Hernán Crespo Has Atlas in Second Place After Just Five Matchdays of the Apertura 2026

Twelve points in five matchdays and second place in the standings. Not bad at all for a coach who arrived with his bags barely unpacked and who couldn't even take charge of his first official match until matchday three. Hernán Crespo's story at Atlas started amid setbacks, but the results, for now, are hard to argue with.

It all began in a rush. Crespo was announced on Thursday, August 16, with the Apertura 2026 practically knocking at the door. The problem was that the Argentine had personal commitments back home and couldn't settle in Guadalajara right away. So he actually watched the start of the tournament without setting foot on the bench.

Omar Flores' interim spell left the ground well prepared

While Crespo sorted out his affairs in Argentina, Omar Flores took charge on a provisional basis. And he made the most of it: Atlas thrashed León 2-3 on the road in Matchday 1 and then picked up another three points with a tight 0-1 win over Santos. Six points from six. A perfect start that gave Crespo a solid platform before officially taking over.

The coach ran his first training session on August 30 and, with barely two sessions under his belt, had to make his debut in Matchday 3 against Rayados de Monterrey at Estadio Jalisco. The result wasn't what anyone hoped for: a 0-2 loss. Things got a bit more complicated in the Leagues Cup, where Atlas fell to Columbus Crew and Charlotte FC, getting knocked out of the binational tournament.

From rough start to title contention

That's when the team started finding its best form. Atlas closed out its Leagues Cup run with a win over FC Cincinnati and, back in Liga MX, strung together consecutive victories over Tigres and Cruz Azul. Those two results pushed Atlas to 12 points and into second place overall, just one point behind leaders America.

The number carries real weight when you look back at the club's history: it's the third best start for the Rojinegros in the era of short tournaments. It sits only behind the 13 points Enrique Meza managed in the Verano 2002 and the 13 that Tomás Boy also collected in the Apertura 2014.

Now the challenge is to keep it up. This weekend Atlas visits Querétaro looking to string together a fourth straight win across all competitions, and a third in a row in Liga MX. Something the club hasn't managed since 2024, when Beñat San José was in charge of the bench.

Crespo arrived with no time to prepare anything, lost his debut and got knocked out of an international tournament in his first weeks on the job. But he managed to steady the ship right when it mattered most, and today Atlas is going toe to toe with the league leaders.