The Clásico Joven (Spanish for: The Young Classic) is an association football rivalry between Mexico City-based teams América and Cruz Azul. The first match between both teams took place on 23 June 1963, a friendly match where América defeated Cruz Azul 4–0, with Francisco Valdés scoring the first goal in the history of the rivalry. With Cruz Azul having been promoted to the top flight, the first official match between them was played on 30 August 1964 in the Primera División at the Estadio 10 de Diciembre. América won this match 2–1, with an own goal by Francisco Ulibarri and a goal by Alfonso Portugal, while Hilario Díaz scored for Cruz Azul. The first victory for Cruz Azul in the rivalry occurred in the 1967–68 season, when they defeated América 1–0 with a goal by Raúl Arellano. However, the rivalry gained significant intensity and its iconic status on 9 August 1972, during the final of the 1971–72 season, in which Cruz Azul secured a 4–1 victory over América.
History of the Rivalry Early years and the origin of the "Clásico" (1963–72)
The rivalry between América and Cruz Azul began prior to the match that officially gave rise to the term "Clásico Joven." The two teams first met on 23 June 1963, in a friendly match that América won decisively by a score of 4–0. Francisco Valdés scored the first goal in the history of the rivalry in the 32nd minute. In the following season, Cruz Azul earned promotion to Mexico's top division by winning the 1963–64 Mexican Segunda División. This promotion set the stage for their first official encounter, where América again emerged victorious, defeating Cruz Azul 2–1. It took 12 matches for Cruz Azul to secure their first win against América, which came on matchday 26 of the 1967–68 season with a goal by Raúl Arellano.
The rivalry intensified in the 1971–72 season when the two teams faced off in a match that decided the league champion. Cruz Azul defeated América 4–1 in a decisive victory, denying América a consecutive championship. This match, regarded as the catalyst for the rivalry, followed América's elimination by Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals of the Copa México during the previous season. The league final was played as a single-leg match, as stipulated by tournament regulations at the time. In the final, Héctor Pulido opened the scoring for Cruz Azul with a well-placed shot past América's goalkeeper Prudencio Cortés. Shortly after, Fernando Bustos sent a precise cross that was headed by Octavio Muciño and finished by Cesáreo Victorino to make it 2–0. Cruz Azul dominated the match, and a one-two play between Bustos and Muciño near the end of the first half resulted in a third goal. Early in the second half, Muciño scored again to extend the lead to 4–0. América's only response came in the 90th minute, with a header from Enrique Borja. Cruz Azul's goalkeeper, Miguel Marín, delivered an outstanding performance, making several crucial saves to secure the victory. This win marked Cruz Azul's third league title.
Cruz Azul dominance (1973–79) América sought redemption a year after their decisive loss in the 1971–72 league final by defeating Cruz Azul in the 1973–74 Copa México final. América secured a 3–2 aggregate victory, with two goals from Osvaldo Castro and one from Roberto Hodge. However, Cruz Azul responded in the same season by defeating América 2–1 in the 1974 Campeón de Campeones, avenging their Copa México loss from five months earlier. The goals for Cruz Azul were scored by Horacio López Salgado and Eladio Vera, while Osvaldo Castro netted for América. This victory marked Cruz Azul's eighth official title in competitions organized by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol, including League, Cup, and Campeón de Campeones championships.
During the 1970s, Cruz Azul established their dominance by remaining unbeaten at home against América in all competitions, including Copa México, Campeón de Campeones, and the group-stage liguillas of the 1978–79 season. Between the 1977–78, 1978–79, and 1979–80 seasons, Cruz Azul maintained an unbeaten home record against all opponents for over a year and a half, setting the longest home unbeaten streak in Mexican football history. These successes significantly increased Cruz Azul's fan base in Mexico City.
Between 1970 and 1979, Cruz Azul won eight official titles across various competitions, while América secured six, including an Copa Interamericana victory against Boca Juniors. The teams faced each other in three finals during this decade, with Cruz Azul winning two of them.
Birth of the Nickname
The term "Clásico Joven" (Young Classic) was first used on 24 May 1980, during a match between Cruz Azul and América on matchday 36 of the 1979–80 season. It was coined by sports journalist Gerardo Peña Kegel, who covered the training sessions of both teams at the time. Peña observed that both squads featured a significant number of young players, including Rafael Toribio, Guillermo Mendizábal, Sergio Rubio, and Adrián Camacho for Cruz Azul, and Héctor Zelada, Mario Trejo, Alfredo Tena, and Cristóbal Ortega for América. The nickname caught on and has since become synonymous with the rivalry.
America's revenge (1980–89)
The 1980s marked a period of league dominance for América. Not only did they claim a league title against Cruz Azul in the 1988–89 season, but they also eliminated Cruz Azul in the semifinals of the 1983–84 season and the quarterfinals of the México 1986 tournament. The decade also saw the most lopsided victory in the history of the rivalry when, in the 1981–82 season, América defeated Cruz Azul 5–0, eliminating them from any chance of reaching the playoffs, which were ultimately won by Tigres UANL.
The two teams faced off in the final of the 1988–89 season, with América securing the title after a 3–2 victory in the first leg and a 2–2 draw in the second leg. The decisive goal was scored by América's homegrown player, Carlos Hermosillo, who would later become a Cruz Azul legend by winning three individual scoring titles between 1993 and 1996. In the first leg, América built a lead with goals from Luís Roberto Alves, Carlos Hermosillo, and Antônio Carlos Santos, though Cruz Azul managed to fight back from a 2–0 deficit with goals from Porfirio Jiménez and Narciso Cuevas by the 39th minute.
