América tops the standings with the league's best attack and Yeison Guzmán as top scorer

Twenty seven points, the best attack in the league and just one loss so far this season. With those numbers on the table, it is no surprise that América sits atop the Colombian Professional League and is edging closer to sealing its spot in the final stage ahead of schedule.

The red and white side has built its lead on two fronts that rarely coexist so smoothly: an attack that strikes fear and a defense that barely breaks a sweat. 24 goals scored and just 7 allowed paint the picture of a team that controls matches from start to finish. And if we are talking about standout names, there is Yeison Guzmán, who with his 8 goals is now the leading scorer in the entire tournament.

Where does all this solidity come from? According to forward Jhon Murillo, the answer traces back months, to the quiet work done in preseason.

The main key for the team, aside from the fact that we'd already been showing good football in previous seasons, was that we had a really good preseason. The coach had plenty of time to work on the things we always lacked. The key is in the preseason, the confidence it gives you heading into the squad. Working with him for that long and on the areas we were able to improve.Jhon Murillo

Murillo did not stop there. The player explained that the team's identity comes from feeling comfortable with the ball, but also from knowing what to do without it, something that is not always easy to balance within a squad.

In the end the team has managed to put together a style of football that people enjoy watching, we feel comfortable when we have the ball and I think that's the key. Defending with the ball, and when you're without the ball marking in attack in case we lose it, I think the team has prepared well, the physical condition is very good. The team is very tight, very focused. Let's hope we keep being strong.Jhon Murillo

The return of the big names

The conversation also touched on a topic that has the entire soccer country on edge: the return of stars like James, Juan Cuadrado and Juan Fernando Cuadrado to the domestic league. For Murillo, there is no doubt these returns raise the level of the whole competition, not just their respective clubs.

"They give the league an extra edge, it's normal that when a player who has had a great career comes back, it's going to add something to the league no matter what," the forward said, before zeroing in on the case of the midfielder from Antioquia: "In the case of James, Cuadrado, Juanfer, they come to contribute. As the games go by, James is going to show the football everyone knows him for."

With a firm grip on first place and early qualification within reach, América is already looking ahead to its next test. On October 11, for matchday 14, the red and whites will visit Independiente Medellín in a match that could go a long way toward securing the goal of finishing the regular phase at the top of the table.