America FC is trending as Club América braces for Monterrey's playoff crisis

Why America FC is suddenly everywhere

People started typing "America FC" into Google because of Saturday's Apertura 2026 matchday 11 game between Club América and Monterrey, a matchup that carries more weight than a regular midseason fixture usually does.

Monterrey is sitting two points outside a Liga MX playoff place. The club has made significant investment in its roster this season, but it hasn't missed the playoffs since 2016, and that streak is now on the line. Part of the problem has been a hole left in attack by German Berterame, which Monterrey tried to patch by bringing in Hugo Cuypers and Diego Rossi from Major League Soccer. The defense, not the attack, has been the bigger issue, and Monterrey has won just one of its last five matches. In July the club brought in Matias Almeyda as head coach hoping for a turnaround, and that hasn't fully clicked yet.

Club América, meanwhile, has been rolling. The team has lost just one of its last five matches and owns the best goal difference in Liga MX, just ahead of Toluca. Henry Martin scored a hat trick in América's last match against Necaxa. Coach Guillermo Almada has steadied the group since taking over, turning América back into the side it's expected to be.

The Almeyda history nobody forgets

Part of why this game draws eyes is Matias Almeyda himself. During his run as Chivas Guadalajara's manager from 2015 to 2018, he built such a strong record against América that he earned the nickname "the executioner."

In 2016, during América's centennial year, Almeyda's Chivas beat them 3-0 at Estadio Azteca. Later that year Chivas eliminated América from the Copa MX on penalties. Then in the Clausura 2017 playoffs, Chivas beat América 1-0 on the way to the Liga MX title under Almeyda.

That history didn't end when Almeyda left Guadalajara. Now in charge of Monterrey, he has already eliminated América once this year, in a Leagues Cup knockout round. Saturday was another chapter in a rivalry that has followed him from club to club.

What we know and what's still ahead

Based on what's been reported, Saturday's game had not yet been played at the time these details were gathered. América came in on a five-match run with just one loss and the league's best goal difference. Monterrey came in sitting outside the playoff line for the first time since 2016, under a coach with a long history of getting the better of América.

What isn't settled is the result, and with it, whether Monterrey's eight-year playoff streak survives or whether América keeps its current form going into the rest of the Apertura 2026 season. Those answers will shape how the rest of the tournament is covered from here.

Facts per CBS Sports, Diario AS. Opinion is the taproom's.