'I do think [Andre] Jardine looks off' - Mexican media reacts to Club America's recent struggles as concerns start to mount

América suffered yet another setback - their fourth loss in the last five matches - falling 1-0 to Monterrey on Matchday 16 of the Clausura 2025. The defeat also extended the team’s scoring drought, with just one goal scored across those five games. To make matters worse, Brian Rodríguez, the former LAFC player, was forced off the pitch just six minutes into the match due to injury.

André Jardine’s squad appears to have lost its rhythm at the worst possible time, and the criticism has started to mount in Mexico’s top football talk shows. On ESPN’s Futbol Picante, the panel questioned the team's direction.

“What was said after the Champions Cup elimination to Cruz Azul? That the goal was to finish as league leaders and win the four-peat. Well, they won’t finish top anymore," Dionisio Estrada said on the show.

Mario Carrillo, a former América manager, defended the team’s play.

“I don’t think América is playing poorly. They’re just not being clinical. Brian’s injury was sad, but after that, I thought they played well. Zendejas had a big chance," Carrillo said. "I do think Jardine looks off - he has no strikers available and it’s hurting them. They’re running, they’re fighting, but they just can’t finish.”

Over at Fox Sports, former América and Cruz Azul striker Carlos Hermosillo dismissed any notion of crisis.

“Crisis? One goal in five games doesn’t mean a crisis. They’ve got injuries. They’re in third place. Last tournament, they entered through the play-in and became champions," Hermosillo said. "Whether they finish first, second, third or fourth, the goal is the same: win the league.”

América seem to have lost their way in April. Since the elimination from the Champions Cup at the hands of Cruz Azul, Las Águilas have gone on a rough streak in which they’ve struggled to find the back of the net, so much so that they’ve now lost their grip on the top spot in the Clausura 2025.

Despite the poor run of form, head coach Jardine remains calm, believing the upcoming break before the Liguilla will help key injured players like Rodrigo Aguirre and Henry Martín return in time. However, the bad news is that Brian Rodríguez suffered an injury just minutes into Wednesday’s match against Rayados. While the extent of the injury is still unknown, the Águilas can’t afford to lose another star with the playoffs approaching, especially as they chase a historic fourth-straight league title.

"We’ve been through worse moments than this and still won titles. We’re going to work very hard in the playoffs to go for the four-peat," said the Brazilian coach in a press conference.

"It’s a rough patch we’re going through, just like we’ve gone through others before. What’s important is getting through this together, growing stronger from it heading into the final stretch. Luckily, we now have a short break that will allow us to train, recover players, and try to turn things around—just like we did in the last Liguilla."

The Azulcremas will close out the regular season this Saturday at home against Mazatlán FC on Matchday 17, aiming to get back to winning ways.