Match Preview - Club América (Leagues Cup Phase 1)
Game Info
Kickoff: 7:40pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
This is the first meeting between Austin FC and Club América.
Club América Recent Form
After dispatching two inferior Liga MX teams Austin FC welcomes Club América to Q2 Stadium on Thursday, one of the most celebrated and storied franchises in Mexican soccer history.
Founded in 1916, Club América is arguably the most important team in Liga MX history. Located in Mexico City and nicknamed Las Aguilas (the Eagles), the team was formed by two students at Colegio Mascarones, Rafael Garza Gutierrez and German Nunez Cortina. Now more than a century later, their club rules over North American soccer.
If you’re a baseball fan, then Club America are the Yankees; if you’re a basketball fan, they are the Lakers; if you’re a LaLiga fan, they are Real Madrid.
Club América has 16 Liga MX championships to their name, the most in Mexican soccer history. On top of that they’ve also earned seven CONCACAF titles (tied for the most all-time), six Copa MX trophies, two Copa Interamericana trophies, a CONCACAF Giants Cup, a Supercopa MX trophy, and a Campeones Cup. Think they ordered a second trophy cabinet yet?
Most recently, Club América made Mexican soccer history again by coming out on top in three consecutive seasons, winning the Apertura in 2023, then the Clausura and Apertura in 2024. If you want to familiarize yourself more with the modern format in Liga MX, check out the Tijuana Preview from a week ago.
Three games into the Liga MX season, Las Aguilas are atop the table, tied with Club Tijuana on seven points from their three contests with wins over Querétaro and Santos Laguna and a draw against Atlante. They’ve only conceded once so far this season and while Austin fans can point to having beaten Tijuana last week, The Eagles are an entirely different beast.
More importantly, through matchday two of Leagues Cup, Club América sits in first on the Liga MX side of the table with wins over San Diego and Portland, with six goals scored and two conceded. They dominated those contests and out shot their opponents 38 to 20, with 16 of those shots being on target. It’s clear that Club America is looking to advance in this tournament and add what’s been an elusive Leagues Cup trophy to their coffers. Of course, Austin is in first on the MLS side of things in Leagues Cup after matchday two as well, so this match will be billed as a must watch on Thursday.
Coached by Guillermo Almada, a former manager at Pachuca, Club América plays an aggressive attacking style that involves a high press and an aggressive directness in possession. Fullbacks push forward up the field to create overloads and tend to stay in their opponents’ half to keep their opposition pinned back as much as possible. The Uruguayan manager won the Apertura in 2022 and CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2024 with Pachuca and has big expectations after replacing Andre Jadrine, who managed América to the three-peat I already mentioned.
Almada has a bevy of outstanding attacking players to choose from, but everything starts with Brian Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a Uruguayan, is the most dynamic attacking player on the team from his left wing position. He plays with pace and has excellent ability on the ball in 1-v-1 situations. He currently is tied with Myrto Uzuni as the top goal contributor in Leagues Cup with two goals and two assists across the pair of matches thus far. Rodriguez has opened the scoring in both contests, with goals in the sixth minute against San Diego and the 11th minute versus Portland. He sets the tone for his team, and he’s done a mighty fine job at that in this tournament.
Alejandro Zendejas, a member of the USMNT, has 56 goals for CF America in 190 contests in his career, but has yet to play since seeing 13 minutes versus Turkiye in the World Cup. The former FC Dallas product most likely won’t play against Austin as he recovers from a knee injury. From a fandom perspective, this is a significant boost for ATX.
In the center of the pitch, you’ll find Raphael Veiga, a Brazilian attacking midfielder who spent the majority of his career at Palmeiras. He’s been an excellent addition for the team and has a lot of responsibility in the attacking phase of the América midfield to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Fortunately for America’s opposition, Luis Malagon, one of the most talented goalkeepers in Mexican soccer, is also injured. Not only is Malagon a fantastic shot stopper, but he is also excellent with the ball at his feet, which makes América’s high-line and pressing tactics that much more potent, as he’s an effective sweeper keeper. Malagon is still dealing with the Achilles tendon injury that is expected to keep him out for the majority of 2026.
Like we discussed on Episode 324 on Monday, expect lots of yellow jerseys in the stadium come Thursday evening.
Austin FC Recent Form
Remember when Ricky Bobby placed third at Talladega and he wasn’t sure what to do with his hands? That’s where I’m at right now.
