Peru national football team

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Peru
Nickname(s)	La Blanquirroja, La Rojiblanca (the white and red)
Association	Federación Peruana de Fútbol
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach	José del Solar
Captain	Nolberto Solano
Most caps	Roberto Palacios (122)
Top scorer	Teófilo Cubillas (26)
Home stadium	Estadio Nacional
FIFA code	PER
FIFA ranking	64
Highest FIFA ranking	34 (September 1997)
Lowest FIFA ranking	86 (February 2003)
Elo ranking	50
Highest Elo ranking	12 (June 1978)
Lowest Elo ranking	75 (May 1994)
First kit 　 Second kit
First international
Peru 0 - 4 Uruguay  (Lima, Peru; November 1, 1927)
Biggest win
Peru 9 - 1 Ecuador  (Bogotá, Colombia; 11 August 1938)
Biggest defeat
Brazil 7 - 0 Peru (Santa Cruz, Bolivia; 26 June 1997)
World Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1930)
Best result	Quarterfinals, 1970
Copa América
Appearances	27 (First in 1927)
Best result	Winners, 1939 and 1975

The Peru national football team is controlled by the Federación Peruana de Fútbol (FPF) and represents Peru in international football competitions. It competes with nine other teams in the CONMEBOL conference within FIFA. Qualifying for four FIFA World Cups.

Peru has had great moments in the history of football ever since the 1930s. During this era they participated in the first FIFA World Cup, the controversial 1936 Summer Olympics, and won their first Copa América in 1939. Later, between 1970 and 1982, a Golden Generation of Peruvian footballers once more brought Peru into the view of the world.^[1] Teofilo Cubillas was the star of the side (scoring five goals in two different finals), and his attacking flair and skill became synonymous for the world with Peru's football team in the 1970s. The team then qualified for three out of four FIFA World Cups and won the Copa América in 1975.

Currently, the Peruvian team is usually rated around the 50th spot in FIFA rankings. Recent efforts to reach the World Cup have been unsuccessful six times in a row. Even so, various Peruvian players have achieved notoriety, among them, Jefferson Farfan, Nolberto Solano, Claudio Pizarro, Juan Manuel Vargas, and Jose Paolo Guerrero, all of them important players in their respective teams.

[edit] History

Football was introduced in Peru by English sailors in the late 19th century during their frequent stops at the port of Callao. With rising popularity, the sport extended to Lima, where several clubs and teams began to form for its practice in the early 20th century. Soon, most Peruvian cities had their own football leagues, the most important of which were those of Lima, Cusco and Arequipa. At this point, native criollo and foreigner teams soon developed a rivalry that would later be replaced by a rivalry between teams from Lima and Callao. Allegedly, these early foreigner vs. criollo games popularized (and saw the creation of) in Peru a move known as "chalaca," or bicycle kick.^[2]

In 1927, Peru for the first time united the best players of the Peruvian Football League (At that time having players from only Lima and Callao) to play in the South American Championship. The first game the Peruvian team officially played was against Uruguay (recent winners of the Football Olympics) during this championship. This first match against Uruguay was lost 4-0, but the team's first victory was gained a few days later (at the same stadium) against Bolivia with a 3-0 result. The best moments of Peruvian football thus began as the continued popularity of football in Peru led to its participation in the first FIFA World Cup at Uruguay in 1930. The team's first match gave the World Cup its first player dismissed, Plácido Galindo. During the game, Peru was able to tie Romania's early lead, but eventually lost due to the one man advantage of the Romanians. Later, in the match against Uruguay, Peru played another formidable game but lost 1-0 against the hosts (Whom would later beat Romania 4-0). Even though Peru was thus eliminated, the team was showing a surprising improvement from previous games.

The Olympics of Berlin in 1936 showed how much the team had improved since 1927. Although the team formally withdrew due to problems with the German government's decision to nullify Peru's victory against Austria, the Peruvian team was eager to bring home an international title. Even though the team was already making history, their perseverance would soon lead them to a consolidation of their grandeour.^[3] Finally, further improving its game, Peru won its first Copa America in 1939. After losing none of its matches, and after beating Ecuador, Chile, and Paraguay; the Peruvian team was ready to play Uruguay for the title and as a re-match to prior loses. A 2-1 victory for Peru gave the team its first international title (Approximately 9 years after the team's creation), and Peruvian Teodoro Fernández became the tournament's maximum goal scorer with 7 goals. As such, the early years of Peru's football history went quite well, and the team was able to build its game along with the increasing competition of CONMEBOL.

