The Liga MX is back with the start of the 2024 Clausura. The first matchday saw both Gustavo Leal and André Jardine secure all three points with their respective teams, which suggests they may be heading towards another positive season.
Atlético de San Luis claimed a hard-fought victory over Mazatlán with a goal from the Brazilian Léo Bonatini, while defending champs Club América picked up a dramatic win against Tijuana with a brace from Salvador Reyes.
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André Jardine named an all-Mexican starting XI
One of the biggest storylines of América’s debut was that their lineup consisted exclusively of Mexican players. “We must celebrate 5 academy players starting for América, 11 Mexicans on the field at the start, making changes by also including youth academy players. For me, it’s a great demonstration today of what América is,” said Jardine.
The Brazilian coach also praised the commitment from his players, who won the Apertura 2023 last year: “It’s crucial for me to think big and succeed, so it’s a group that is training at the highest level to return to competing at a high level. This group was ready to play; this is América, we trust everyone, we have excellent academy players.”
Leal, on the other hand, led the San Luis team to its best campaign in history by reaching the semifinals last season. However, the young coach made it clear that from now on, they only need to look forward: “I’ve already talked to the players; what we did in the last tournament no longer belongs to us; it belongs to the institution, the fans, the history books. Now is the time to write another path, and what comes out of that story will depend on our performance and preparation on the field, so we are very focused now.”
Atlético de San Luis will return to action on Friday (19), hosting Pumas de la UNAM in the second round of Clausura 2024. América, on the other hand, will welcome Querétaro to Estadio Azteca a day later.