In the second leg, América took an early lead with a goal from Juan Hernández, but Cruz Azul equalized the aggregate score at 4–4 with goals from Patricio Hernández and Ricardo Mojica. In the second half, Antonio Carlos Santos set up Carlos Hermosillo, who scored to secure a 2–2 draw and América's back-to-back league title. With this victory, América claimed their eighth league title.
By 1989, América capped off a golden era by winning eight league titles compared to Cruz Azul's single title during the decade, as well as dominating most head-to-head encounters between the two teams.
The Era of Liguillas (1990–99) The 1990s were characterized by alternating dominance between the two teams, with América winning four playoff series and Cruz Azul winning three. During the 1990–91 season, the rivalry witnessed its most infamous brawl when Agustín Coss was kicked by Edu Manga near the end of a match. This incident sparked a fight that resulted in three Cruz Azul players and two América players being sent off.
In the 1991–92 playoff repechage, Cruz Azul eliminated América with a commanding 4–0 victory in the first leg, featuring goals from José Manuel de la Torre, Carlos Hermosillo, and Mario Ordiales. Goalkeeper Olaf Heredia delivered an outstanding performance. América won the second leg 2–0, with goals from Luis Roberto Alves and Eduardo Córdoba, but it was not enough to overturn the deficit.
The 1992–93 and 1993–94 playoffs also featured memorable encounters, with América eliminating Cruz Azul in both quarterfinals by aggregate scores of 6–4 and 3–2, respectively. However, Cruz Azul exacted revenge in the 1994–95 playoffs by defeating América 3–2 on aggregate to advance to the final, where they ultimately lost to Necaxa.
In the 1995–96 playoffs, América defeated Cruz Azul 3–2 on aggregate. The first leg featured goals from François Omam-Biyik and a double from Luis García. In the second leg, Francisco Palencia and Hermosillo gave Cruz Azul a 2–0 lead, but they were unable to score the additional goal needed to advance. One of the match's defining moments was a missed opportunity by Kalusha Bwalya, who hit the post with an open goal, allowing goalkeeper Norberto Scoponi to recover the ball. This was the last long-tournament match between the two teams.
In the Verano 1998 tournament, the teams clashed again in the playoffs, with América winning the series thanks to goals by Raúl Lara and Sergio Zárate. After this match, América did not defeat Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azteca in seven regular-season games until the Apertura 2004 tournament. Cruz Azul's revenge came in the Invierno 1999 playoffs, when they won 2–1 at the Azteca, with a header from Argentine Diego Latorre, eliminating América and propelling Cruz Azul to the finals.
The Americanista streak (2004–10) Cruz Azul experienced a seven-game unbeaten streak at the Estadio Azteca that ended in 2004 with a 2–1 loss to América, sealed by a last-minute goal from Álvaro Ortiz. From 2003 onwards, Cruz Azul endured a seven-year stretch without defeating América in 16 consecutive official matches, whether at the Estadio Azul or the Estadio Azteca. This included seven consecutive losses to América between 2004 and 2006, marking the longest undefeated streak in the history of the Clásico Joven.
In the Clausura 2005 playoffs, América defeated Cruz Azul in the semifinals with a dominant 6–2 aggregate score. The first leg featured two goals by Cuauhtémoc Blanco and one by Claudio López, while Francisco Fonseca scored for Cruz Azul. In the second leg, América extended their lead with goals from Aarón Padilla, Francisco Torres, and Claudio López, while César Delgado scored Cruz Azul's lone goal. América advanced to the final, where they defeated Tecos UAG to claim their 10th league title.
The only match Cruz Azul won during this streak was a friendly played on 19 July 2008, in San Diego, California. Cruz Azul secured a 2–1 victory with a brace from Uruguayan Nicolás Vigneri, while América's goal came from Argentine-born naturalized Mexican Alfredo Moreno.
The rivalry intensifies (2011–13) On 3 October 2010, Cruz Azul defeated América 1–0 at the Estadio Azul, ending América's seven-year, 16-game unbeaten streak against them. The winning goal was scored by Argentine Christian Giménez, who celebrated by mimicking the flight of an eagle, parodying América's mascot. This victory was Cruz Azul's first win in the Clásico Joven at the Estadio Azul since the Verano 2002 tournament, when they defeated América 2–0 with goals from Cesáreo Victorino and Sebastián Abreu. The win ended an eight-year drought in home matches against América.
On 13 March 2011, Cruz Azul defeated América 2–0 at the Estadio Azteca, with both goals scored by Emanuel Villa. This victory ended another streak for América, as Cruz Azul had not beaten them at the Azteca since the Apertura 2003 tournament. Cruz Azul's last victory at the Azteca had been on 4 May 2003, with a 3–1 win. Goals for Cruz Azul came from Francisco Palencia (two) and Juan Carlos Cacho, while América's lone goal was scored by Uruguayan Marcelo Lipatín.
On 6 November 2011, Cruz Azul defeated América 3–1 in the Apertura 2011 tournament, pushing América to second-to-last place in the standings. However, in the Clausura 2013 tournament, América responded with a resounding 3–0 victory, led by a hat-trick from Christian Benítez. One month later, in the Clausura 2013 Copa MX, Cruz Azul eliminated América in the semifinals via a penalty shoot-out and went on to win the tournament.
The Clausura 2013 final