Nonetheless, due to many internal problems, Peru's football years after the 1930s did not involve any other important accomplishments. With several of the early players retiring, the team was left without its stars. There was little improvement, but by then "Los Incas" had won a spot in the hearts of Peruvians whom saw their team do interestingly well in some occasions. Still, there were no actual major victories that would give Peru an international title like the one they had previously won during the 1930s. This trend would go on into the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.

Surprisingly, once in the 1970s, the Peruvian "Blanquirrojas" rose with a spark of international victories and a string of football stars that made the team once more a major competitive force in the world of football. Players like Teófilo Cubillas, Pedro "Perico" León, Héctor Chumpitaz, Ramon Mifflin, Hugo Sotil, Roberto Challe, and César Cueto, helped make South American football a fierce competitor of European football at a time when teams throughout the world were becoming better at this sport.^[4] The participations of Peru in the 1970, 1978, and 1982 FIFA World Cups made Peru leave its mark in international competitions as the world saw with awe the elegant and technical play of a Peruvian squad that had a thirst for victory.^[5] Not only that, but in 1975 Peru achieved its second Copa America, and thus another set of players consolidated their mark in Peruvian sports history. Along with an increase of better teams within the Peruvian league, Peru kept up its game up well into the late 1980s.

The 1990s were not very good years for the Peruvian football team. Although there were still several good players like Julio Cesar Uribe, Nolberto Solano, Claudio Pizarro, and Jose del Solar, the team was no longer the "Golden Team" of the 70s. Perhaps in part what gave this feeling of deception were the hopes that Peru's golden years would never go away. Of course, the team almost qualified for another World Cup in the late 1990s, but the dream was twarthed by a goal difference with Chile.

The new century brought with it the same Peruvian team, a shadow of its former self. Yet, the squad began getting new revivals once the team began getting new young players with new hopes and goals. As the years kept going, Peruvian football once more started to give signs of vitality as local teams from the league began doing rather well in international competitions. Sadly, "Los Incas" had to cope with internal issues and the team's performance once again suffered as a result.

In 2007, Peruvian football received a great surprise as the U-17 squad reached the quarterfinals in their FIFA World Cup. This success from the young squad has given new hopes to fans that things are beginning to turn for the better. With young star players like Jefferson Farfan and Jose Paolo Guerrero, the possibilities for Peru have expanded and now the team seeks to once more reach the best of the world in the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa.

[edit] Home stadium

For more information: Estadio Nacional (Lima)

View of the Estadio Nacional's northern stand and tower.

The Estadio Nacional is a 45,574-spectator stadium located in Lima, Peru. On July 18, 1897, the field was inaugurated and named Estadio Guadalupe. The Liga Peruana de Futbol (known as the FPF today) used it for the first tournaments in Lima. In 1921, the stadium was renovated and renamed the Estadio Nacional, and it was officially inaugurated on October 27, 1952. Currently, it is Peru's main stadium and has hosted all four Copa América's football competitions held in Peru between 1927 and 1957. Peru hosted the Copa America 2004 and the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship. The stadium hosted several games including the final in both tournaments.

Artificial turf was installed for the U-17 championship. The artificial turf still remains in the Estadio Nacional but has received heavy criticism from clubs of the Peruvian First Division because of the constant injuries it causes. This is the reason why the national team has decided not to use the stadium.

[edit] Alternate Stadiums

The national team, for some reason or another, has tended to use different venues to play against its rivals. The geographic variety of Peru is immense, and thus the national team has the option to use different stadiums that might prove as a benefit for the team. At times, using the high altitude of the Estadio Garcilaso de la Vega in Cusco can prove a good strategy for the team. Also, using popular stadiums in Lima, like the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva, can sometimes be an option for the team due to the supportive crowd. Recently, though, the Estadio Monumental "U" has been selected to momentarily house the Peruvian football team due to the National Stadium's artificial turf.

