Gabriel Milito’s Guadalajara Dominates Águilas, Breaks Historic Streaks

GUADALAJARA – Chivas maintains its perfect pace in the Closing 2026 and has reasserted its authority in Liga MX with a 1-0 defeat of América. With this win, Gabriel Milito continues to accumulate significant streaks in his first year as manager, establishing himself as a key figure in the club’s recent history.

The Chivas squad previously secured a 1-2 victory in the National Classic of Apertura 2025 at the Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium, thanks to goals from Roberto Alvarado and Armando ‘Hormiga’ González. Now, in the Closing 2026, they replicated this success at the Akron Stadium with another goal from González, solidifying his position as the team’s primary offensive threat.

Ending a Decade of Disappointment

These triumphs not only demonstrate recent superiority over América but also break two negative streaks that had persisted for nearly a decade. Chivas had not won against América as the visiting team in the regular season since the Apertura 2016, nor had they defeated them at Akron in the regular season since the Clausura 2017.

Under Milito’s leadership, Guadalajara has successfully overcome these longstanding challenges, which had remained unbroken during the tenures of 11 previous managers in Liga MX and the Concacaf Champions Cup. The Argentine strategist maintains a perfect record in Classics since his arrival in June 2025 and is building a clear advantage over América’s manager, André Jardine.

Recent Classic Victories: A Turning Point

The recent results mark a significant shift for Guadalajara. The last time Chivas defeated América in consecutive games was in the Guard1anes 2020 league. In the first leg, played at the Akron Stadium, the Rebaño won 1-0 with a goal from Cristian Calderon. In the return leg, at the Azteca Stadium, Calderon scored twice to seal a 1-2 victory and secure a place in the semifinals.

In the regular season, a streak of wins hadn’t occurred for 16 years. In the Clausura 2011, with José Luis Real as manager, Chivas defeated América 3-0 at the Akron Stadium, with a brace from Marco Fabián and a goal from Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres. In the 2011 Apertura, under Fernando Quirarte, the rojiblancos repeated the 1-3 victory with goals from Antonio Gallardo, Torres, and Fabián.

Milito’s Debut Compared to Previous Chivas Managers

Recent years have seen varied debuts for Chivas managers in the Clásico:

Fernando Gago

Gago debuted against América in the Concacaf Champions Cup, winning 1-0 at Akron with an own goal from Sebastian Caceres. They drew goalless in Liga MX days later. He was eliminated with a resounding 4-0 in the second leg and left the club without a win over América in the local tournament.

Veljko Paunovic

He debuted in Concachampions with a 0-3 defeat at home. He won the second leg 2-3, but it wasn’t enough to advance. He achieved revenge in the Clausura 2023, eliminating América in the semifinals.

Matias Almeyda

His second match in Mexico was a 1-2 victory for Chivas at Azteca, with a double from Omar Bravo. They lost their first Clásico 1-2 as the home team. He faced América in three direct qualifiers, being eliminated in two Liga MX Quarterfinals and advancing only in the 2017 Copa MX semifinals, decided on penalties. Almeyda was the coach who secured the Liga MX title for Chivas in 2017.