Does América and Cruz Azul’s Champions Cup exit put Liga MX in crisis? | OneFootball

Tuesday night on Mexican soil felt less like a bad result and more like a bad omen. Two of Liga MX’s biggest heavyweights — Cruz Azul and Club América — crashed out early from the CONCACAF Champions Cup, turning what was supposed to be a statement week into a reality check.

Two of the tournament favorites failed, and not quietly. First, Cruz Azul couldn’t undo the damage of a 3-0 first-leg collapse at the BMO Stadium against Los Angeles FC, leaving the defending champions to vacate their crown. Then, at the Estadio Azteca, América extended its decade-long drought in this competition, falling 1-0 to Nashville SC.

Two MLS teams, two semifinals secured — and a not-so-subtle reminder that the gap between leagues is no longer what it used to be, back when Mexican clubs treated this tournament like their personal playground.

But beyond knocking out two of Mexico’s so-called “big four,” these results send a louder message: even the most expensive projects can collapse when the moment demands substance over investment.

América vs Nashville SC: Chronicle of a death foretold

This is how the story goes. Again.

Club América under André Jardine no longer hurts, no longer intimidates. They are a team that has forgotten football’s simplest — and cruelest — rule: you have to score.

And so, they didn’t.

Eliminated in the quarterfinals, América added yet another chapter to a season that feels like it’s been unraveling in slow motion. Everyone knew this was the defining week. The moment where talk had to become reality.

It didn’t.

At the Estadio Banorte, América once again walked away empty-handed, repeating a script that’s becoming dangerously familiar.

Football is won with goals, and América has been playing as if that detail were optional. The attacking machine that powered a historic three-peat now feels like a distant memory. Without Henry Martín — absent, injured, almost ghost-like — and relying on names like Patricio Salas and Raúl Zúñiga who fail to carry weight, the team has lost its edge, its identity, its fear factor.

Its reality now? International elimination and a seventh-place standing in Liga MX that feels more like a warning than a promise.

The tournament prioritized by both board and coaching staff vanished without a fight. First failure: confirmed. And the word “rebuild” is already creeping into conversations ahead of the post-World Cup reset.

The decisive blow came in the 58th minute, when Hany Mukhtar scored for Nashville. By then, the patience was already gone. The stadium boiled over. The infamous chant echoed twice in the first half — frustration looking for an outlet. After the goal, the match had to be paused briefly. Not because of football, but because of anger.

And América… América faded into nothing.

No reaction. No rebellion. No soul. As if the goal wasn’t a challenge, but a final sentence.

Now, only Liga MX remains — a last refuge for a team that hasn’t convinced there either, but somehow still breathes. Still, the feeling lingers:

A chronicle of a death foretold.Another semester, empty-handed.

Cruz Azul vs LAFC: Close… but never close enough

Meanwhile, Los Angeles FC arrived in Puebla with one foot already in the semifinals. And even with Cruz Azul — reigning champions, second in Liga MX — staring them down, the outcome never truly felt in danger.

Cruz Azul did the hard part: creating chances.

They failed at the only part that matters: finishing them.

The 1-1 draw (4-1 on aggregate) sealed their elimination, in a match defined by missed opportunities and one very inconvenient hero: Hugo Lloris.

If there’s a name that defines the tie, it’s his.

From the first half, Lloris was everywhere — denying a powerful shot with both hands, stopping another in stoppage time that looked destined for the net. In the second half, he did it again, saving a ball that was already flirting with the goal line.

Experience. Positioning. Reflexes. He carried LAFC through their worst moments and became the difference-maker.

Gabriel Fernández scored from the penalty spot to spark hope, but what followed was a parade of wasted chances: off-target shots, weak finishes, and Lloris standing in the way of everything.

Frustration turned into desperation, and desperation into collapse. Gonzalo Piovi saw red late in the match, leaving Cruz Azul short-handed when they needed composure the most.

Then came the final blow: a stoppage-time penalty converted by Denis Bouanga.

Game over. Tie over. Dream over.

The defending champions are out, their hopes of a repeat gone, in a night that started with belief and ended in resignation.

Voices after the fall

André Jardine, speaking about his future with Club América:

“I imagine two ways a cycle ends. One is when the management no longer believes in our work — Baños or the owner. They have every right. This seat is very heavy, it belongs to them, and they must have a coach they fully trust.

The second would be if the group no longer connects with me. That’s not exactly the case, my relationship with both the board and the players is dynamic. Tomorrow is an important day, we need to analyze everything. If I feel support from both sides, it’s possible to continue. If not, I won’t.”

“The higher your position in a company, the more responsibility you carry. Today, everyone at América shares responsibility — I’m one of them. We have to live up to the objectives. It weighs on you. Difficult days are coming for me.”

Nicolás Larcamón, after Cruz Azul’s elimination:

“We never wanted to be eliminated tonight. From now on, facing two competitions brings a huge level of demand. The region is big, the travel, the logistics… everything it represents.”

“The best news for us is that this group is extremely determined, more than ever. The Liga MX title is something we truly want… I feel that fire will be very important now.”

What comes next?

Now all eyes turn to Wednesday. Toluca looks to close out its series against LA Galaxy with a 4-2 aggregate lead, while Tigres UANL visits Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field.

If results hold, the semifinals will be a clash — or perhaps a verdict — between MLS and Liga MX.

And maybe that’s the real question behind all of this:

Not just who advances… but who’s actually falling behind.

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