Estadio Monumental

For more information: Estadio Monumental "U"

Inside the Estadio Monumental.

The Estadio Monumental, is a football stadium in Lima, Peru, home ground of the football club Universitario de Deportes It was built throughout the 1990s and opened in 2000. It is Peru’s largest and most modern stadium and also the third largest in South America, behind the Maracanã in Brazil and the Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo in Ecuador.^[6] It has a spectator-capacity of 80,093^[7] The stadium was built in accordance with FIFA’s manual of technical specifications for stadiums.^[6]

Despite its size, it has never hosted any of the major sporting events that have come to Peru such as the 2004 Copa America and the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship. Nonetheless, it was chosen as the national team's venue for the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers by the manager Jose del Solar.

[edit] FIFA World Cup record

Year	Round	Year	Round
1930	Round 1	1974	Did not Qualify
1934	Withdrew	1978	Round 2
1938	Did Not Enter	1982	Round 1
1950	Withdrew	1986	Did not Qualify
1954	Withdrew	1990	Did not Qualify
1958	Did not Qualify	1994	Did not Qualify
1962	Did not Qualify	1998	Did not Qualify
1966	Did not Qualify	2002	Did not Qualify
1970	Quarterfinals	2006	Did not Qualify
Total	4/18

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FIFA World Cup History
Year	Round	Score	Result
1930	Round 1	Peru 1 – 3  Romania	Loss
	Round 1	Peru 0 – 1  Uruguay	Loss
1970	Round 1	Peru 3 – 2  Bulgaria	Win
	Round 1	Peru 3 – 0 Morocco	Win
	Round 1	Peru 1 – 3  Germany	Loss
	Quarterfinals	Peru 2 – 4  Brazil	Loss
1978	Round 1	Peru 3 – 1  Scotland	Win
	Round 1	Peru 0 – 0  Netherlands	Draw
	Round 1	Peru 4 – 1  Iran	Win
	Round 2	Peru 0 – 3  Brazil	Loss
	Round 2	Peru 0 – 1  Poland	Loss
	Round 2	Peru 0 – 6  Argentina	Loss
1982	Round 1	Peru 0 – 0  Cameroon	Draw
	Round 1	Peru 1 – 1  Italy	Draw
	Round 1	Peru 1 – 5  Poland	Loss

[edit] Qualifiers and participations

After making their FIFA World Cup debut at Uruguay 1930, Peru next made an impact on the finals at Mexico 1970 where they beat Bulgaria and Morocco to start off the tournament with a surprising bang. The Brazil of Rivelino, Tostao, Jairzinho and Pelé put an end to that adventure 4-2 in the quarter-finals. The World cup of Argentina 1978 saw Peru end up first in their group during the first phase of the tournament, but they were later eliminated after losing all their games in the second phase. Their last World Cup appearance was in that of Spain 1982, a tournament in which Peru was viewed as a favorite. Yet, the problem came when the team basically trained too much and were tired even before the tournament had begun. They were eliminated last in their group, with 2 ties and 1 loss.

1930 FIFA World Cup

In Uruguay 1930, Peru was part of group C and lost both games they played, 1:0 against Uruguay and 3:1 against Romania. As an anecdote, the game Peru played against Uruguay inaugurated the historic Estadio Centenario of Montevideo. Among the important figures of notable mention composing the Peruvian team were the goalie Juan Valdivieso, the defense Mario de Las Casas, whom would later found the club Universitario de Deportes and the forward and idol of Alianza Lima, Alejandro Villanueva.

v • d • e Peru squad - 1930 FIFA World Cup MF Astengo • FW Cillóniz • DF de las Casas • MF Denegri • DF Fernández • MF Galindo • MF García • FW Góngora • FW Lavalle • FW Lores • DF Maquilón • FW Neyra • FW Pacheco • GK Pardon • MF Quintana • FW Rodríguez Nue • FW Sarmiento • DF Soria • FW Souza Ferreira • GK Valdivieso • MF Valle • FW Villanueva • Coach: Bru

1970 FIFA World Cup

The tale to Mexico 1970 begins from the qualification game played against Argentina in their "mythical" stadium of "La Bombonera." Previously, Peru had beaten Argentina and Bolivia in Lima. At La Paz, Bolivia beat Peru. Thus, Peru only needed a tie to qualify for the World Cup. Peru played one of their best games that day, and were capable to tie the game 2:2 and qualified for the World Cup to be played at Mexico.

