How Club America manager André Jardine turned USMNT's Alejandro Zendejas into a Liga MX star and the club into a serial winner

With its short tournaments, frequent managerial change and unpredictable nature on the field, Liga MX is not a league that frequently sees repeat champions. This spring, América joined Pumas, León and Atlas as the only teams to win back-to-back titles in the short tournament era. Now, they stand alone as the only back-to-back-to back winners.

Even in the days of a full calendar, there weren’t often repeat champions. América matches its own three-peat in 1983-84, 1984-85 and winning again in 1985 in a short tournament experiment. Cruz Azul also had three title wins in the 1970s and Chivas dominated things from 1958-1962. From that list, it’s clear that teams are rarely able to repeat, much less three times.

América struggled during the regular season, finishing eighth, but had the confidence and know-how to get past Tijuana in the play-in, Toluca in the quarterfinals, Cruz Azul in the semis and, finally, Monterrey.

“The team has overcome a lot. We ate a lot of garbage from the press, from fans at times - with reason because this team is capable of great things,” forward Henry Martin. “We looked inward, learned from our errors and moved forward. That’s the success of this team. Every one who puts this logo on, you grow. We don’t have new signings that cost a lot … but you grow and dream when you put on this shirt.”

In doing so, this group of players enters into the record books with an achievement that not only is unlikely to be matched any time soon but also may only be more remarkable with time.

When América needed a replacement for Fernando “Tano” Ortiz in the spring of 2023, it made many calls. According to reports, it got “thanks but no thanks” responses from Javier Aguirre, from Diego Alonso and from Gregg Berhalter, who opted to return to the U.S. national team. Finally, sporting director Santiago Baños settled on Jardine, who came off a number of strong seasons with Atlético San Luis.

Fans were disappointed. Now, they’re thrilled having watched Jardine become just the second manager in Mexican soccer history to win three straight league titles.

“I’m really happy. Really tired right now, but enjoying every second of a tournament that was really tough, really difficult,” the manager said after the game. “We never stopped believing, never stopped working hard imagining this day final.

“Achieving this goal, this incredible dream? It’s about simply enjoying every moment because we know it’s not easy at all.”

The 45-year-old made it look easy, though. Even as he had to work through a series of injuries at the start of this tournament, to make sure egos were in check and his players weren’t feeling the pressure of playing at a club with a fan base as demanding as América’s, he never seemed overwhelmed. That puts him in stark contrast to many of his predecessors at América’s training ground in Coapa.

Jardine will have other suitors. He has experience in Brazil, leading the Olympic team to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Clubs there would love to woo him back, and there are surely European teams keeping an eye on him, too.

The manager claims he has no illusions that the three trophies in his collection will even keep him with América, though, even after the club rode out a rough spell this summer and reaped the rewards with this title.

“It’s so tough in professional soccer to get the confidence from the directors and players and know they all believe in you,” Jardine said. “Maybe at some point my goals change, but right now I like to think I can keep winning more with América.”

The contract extension he signed this summer will keep him at the club until 2027. It’s tough to see him staying that long, but perhaps conditions will be right for both sides to make that happen or even add another extension.

One player who has flourished under Jardine is United States national team winger Zendejas.

A fringe player who struggled to find consistent minutes under previous managers during his time at Chivas, Jardine has leaned on Zendejas to create danger on the outside and combine with forward Henry Martin. Zendejas also has slid inside to be the playmaker in the middle, especially with Diego Valdes struggling with injuries in 2024.

“I’m just thankful - thankful for the confidence he’s been giving me,” Zendejas said earlier this year. “Even throughout the beginning, I wasn’t having my best moments, and he was still there giving me support. I’m happy. This is what we work for and our job, so I’m happy to be on the field any time I can get. I’m just being thankful and going out and having that confidence in every game.”

The opportunity to make mistakes and recover from them was clear all season. Zendejas showed more creativity than ever this season after returning from a leg break that kept him out from the end of July until early September. As he returned to fitness, his role increased, the season ending as Zendejas set up Sanchez's crucial goal in the second leg.

The El Paso native will turn 27 in February and it will be interesting to see if he remains at America. He's won six trophies at the club and nine overall in Mexican club soccer. After losing winger Julian Quiñones in the summer transfer market, Jardine would rather not see another key piece in attack depart, but a European opportunity may come calling. With competition for places in the attack stiff and the 2026 World Cup approaching, Zendejas may want to take that risk. Or, perhaps, enjoying the confidence Jardine shows him is the best option for him.

Whatever the case, few could've expected how Zendejas' story would turn out in his early moments in Mexico when Chivas loaned him out to Zacatepec, then sold him off to Necaxa. Now, he's a key player on an historic América squad.

The confetti was still falling when reporters in Mexico started asking about the potential of América doing it again. That’s normal. While fans, the players themselves and those involved in the club are able to sit and bask in the glory of a title run, everyone else starts wondering what’s next?

Is América thinking about that? “No,” Jardine said, “Not now. Right now, about vacation.”

The vacation will be well-deserved. Don’t forget that after América’s first title the club had to fly to Dallas for a friendly match against a Barcelona team (that flew in on even shorter rest) before truly beginning the holidays. After the Clausura, it was less than a month until the Campeon de Campeones match - time many players spent with their national teams. The team will also play Lionel Messi's Inter Miami this upcoming January.

The real challenge for América will be trying to push itself on the international stage. While hope is fading they’ll be a late replacement in the 2025 Club World Cup, their drought in the CONCACAF Champions Cup now is nearly a decade. América likely will open the tournament against arch-rival Chivas, whom they eliminated from the 2024 edition. But a loss to boogey team Pachuca saw them fall short of the final and, potentially, a spot in the Club World Cup earned on the field.

América is a team that prides itself on being Mexico’s biggest and best. They’ve proved that’s what they are with their trio of titles. Now, it should turn its attention to winning the CCC and showing they can go beyond being simply Mexico’s biggest and best but also be tops in the region - and perhaps compete on the world stage.

Well, after a bit of rest.