CF Atlante
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| ATLANTE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Club de Fútbol Atlante, S.A. de C.V. |
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| Nickname(s) | Potros de Hierro (Iron Colts) |
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| Founded | 1916 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Azteca, Mexico City, DF, Mexico |
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| Capacity | 129,260 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | José Antonio García Rodríguez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager |  José Guadalupe Cruz |
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| League | Primera División de México | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apertura 2006 | Did not qualify for playoffs 12th (league) 5th (group) |
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Club de Fútbol Atlante, also known as Atlante, is one of the oldest and most traditional football teams at the Primera División de México, currently playing at the Mexican First Division Clausura 2007 championship league. Atlante plays its home matches at Azteca Stadium, located in southern Mexico City.
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[edit] Honours
- Major League Championships: 5
- 1924-1925, 1925-1926, 1926-1927, 1931-1932, 1940-1941
- Professional Era Championships: 2
- 1946-1947, 1992-1993
- Runner-up: 4
- 1945-1946, 1949-1950, 1950-1951, 1981-1982
- Mexican Cup Titles: 3
- 1941-1942, 1950-1951, 1951-1952
- Runner-Up: 4
- 1943-1944, 1945-1946, 1948-1949, 1962-1963
- Champion of Champions: 2
- 1941-1942, 1951-1952
- Runner-Up: 2
- 1946-1947, 1950-1951
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1
- 1983
- Runner-Up: 1
- 1993
[edit] History
[edit] The beginning
Atlante was founded in 1916 with the name Sinaloa by a group of young Mexican football enthusiasts, led by Refugio "El Vaquero" Martínez. The team began playing at La Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City. After changing its name to Lusitania and U-53, Refugio Martínez proposed the name Atlante, after the mighty battles fought at the Atlantic ocean during the WWI.
During the 1920's, players such as Manuel and Felipe Rosas, as well as Juan "El Trompo" Carreño helped to propel Atlante in becoming one of the most popular teams, mostly among the working classes, which lead to its most famous and legendary nicknames, El Equipo del Pueblo, "People's team". Atlante legend Juan Carreño scored Mexico’s first goal in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam 1928, as well as Mexico’s first ever goal in a FIFA World Cup during the inaugural match against France in Uruguay 1930.
Despite its popularity, the Mexican Federation did not allow the team to be involved at the Mexican championship, the Liga Mayor. In order for Atlante to be allowed into the league, it had to win its matches against Toluca and America, two powerful football houses. The duels were finally won by Atlante with scores of 7-2 and 2-1, respectively.
Within the Liga Mayor, Atlante formed a major rivarly against Necaxa, which became the oldest classic in Mexican football. The games against these two were furious battles, even drawing in points at the end of the 1931-1932 tournament. Atlante also became famous for their victories over foreign teams. In 1929, Atlante defeated the powerful Sabaria of Hungary 3-1. In 1930, Atlante twice defeated Sportivo of Buenos Aires 2-1 and 3-2 along with their famous "Fiera" Bernabé Ferreyra, the most fearsome South American striker of his time. And in one of their best remembered victories in 1931, they saw off Bellavista of Uruguay, 3-2, which had eight players that won the first World Cup in Uruguay.
In the 1940's, during the final years of the WWII, Horacio Casarín began being noticed for his tremendous skill and ability, which also lead him to become a major figure in the Mexican national football team.
[edit] Professional Era and First Championship Title
In 1943, the Mexican Federation founded the Professional League with six clubs of the Primera Fuerza of Mexico City, two clubs from the Liga Occidental (Western League) and two members from the Liga Veracruzana (Veracruz League), being Atlante one of those six clubs of Mexico City. Together, they all became what is known today as the Primera División de México.
After 4 tournaments, and with the aid of its owner General Jose Manuel Nuñez (a retired militar asked personally by former President Lázaro Cárdenas to watch over the team) as well as of its sensational player Horacio Casarín, the team obtained its first championship in the 1946-1947 season. The final match against León was attended by 48,622 people, including the current President Miguel Alemán Valdés (he even got into the field after the match in a famous photograph with the champions). Before that, in 1945 the team imposed the Latin American record for more goals in a single season with 121 goals in 30 matches (more than four goals per game). Atlante also became the first Mexican team to be crowned at the Campeón de Campeones - Champion of Champions - tournament during the 1941-1942 season.
After the first title, several other teams dominated the championship; nevertheless, Atlante remained as a powerful rival and still a popular team for the lower classes, along with its runner-up, Mexican Cup and the Champion of Champions titles in the early 1950's. In 1966, General Jose Manuel Nuñez decided to sell the team to Fernando González, "Fernandón". Poor level and irregular campaings proceeded the selling, which led Atlante to be relegated from the Primera División to Segunda División in 1976.