Those who stood out in this team were Roberto Challe, Alberto Gallardo, Orlando De la Torre, Teófilo Cubillas, Pedro "Perico" Leon, Ramon Mifflin, Nicolás Fuentes, and the idol that would be known as the "Captain of America," Héctor Chumpitaz. Afterwards, for the World Cup, the "Cholo" Hugo Sotil joined the team.

Peru entered the tournament in Group 4, and played against Bulgaria (3:2 victory), Morocco (3:0 victory), and Germany (3:1 loss). In the match against Bulgaria, the "Nene" Cubillas marked his first goal with a great pass from Ramon Mifflin. Right now, he is the 6th greatest goal scorer of the World Cups at 10 marks in 3 participations.

Once in the quarterfinals, Peru faced the Brazil of Pele (Whom would go on to win the cup) and lost 4:2 in a game qualified as one of the best football games in history. Current president of the FIFA, Joseph Blatter, considers it the best. Peru's historic head coach was the Brazilian Valdir Pereira, whom greatly lamented playing against his own country but certainly put up a great fight.

As an anecdote to this World Cup, Peru had faced one of their worst earthquakes in history while the team was in Mexico. Several people died, and one whole city was wiped from the face of the earth. Due to this, the team was quite saddened and showed a deplorable first-half against Bulgaria (Losing 2 to nothing). The tale goes on to say that someone uttered: "With this game they're killing those who survived the earthquake back in Peru." True or false, Peru was capable to turn the game back around and beat Bulgaria.^[8]

v • d • e Peru squad - 1970 FIFA World Cup 1 Rubiños • 2 Campos • 3 de la Torre • 4 Chumpitaz • 5 Fuentes • 6 Mifflin • 7 Challe • 8 Baylón • 9 León • 10 Cubillas • 11 Gallardo • 12 Correa • 13 P. González • 14 Fernández • 15 J. González • 16 Salinas • 17 Cruzado • 18 del Castillo • 19 Reyes • 20 Sotil • 21 Goyzueta • 22 Ramírez • Coach: Didi

1978 FIFA World Cup

The Argentina 1978 finals also saw Peru finish first in its opening group, as they managed to beat Scotland and Iran, then drew with the eventual finalist, the Netherlands.

Once into the second round in 1978 - a second group stage - they did not live up to their promise, falling rather dismally to Brazil, Poland, and Argentina without scoring a goal.

v • d • e Peru squad - 1978 FIFA World Cup 1 Sartor • 2 Duarte • 3 Manzo • 4 Chumpitaz • 5 Díaz • 6 Velásquez • 7 Muñante • 8 Cueto • 9 P. Rojas • 10 Cubillas • 11 Oblitas • 12 Mosquera • 13 Cáceres • 14 Navarro • 15 Leguía • 16 Gorriti • 17 Quesada • 18 Labarthe • 19 La Rosa • 20 Sotil • 21 Quiroga • 22 R. Rojas • Coach: Calderón

1982 FIFA World Cup

By Spain 1982 the team's performance declined as the team fell at the opening hurdle, drawing with Cameroon and Italy before getting crushed by Poland 5-1. Previously, though, Peru was viewed as a favorite and a good candidate to advance into the next phase.

The problem was that Peru had previously been doing several practice matches, all of which re-assured to the public that Peru would do well in the World Cup. Yet, Peru trained too much and by the time the World Cup begun, the team was completely exhausted.

v • d • e Peru squad - 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 Acasuzo • 2 Duarte • 3 Salguero • 4 Gastulo • 5 Leguía • 6 Velásquez • 7 Barbadillo • 8 Cueto • 9 Uribe • 10 Cubillas • 11 Oblitas • 12 González • 13 Arizaga • 14 Gutiérrez • 15 Díaz • 16 Olaechea • 17 Navarro • 18 Malásquez • 19 La Rosa • 20 Rojas • 21 Quiroga • 22 Reyna • Coach: Tim

1986 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

Peru almost qualified to Mexico 1986 once more eliminating Argentina. Yet, for this qualifier game, they were to face the Argentina of Maradona. At first, Peru was achieving a victory at Buenos Aires, but Diego Armando Maradona was able to tie the game and qualify Argentina into the World Cup they would later win.