On one hand, two wins in a row against Liga MX teams and finding ourselves sitting atop the Leagues Cup table on the MLS side is great. On the other hand, I’m pretty confident in saying that Puebla is not good and that Xolos are mid, plus we know that the two Leagues Cup wins do nothing for Austin’s slim MLS Cup Playoff hopes. On top of that, with América next on the schedule, I find it hard to believe ATX is even favored to qualify for the knockout stage despite their success over the first two matchdays.
As dismal as the showing has been for Liga MX as a whole in Phase 1, Club America has dominated in their two outings. Now, they’ll venture to Q2 Stadium, a place that isn’t foreign to the team after they defeated Portland in penalties in the 2025 edition of Leagues Cup as the home team at the Q last year. We should expect at least a 50/50 split between Verde and América fans on Thursday night.
Some positives to latch onto? Myrto Uzuni looks locked in, with four goal contributions through two tournament games. Interim head coach Davy Arnaud moved away from his beloved inverted wingbacks look against Puebla. Ervin Torres has been absolutely phenomenal. Besard Sabovic looks like he actually has played soccer before and the team has yet to concede in the tournament.
Now, here comes the reality. As mentioned on Episode 324, according to Transfermarkt, Club America has 21 players valued at $2 million or more, whereas Austin sits with just eight. As ZG pointed out, Austin FC has just 25 players on their first team roster!
While that may not encapsulate the whole story, it does tell the tale of the differences in talent on paper between these two teams. Regardless of rotation, Austin will be outgunned coming into this contest.
Naturally, I have other questions as well, with the most burning one being is Davy finally going to go away from the inverted wingback look? His quotes after the Puebla match don’t seem to support that, but maybe the film will push him further in that direction. The tweaks he did employ worked well, at least in the first half, and I can only do so much complaining after the back-to-back victories.
But I’m not complaining by merely pointing out that the team’s momentum did not carry over to the second half, as Austin looked rather pedestrian in closing that one out. Context matters there of course, because Austin should not have been throwing caution to the wind in search of another goal and chose to remain disciplined against an inferior team that will have difficulty scoring all year no matter who they play. But even Arnaud agreed that “we know we have more in the tank than we showed in the second half,” in his post game comments.
Was the outcome we saw from the Puebla game something to believe in going forward or a product of a poor opponent? I think the answer lies somewhere in between, but only time will tell if the positives we’ve seen from this club in their opening Leagues Cup contests are apparitions or true signs of things to come for the return to MLS play.
We will be able to eliminate one variable from the question above versus Club America, as they are likely the toughest opponent Austin FC has faced across their three Leagues Cup appearances. Furthermore, their play style has consistently thwarted most Austin FC game plans dating back to the days of the expansion season. High press paired with a direct intent in possession has never been something Austin FC teams have handled well.
From what I’ve seen, the players really want to advance in this tournament, and the work rate has been consistently high since Davy took the helm. Controlling the controllables can go a long way for a less-talented team playing against a powerhouse.
Want to really start turning some heads and changing some minds if you’re an Austin player? Here’s your chance.
Injury Report
This is an estimate, as there are no official injury reports during Leagues Cup.
ATX:
Jon Bell (Probable - Pubis)
Owen Wolff (Questionable - Ankle)
Mikkel Desler (Out - Achilles)
AME:
Alejandro Zendejas (Out - Knee)
Luis Malagon (Out - Achilles)
Club América Players to Watch
Brian Rodriguez - The Uruguayan left winger has been on fire in Club América’s first outings in Leagues Cup, with two goals and two assists. He is a versatile attacker who can play many different attacking positions. The former LAFC player has really come into his own since the start of the 2025 season for Club América, posting his first ever double-digit goal season last year, with 13 goals in Liga MX play. Rodriguez is the type of player that should make fans clench up if they see him on the ball with space on Thursday night.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Let it Fly! - It’s not up for debate that Austin is the less talented team on paper than Club América. It is what it is. In a season that has felt so devoid of hope and joy on a consistent basis, finding a way to be at your best against a top-notch opponent should be something that gets the players excited. If you’re looking to open some eyes around the league (and if we’re being honest, around CONCACAF), then a win over Club América would do just that. Play loose, play free and take the fight to the opposition all night.
Predictions
ZG- 3-1 Club América
E- 2-2 Draw (Austin FC wins PKs)
