André Jardine’s América off to a historically poor start in Clausura 2026

Club América are living through an unexpectedly troubling opening to the Clausura 2026. The scoreless draw against Pachuca on Matchday 3 confirmed an alarming reality: the side coached by André Jardine remains winless and, more concerning, has yet to score a single goal in the tournament.

After draws against Xolos, Atlético de San Luis, and now Pachuca, the Mexico City giants have gone three straight matches without an offensive response. The urgency was evident, but the match once again revealed an América side with possession yet lacking depth and finishing. The visitors tried to generate danger mainly through the flanks with Cristian Borja and Kevin Álvarez, but crosses and approaches failed to seriously trouble the Tuzos’ back line. Pachuca stayed organized, closed spaces, and neutralized every clear attempt.

Controversy surfaced following an individual play by Brian Rodríguez, who went down inside the box after contact with Gustavo Cabral Bauermann. Despite protests, VAR did not intervene and referee Luis Enrique Santander allowed play to continue. The first half ended with a worrying stat: América registered no shots on target.

After the break, the Águilas pushed higher and showed more intensity—especially down the left—yet still couldn’t translate control into clear chances. The most dangerous moment arrived in the 59th minute, when a free kick near the area saw Cristian Borja unleash a powerful left-footed strike that forced goalkeeper Carlos Moreno into a key save to preserve the draw.

Searching for a spark, Jardine made attacking changes. Víctor Dávila was replaced by José Raúl Zúñiga, and later the coach took a bigger risk by substituting Jonathan dos Santos for Patricio Salas. The tweaks didn’t pay off, and América never managed to break Pachuca’s defensive block.

With this result, Club América post the worst start in their history in short tournaments: three matches without a win and without a goal. After the international break for the Mexican national team, the Águilas will be under pressure to respond when they face Necaxa on Matchday 4—a fixture already shaping up as pivotal to change the course of their Clausura 2026 campaign.