Peru was thus forced to face Chile for elimination, and they lost 4-2 on Santiago and 1-0 on Lima. This was to be Peru's last closest chance of qualifying until 1998.

1990 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

Peru was grouped for the qualification along with Bolivia and Uruguay. Every single game was lost, and only two goals were scored (One by Jose del Solar and the other by Andres Gonzales). Julio Cesar Uribe was considered one of the best players of the team at that moment.

1998 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

The campaign to reach France 1998 was thwarted only by the goal difference tiebreaker, as they finished even on points with Chile. The qualifying system had changed and now all teams were to face each other, and Peru had been able to maintain the 4th spot until the next-to-last match when they faced Chile at Santiago. The game was quite humiliating, specially due to the aggressions the Peruvian team faced from the Chileans. As far as it currently goes, this is currently Peru's last closest chance to qualifying.

2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

The preliminaries for Korea/Japan 2002 were certainly not any respite from that, as the team finished eighth in the group with just four wins in eighteen matches. The fact that they only managed to score 14 goals demonstrated how far the attack had fallen since the days of Cubillas. Particularly low points of the qualifying tournament included a 3-0 loss at Venezuela and defeats in over half of their home matches to Uruguay, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia and Brazil.

2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

During the years of 2004 and 2005, Peru participated in the qualifier for the Germany 2006 World Cup. Peru this time hit the ground hard as conflicts with the team's management soon showed poor results in the games that were to follow. Paulo Autuori managed the squad, but was not able to achieve popularity due to a disastrous campaign that led Peru into 8th place just above Bolivia and Venezuela. Freddy Ternero also momentarily managed the squad, but was dismissed due to problems with the FPF.

2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

The 2010 qualifiers, beginning in 2007, resulted in another set of problems for the Peruvian team. In their first four games, the team had only achieved 2 ties (both at home) and 2 losses. Not only that, but controversies between the FPF and the IPD (Peruvian Sports Institute) caused problems outside of the field for the national team. Furthermore, a scandal shook the team as it was discovered that several of the players had been partying during the time they were supposedly "concentrating" for their next match. Now the Peruvian team awaits 2008 in hopes that the future games will have positive results for the team.

[edit] Copa América record

Peru's national football team in Copa América Venezuela 2007

Peru lined up to sing the national anthem in a 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Brazil in the Estadio Monumental.

Copa America/South American Championship
Total: 2 Titles
Year	Position		Year	Position		Year	Position
1916	No Participation		1939	Winners		1967	Withdrew
1917	No Participation		1941	Fourth Place		1975	Winners
1919	No Participation		1942	Fifth place		1979	Semifinals
1920	No Participation		1945	Withdrew		1983	Semifinals
1921	No Participation		1946	Withdrew		1987	Round 1
1922	No Participation		1947	Fifth Place		1989	Round 1
1923	No Participation		1949	Third Place		1991	Round 1
1924	No Participation		1953	Fifth Place		1993	Quarterfinals
1925	No Participation		1955	Third Place		1995	Round 1
1926	No Participation		1956	Sixth Place		1997	Fourth Place
1927	Third Place		1957	Fourth Place		1999	Quarterfinals
1929	Fourth Place		1959	Fourth Place		2001	Quarterfinals
1935	Third Place		1959	Withdrew		2004	Quarterfinals
1937	Sixth place		1963	Fifth place		2007	Quarterfinals

[edit] Participation history

Ever since their first Copa América, Peru has had interestingly good showings. It is often remembered by fans that Peru was the 4th team (After Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil) that won the South American cup. Even though in 1939 Peru played against only 3 of the South American nations (With no participation from Argentina or Brazil), in 1975 Peru won the cup once more (This time with all the CONMEBOL teams participating).