[edit] The IMSS Era
The team managed to return to the Primera División for the 1977-1978 championship. In October 1978, the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) acquired the team in a 100% ownership, promising to make the largest football club in the world with 22 million associates throughout the country. With the financial support of the governmental institution, the team experienced succesful campaings with reinforcements such as the old-time idol Horacio Casarín as headcoach and the Mexican football's all-time top goalscorer Evanivaldo Castro Cabinho, who would become three-time champion striker with Atlante in 1980, 1981 and 1982. Its fabulous campaings led them to the 1981-1982 final championship match against Tigres de la U.A.N.L., and after regular and extra time, Atlante became runner-up at penalty kicks. In 1983, Atlante won its first continental title with the CONCACAF Champions' Cup against Suriname's SV Robin Hood.
While the government still owned the team, another institution took over the management activities. The Departamento del Distrito Federal, DDF (the former body which controlled the Mexican Federal District) intended to propel the team with little results. After playing for several years at the Azteca Stadium, the team even had to leave this venue and setting its new battleground at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, currently the Estadio Azul.
In 1989, the media broke out with a major news: The DDF sold the team to Jose Antonio García, a businessman owner of the sports' goods & apparel company Garcis. Nevertheless, and after a failed campaing and a new venue, this time at Querétaro's Corregidora Stadium, the team was relegated, again, to the Segunda División.
[edit] Second Championship Title
Right from its ashes, and back to its homeground Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, now rebaptized as Estadio Azulgrana, Atlante managed to make an incredible come back to the Primera División, after 3 outstanding games against Pachuca in the final series for the Segunda División Championship. After the series' end, which led to extra time, penalty kicks and sudden death, Atlante's goalkeeper Felix Fernández scored the last penalty kick for a 9-8 final score.
In 1991-1992, back into the Primera División, Atlante became the championship leader, raising the most positive comments for a recently upgraded team in the league. During the quarterfinal match against Cruz Azul, Atlante's players thought they were going through the semifinals after scoring for a global tied score; nevertheless, since the rule changed for that tournament, which the visiting goals had a double value, it was Cruz Azul which was advancing to semifinals. At the ending, Atlante's players realized the new rule, and began a fierce offensive against Cruz Azul, but their effort was in vain. León was to become the champion, in a dream campaing for a returning team.
Finally, in 1992-1993, and guided by Ricardo Antonio Lavolpe, Atlante obtained its second championship title against Monterrey, with the final match played at Monterrey's stadium, Estadio Tecnológico. Atlante's greatest legends emerged from that championship title, to mention: Felix Fernández, current headcoach José Guadalupe Cruz, former coaches Miguel Herrera and René Isidoro García, Raúl Gutiérrez, Pedro Massacessi, Wilson Graneolatti, Roberto Andrade, Guillermo Cantú, as well as feared strikers Luis Miguel Salvador and Daniel Guzmán. In a memorable moment for all Atlantistas throughout the country, the team was crowned as champion for its second time in 45 years, and received recognition, cheers and applausses of all the Monterrey's fans that remained at the stadium to congatulate the new champion. By winning the tite, Atlante was able to access, once again, the Concacaf's Champions Cup, which eventually was lost against Sport Cartaginés of Costa Rica at the final match.
Right after winning the championship title, Atlante was eliminated for the next years from the Liguilla stage, even with important acquisitions such as Hugo Sánchez, Jorge Campos & Venezuelan player Gabriel Miranda, among others. Once again, the team faced relegation issues; therefore, Grupo Televisa decided to acquire Atlante and move it back again to the Azteca Stadium. With this boost, Atlante was able to be reinforced by notable players, such as Luis Roberto Alves "Zague", Martín Felix Ubaldi, José Damasceno Tiba, Miodrag Belodedici and Luis García, as well as the renamed coach Miguel Mejía Barón, who just had a positive result coaching the National team at United States' World Cup '94. Despite in having memorable campaings, such as being the first all-championship leader for a short tournament (Invierno 1996), and qualifying for the playoffs in Verano 1997 and Invierno 1997, the team did not acomplished any major results, and even had desatrous moments such as the embarassing playoff series against Toros Neza in Verano 1997, which was lost in a 9-2 global score, against a small team which eventually became the championship's runner up.
