Uruguayan coach Guillermo Almada started his management at the head of América on the right foot after defeating the Gallos Blancos 0-1 in the always complicated plaza of Querétaro.

They say in football slang that what starts well, ends well. At least in theory and on the scoreboard, the Águilas fulfilled their mission at the start of the Apertura 2026 tournament, rescuing three golden points thanks to a solitary genius in the final stretch of the match.

Beyond the positive result, the match process revealed that the transition path will not be easy for the Coapa team. The duel lacked offensive strength and showed the squad's current ailments: the lack of a fully nominal center forward and the enormous absence of unbalancing pieces such as Alejandro Zendejas. The ghost of the penalty and the offensive drought

Tension took over the match when the VAR intervened to point out a defensive handball by Diego Reyes inside the Querétaro area. The scenario seemed ideal to open the scoring, but Henry Martín ended up missing the maximum penalty. The failure of the captain and historic figure of Azulcrema not only drowned out the cry for a goal, but also revived ghosts and increased the frustration of a team that seemed divided on the attack.

For much of the 90 minutes, Almada's signature style—based on high pressure, suffocating intensity, and high-speed splits—was conspicuous by its absence. The collective functioning felt heavy, something natural if one considers the drastic ideological change compared to the era of Brazilian André Jardine.

It is worth remembering that, although Jardine returned glory to the institution with a historic three-time championship, the strength of his scheme was gradually diluted until he consummated his departure at the end of the last tournament. An oasis called Isaías Violante

When the match seemed irremediably doomed to a bitter goalless draw, the weight of individuality rescued the Eagles. In the 82nd minute, Isaías Violante rubbed the lamp and scored a great goal that broke the home team's lock. The impact of the former Toluqueño meant a true oasis in the desert for an Americanist attack that greatly missed the generation of play by Brian Gutiérrez and Zendejas himself. Maximum Wrong Penalty

Henry Martín missed the penalty after a handball from Diego Reyes. It slowed down the emotional pace and exposed the current lack of forcefulness.

Heavy Absences Without Alejandro Zendejas or Brian Gutiérrez on the field. The team lacked volume of play and overflow on the wings.

The Genius

Great goal from Isaías Violante at minute 82. He rescued the 3 points and gave calm to work on the week. A lot of work ahead in Coapa

This triumph gives Guillermo Almada pure oxygen to start his process without the pressure of results, but the slate leaves more doubts than certainties. The Uruguayan strategist faces the challenge of reconstructing the tactical memory of a team designed for another football idea.

His style is total and extremely demanding: it demands that the construction and pressure begin from the goalkeeper to the last striker, involving all eleven elements on the field in a millimetric way.

América added its first three points of the competition, but the real challenge has just begun. Adapting to “almadism” will require time, patience and, above all, recovering key men so that collective functioning stops depending on individual sparks.