Recently, Peru has only been able to get only as far as the quarterfinals of the tournament which holds its own prestige as being the oldest tournament of international football; along with having Argentina and Brazil (the 2 teams usually considered among the top 5 in the football world), which have also recently been dominating the tournament. Nevertheless, all the South American nations get to show-off their skills and characteristic play in the Copa América, and Peru is no exception. The team's colorful history in the Copa América tournaments for the least seems to hold that true.

Peru 1927

Colored map of CONMEBOL countries with respect to number of championships in Copa América

At this point Peru is the 7th nation to join the competition, and in 1927 the games are decided to be played there. Although only 3 teams came to the tournament, Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia; the participating federations decided that the 1st and 2nd places of the competition would represent South America for the Olympic Games to be played at Amsterdam in 1928. It should be noted that the other federations (Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay) did not participate because of economic and sport problems. Peru gained third place after only beating Bolivia.

Peru 1935

This tournament is characterized by the Argentinean and Uruguayan conflict that rooted from the 1930 World Cup. The winners here were going to once more represent South America for the Olympic Games, this time to be played at Berlin. Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay had withdrawn from the tournament. Peru's first game resulted at a 1-0 loss, with a goal scored by a Uruguayan player at the 80th minute. The second one was not much better, and Peru lost 4-1 against Argentina. The last game was won by Peru 1-0 against Chile. The tournament gave Peru the third spot, and helped it train and improve for the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Peru 1939

This was the first international title the team won. During this time, the team had greatly improved since the World Cup and was re-assuring that dominance they had shown over Austria in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Peru won all 4 games which were against Ecuador (5-2), Chile (3-1), Paraguay (2-1), and Uruguay (2-1) in the final. It's worth the mention that in this tournament Argentina and Brazil did not participate, but that does not take down the merit of Peru's notable act. Peruvian Teodoro Fernández also was the top goal-scorer of the tournament. As an anecdote, Peru was the fourth South American team that raised the trophy (The first three being Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil).^[9]

Brazil 1949

By this time, Peruvian football was recognized by good game and playful management of the ball. Several interesting players came to the national team, but the team faced several problems with the directors and the players themselves. Peru won all but two games. As such, the national team got third place. Paraguay and Brazil, the only ones who beat Peru, had to later play a last tie-breaker match.

Peru 1953

As much as Peru did, the team was not capable to achieve another Copa America title until later years. Yet, the games played in 1953 are memorable to Peruvian football history because it was the first time Peru was able to beat Brazil (A certain something not many have been able to achieve). The goal was scored by Navarrete.^[10]

Copa América 1975

This tournament had no fixed venue. For the first phase, Peru was grouped with Chile and Bolivia. After winning both games, which were played both at home and away, Peru qualified for the semifinals along with Colombia, Brazil, and Uruguay (Which were the defending champions). Perhaps unlucky for Peru, they had to face Brazil for their semifinal. At the city of Belo Horizonte in Brazil, Peru beat the Verdeamarela by a margin of 3 to 1 with two goals from Enrique Cassareto and one by Teófilo Cubillas. The game played back home at Lima was won by Brazil 2-0. Due to the goal difference, the winner (Which turned out being Peru) was chosen by sorting.

The final match was played against Colombia, whom had beaten Uruguay. The game played at Bogotá was won by the Colombians 1 to 0. The game played at Lima was won by the Peruvians 2 to 0. Even though this meant Peru should win by the goal difference, a last game was played at the city of Caracas. With a goal at the 25th minute of the game by Hugo Sotil, Peru obtained its second international title.^[11]

Bolivia 1997

The team was able to reach the quarterfinals of this cup and eliminated Argentina (2:1) to advanced into the semifinals. In the semifinals, Peru faced Brazil, and lost by a margin of 7 to 0 (Peru's worst result to date). For the third place spot, Peru faced Mexico. The game was won by Mexico by a goal scored at the 82nd minute of the game.

Peru 2004

The 2004 Copa América, which they hosted, saw the team lose in the quarter-finals against Argentina. This began a wave of criticism against Peru's then coach Paulo Autuori, who boycotted the media, and his squad.^[12]

Venezuela 2007

Peru's campaign in the 2007 Copa América saw another futile attempt of the Peruvian squad, eliminated again in the quarter-finals by Argentina; the blame for this was mainly given to the tactics and formations of the coach Julio César Uribe, who did not call the appropriate players to the national team. After this situation, Peru replaced Uribe for Jose del Solar.^[13]

[edit] Other tournaments

Peru has participated in various international tournaments. Generally, the team gives a decent show and in some occasions has even been able to win some of the tournaments.