[edit] The Third "Relegation" Era
Several mistakes in Atlante's history ocurred during the last years of the 20th. century. Unknown and old headcoaches (Zlatko Petricevic, Angel Cappa, Roberto Saporitti and Eduardo Rergis) arriving to the team, weak and vain players, and even a short decision in changing the main uniform's colours of red & blue to orange, make the team and its followers to feel without identity. Fans began switching into other succesful teams, and Atlante's local matches began to feel disolated. Awful and bored matches, poorish skill level and players without a real commitment to the team, led Atlante to face again relegation issues to Segunda División, now transformed into Primera División A.
Manuel Lapuente, who had recently succeeded with the National team at France 1998, had the responsibility to guide the team throughout the Verano 2001 tournament and save the team of an imminent relegation: at the end, Lapuente and his players did not accomplished it. However, a ray of light appeared: it turned out that the Mexican Federation was looking to expand the Primera División with 2 new teams, and after paying a 5 million dollar fee, Atlante was allowed to play a promotion-series matches against the Primera A's runner up, which turned out to be Veracruz. Atlante won the series 4-1, allowing them to remain at the top division as one of the expansion teams.
[edit] The Reborn of Atlantismo and The Future
A serious commitment has been taken since then by the directors' board. After breaking up its relationship with Televisa and Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga being the sole owner, the youth level program has been developed as the main philosophy, which has made Atlante the team with most youth debuts at Primera División since 2000. First Carlos Reinoso and then Miguel Herrera, both managed to build a new spirited team with its own pesonality, and with fabulous players such as popular Sebastián González "Chamagol", Luis Gabriel Rey, who would become the champion striker for Apertura 2003 and the emblematic goalie Federico Vilar, the team returned to the spotlight of the playoffs, arriving into 3 quarterfinals and 2 semifinals stages. The team suffered a new movement to a different venue, this time to the Estadio Azulgrana Neza 86, and back again to Azteca Stadium.
Recently, former players (now turned into head coaches) René Isidoro García and José Guadalupe Cruz have struggled into maintaining the spirit, strength and skill with a succesful formula that equalizes experienced players (Patricio Galaz, Gustavo Biscayzacú and Javier Muñoz Mustafá) with young and relentless players (Andrés Ugalde, Christian Bermúdez and José María Cárdenas). However, the lack of assistants to their home matches is still the major problem of the team, due the city teams' lack of assitance to local matches, as well as the irregularity and the lack of identitity for the team. In despite of this critic situation, the team has lately emerged as a power house of young and talented players, who are willing to sacrifice for their team, their colours and their fans.
[edit] Current roster
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[edit] Squad changes for Clausura 2007 season
In:
Cristián Canío transferred from Universidad de Chile- José Joel González return from CF Monterrey
Franco Mendoza transferred from Godoy Cruz
Out:
- Horacio Cervantes transferred to Necaxa
- Patricio Galaz transferred to ''Universidad de Chile
[edit] Goalscoring Champions
| Football Player | Season |
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| Nicho "Rabanito" Mejía |
1927-1928 |
| Juan "Trompo" Carreño |
1931-1932 |
| Alberto "Caballo" Mendoza |
1939-1940 |
 Martín "El Maestro" Valtonrrá |
1941-1942 |
| Bernardo "Manolete" Hernández |
1967-1968 |
 Evanivaldo Castro Cabinho |
1979-1980 |
| Evanivaldo Castro Cabinho |
1980-1981 |
| Evanivaldo Castro Cabinho |
1981-1982 |
| Luis Garcia |
Invierno 97 |
 Luis Gabriel Rey |
Apertura 2003 |
[edit] Notable Players
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[edit] Head Coaches
[edit] Champion coaches
Luis Grocz- Miguel Tovar Mariscal
Raymundo Orsi- Eduardo Valdatti
- José Carlos Bauer
- José "Ché" Gómez
- Luis Manuel Torres Salinas
- Ricardo Antonio Lavolpe
[edit] Notable coaches
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[edit] Retired numbers
| Player | Position | Number |
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| Felix Fernández |
Goalkeeper | 12 |
[edit] Feeder Teams
Atlante organizes a club in North Carolina called Atlante USA. AUSA play in a league ran by the Inter-American Sports Organization (IASO).
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Official site
- (Spanish) Primera División
- (Spanish) IASO Team
| Primera División de México, Apertura 2006 & Clausura 2007 | ||
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Group 1 |
Group 2 |
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| League Levels | ||
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Primera División de México | Primera División A | Segunda División | Tercera División |
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| Miscellaneous | ||
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List of champions | El Clásico (Regiomontano) | InterLiga | SuperLiga |
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