3 Thoughts: Club América 1-0 Aston Villa

Club América scored the lone goal in their Leagues Cup Showcase friendly against English Premier League side Aston Villa at Soldier Field on Saturday.

Goalscorers: 77’ Illian Hernández

Shots (On Goal): América: 8 (3); Aston Villa: 5 (0)

My 3 Thoughts:

1. Great goal, better assist

Credit to everyone who contributed to América’s goal in the 77th minute but Alan Cervantes deserves to be on Sportscenter for his assist on Illian Hernández’s finish.

Cervantes played a ball from well inside América’s half of the pitch that completely broke down Aston Villa’s backline and found a wide-open Hernández with acres of space. Hernández brought the ball all the way into the Premier League side’s penalty area before hitting a gorgeous shot into the corner of the net to give his side the lead for good.

América were playing way more through balls from their own side of the pitch after halftime and Cervantes hit the perfect pass 12 minutes after he came on to secure his side’s win in Chicago.

2. Underwhelming American Tour for Aston Villa

Villa managed to go their entire United States preseason tour without a win and only scored a single goal in those three matches.

Head coach Unai Emery noted in his pre-match press conference that he wasn’t worried about his side’s struggles throughout this tour but it’s apparent that they have work to do before their Premier League campaign kicks off.

Villa didn’t register a single shot on target throughout the contest against Club América, underwhelming the supporters who carved out a nice spot for themselves at Soldier Field.

3. América Supporters

Club América once again brought a home environment to Chicago with them as Soldier Field looked like it had been replaced by Estadio Azteca on Saturday afternoon. There was a smattering of Aston Villa supporters throughout the stands but it was all-América in Chicago.

While it wasn’t the largest soccer crowd that anyone’s ever seen at Soldier Field, only 25,122 turned up, América’s supporters made the grounds look like a sea of yellow throughout the 100 level.

América has time and time again proven to be the club that can sell tickets wherever they play in the United States and Chicago is no different. The Leagues Cup Showcase was another reminder that América’s brand is unmatched by an American soccer club.

Bonus Thought:

I took a stroll through the 100 level concourse and was befuddled to find zero merchandise stands operating at this match. I’m not sure why organizers would ever say no to such an easy source of revenue during an international friendly.