• Peru has qualified to the Olympic Games 2 times.

• Peru has participated in the Copa Armenia (1989), and the Nahser Cup (1986).

• Peru was invited to the U.S. Cup in 1997, and reached 3rd place.

• Peru has disputed the CONCACAF Gold Cup once in 2000, reaching 3rd place.

• Peru has disputed 2 Kirin Cups, in 1999 and 2005, winning in both occasions.

1936 Berlin Olympics

For more information: 1936 Berlin Olympics

In 1936, the Peruvian team was invited to join the Olympics to be played at Berlin. Peru accepted the invitation and the team set-off for Berlin with high expectations. Previously, Peru had withdrawn from the 1934 FIFA World Cup, but this time Peru wanted to show what they were capable of doing.

The first match against Finland was won with great commodity by the Peruvians (A 7-3 result). Peru's next match came against Austria in the quarterfinals, a game Adolf Hitler (An Austrian himself) was highly interested in. To the surprise of many, Peru was able to defy all odds and beat Austria (A 4-2 result). This result bothered Hitler, especially since the Peruvian team was mainly composed of black players while the Austrian team played with a white Aryan race squad. Hence, with support from Hitler, Austria was thus able to gain the chance for a repetition of the game to be once more played.

It is commonly said that one of the arguments used was that of the ball being too big and the goal too small; also that the field was too small for competition and that the Peruvian fans had stormed the field after the fourth goal. It is because of this insulting situation that Peru figured it was best to simply leave the tournament (Austria went on to win the Silver Medal), and all the Peruvian Olympic teams left Berlin in protest to the discriminatory actions of Germany.^[14]

1997 U.S. Cup

For more information: 1997 U.S. Cup

The U.S. Cup (also known as the USA Cup, United States Cup and Nike U.S. Cup) was a soccer cup held annually in the United States from 1991 to 2000. The cup, hosted by the United States Soccer Federation, was contested between the United States and three guest teams; which in 1997 included Mexico, Peru, and Denmark. This was the first and only U.S. Cup for both Peru and Denmark.

In the first game of the tournament, Peru took the U.S. in San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium. Striking early, when German Carty scored in the 8th minute off a Paolo Maldonado cross, Peru dominated the first-half game. Yet, even though the U.S. dominated long stretches of the second-half and had several good chances, it was unable to score on any of them. In the second game the Peruvian team had a hard time converting their technical superiority into goals, partly due to Danish goalkeeper Mogens Krogh.^[15]

Peru's last match was against Mexico, a game that Peru needed to win to reach the top of the game's scoreboard. Yet, neither Peru or Mexico were able to score and the game ended in a tie. Peru thus placed third-place in the competition and Mexico won its second title.

2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup

For more information: 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Peru was one of three teams invited to the 2000 Gold Cup held at the United States. This was the first time Peru had been invited to the competition, and the team accepted to enter the tournament.

Peru played in Group B of the tournament, placed with the USA and Haiti. Peru's two matches did not really go well for the team, they tied to Haiti (1-1) and lost to the USA (1-0) by the minimal difference. Nevertheless, Peru played a decent first phase that got them into the next round.

The challenge came when they had to face Group As leader, Honduras. Honduras had come from winning both of their previous games against Jamaica and Colombia. The odds were really against Peru, but the team raised its name by beating Honduras 5-3.

Peru's final match in the tournament came against Colombia. The match was won by Colombia 2-1, with an own goal from Peruvian player Salazar. Even though Peru has not been invited to the tournament ever since then, it is still a memorable participation for Peru since they went rather far (along with Colombia) into a competition that was not of their football sector.

Kirin Cup

For more information: Kirin Cup

The Kirin Cup is an annual football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Corporation. Participants are either club teams or national teams, but the Japan national team is always a participant. Peru was invited to this competition in 1999 and 2005.

