Three days later, with various media reports suggesting Gustavo Matosas would be sacked due to differences with the board regarding transfer strategy, it was confirmed in a press conference which was attended by both Matosas and club president Ricardo Pelaéz that he would indeed leave after only six months in charge. On 26 May, Ignacio Ambríz was presented as the new manager, signing a two-year contract. América lost its FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final match to Chinese team Guangzhou Evergrande, and defeated African club TP Mazembe to claim fifth place in the competition.

In April 2016, América successfully defended the CONCACAF Champions League title after defeating Tigres UANL 4–1 on aggregate in the finals, and winning a record seventh continental title. América culminated the year with a fourth-place finish at the Club World Cup and finishing runners-up in the Apertura championship match against Tigres UANL.

América won its record thirteenth league title following a 2–0 aggregate victory over Cruz Azul in the 2018 Apertura final. In April 2019, América defeated Ascenso MX side FC Juárez in the final of the Clausura edition of the Copa MX, winning a record sixth title. In winning the cup, América became the outright record holders of the Liga MX, Copa MX, and CONCACAF Champions League.

Crest and colors

Crest

When Club América was founded in 1916, the crest consisted of the letter 'C', standing for "Club", overlapped by an 'A', which stood for "América". After a brief period in which the team's name was changed to Club Unión, it was reverted to Club América in the mid-1920s, and the crest was modified, with a map of the Americas behind the 'CA', and encased in a football, all in the team's colors – which were cream and blue. Since then, the design of the crest has seen minimal change; at the beginning of the 21st century, the vertical line at the crest's center was removed. During the early 1980s, the crest was surrounded by an image of an eagle (due to the club's nickname), and was even enclosed in a triangle. The most recent modification of the crest was in 2010, with the yellow and blue more vibrant and a darker outline and border.

Colors

Club founder Rafael Garza Gutiérrez chose what would be América's first uniform. He took some of his father's navy blue trousers and a yellow-cream shirt and it was decided amongst the other players that those would be the club's colors. The club's kit design would go largely unchanged, and it would not be until the 1980s that the team colors changed, with the cream color replaced with a more vibrant yellow and blue, along with the introduction of the inverted triangle design on the shirt in 1982. A third, alternate white and blue shirt was introduced towards the end of the decade, but it was not worn frequently.

During the Apertura 2011 tournament – what would be the club's 95th anniversary – a commemorative jersey was unveiled paying homage to the original uniform, as well as an altered crest. The uniform was used during the ''Súper Clásico'' match against Guadalajara.

In May 2016, as part of the club's centenary, a dark red away kit was revealed honouring Italian club Torino, who functioned as the club's first opponent at the Estadio Azteca in the 1966 inaugural match.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Nicknames

Throughout Club América's history, it has been given a number of nicknames. During the club's early years it was given the nickname ''Estudiantes'' (Students), because it had been established as a result of a merger of students from the colleges of ''Mascarones'' and ''La Perpetua''. They were also given the nicknames ''Cremas'' ( Creams) and ''Azul-cremas'' (Blue-creams) in reference to the kit colors. During the 1960s, following businessman Emilio Azcárraga Milmo's purchase of Club América, it was given its infamous ''Millonetas'' (Millionaires) nickname. In an effort to change the fortunes of the club which for years had been struggling financially and was suffering a five-year trophy-less drought, Azcárraga Milmo prioritized high-profile signings of foreign players and executives, notably hiring Guillermo Cañedo de la Bárcena, the successful president of Zacatepec. The ''Águilas'' (Eagles) nickname was the result of a rebranding and media campaign undertaken by Televisa in 1981. Along with a new kit and color scheme, the ''Águilas'' nickname was introduced at a press conference held by the club at the Estadio Azteca.

Grounds

América plays its home games at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The stadium was designed by Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez

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