In 1999, Peru was invited along with Belgium. To Peru this served mainly as a training tournament, but surprisingly Peru was able to achieve the title. Of course, Belgium also shared the title with Peru due to a tie in score. Nevertheless, this victory can be counted as an international title Peru has won (their third).^[16]

Similarly, in 2005, Peru was once more only coming to the tournament to do a good show and train some more. Yet, they left Japan once more with the title of champions and their 4th international title (shared with United Arab Emirates this time). Peru now holds the historic 5th place of this competition with an overall of 3 ties and 1 victory.^[17][18]

[edit] Kit evolution

The Peruvian team has officially used 4 official kits, but it also has had several alternatives. The classic colors used are red and white, which compose the flag of Peru.

Official First Kits

• The first uniform was that of the red stripes, white shorts, and white socks. This model was only used in the Copa América 1927 and was left aside due to its similarity with the kit of Paraguay.
• The second uniform was that of the white shirt with red collar, white shorts, and red socks. Peru used this model when the team participated in the 1930 World Cup and in the Copa América 1939 that they won.
• The third uniform was composed of a white shirt with a horizontal red stripe that crossed the chest from left to right. The shorts and socks were white.
• The fourth and current uniform is composed of a white shirt with a diagonal red stripe that crosses the chest from the left shoulder to the right side of the hip. The shorts and socks are white (Although red socks are also being used lately).

1927-1929

1930-1939

1940-1969

Current

Lately

Alternative Kits

• The first uniform was used during the 1970s as an alternative, and in the World Cup of that year.
• The second uniform is currently used as the official alternative kit.
• The third uniform was an alternative used in the Copa America 2007 match against Venezuela.

1970

Current

2007

[edit] Football rivalries

Peru vs. Chile

For more information look at: Chile and Peru football rivalry

Peru and Chile have a rivalry that dates back from the War of the Pacific. Previously, the two nations had been on friendly terms sharing mutual alliances during the South American wars of independence and in the Chincha Islands War. Territorial, maritime, and cultural disputes have fueled tensions since the ending of the War of the Pacific. These historical feuds and lingering bitterness have led to a large football rivalry between both nations. The games between them tend to be very rough, but very competitive nevertheless.^[19]

Peru vs. Ecuador

Peru's football rivalry against Ecuador is not as great, but still important to mention. Such a rivalry comes from disputes ongoing disputes between Ecuador and Peru over territory in the Amazon regions near the Equator. The rivalry is greater from the Ecuadorian side, but Peru follows close behind it. The games are also rough like those played against Chile, but the determination of both sides is generally interesting to see.

[edit] Noted players

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (April 2008)

[edit] Managers

The Estadio Monumental "U". Peru played Brazil in a 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier which ended 1-1. The southern stand hold a jersey-shaped banner before the start of the game.

Manager	Year(s)
Jack Greenwell	1939
Valdir "Didi" Pereira	World Cup 1970
Roberto Scarone	World Cup 1974 Qualifier
Marcos Calderon	World Cup 1978
"Tim" Elba de Padua Lima	World Cup 1982
Roberto Challe	World Cup 1986 Qualifier
Miguel Company	1990 – 1991
Vladimir Popović	1991 - 1993
Miguel Company	1994 – 1995
Juan Carlos Oblitas	1995 - 1999
Francisco Maturana	1999 - 2000
Julio César Uribe	2000 - 2002
Paulo Autuori	2002 - 2005
Freddy Ternero	2005 - 2006
Franco Navarro	2006
Julio César Uribe	2007
José "Chemo" del Solar	2007 - Present

[edit] Current squad

Head coach: José del Solar.

• Recent call-up for friendly matches against Spain, on May 31st, and Mexico on June 8th 2008.
• List is not complete yet.
• Caps and goals are up to the match against Costa Rica on March 26th, 2008.

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club GK George Forsyth Sommer June 20, 1982 3 0 Atalanta B.C. DF Martín Hidalgo Conde June 15, 1976 44 3 Grêmio DF Walter Vilchez Soto February 20, 1982 32 1 Puebla FC DF Alberto Rodríguez Valdelomar March 31, 1984 17 0 S.C. Braga DF Juan Manuel Vargas Risco October 5, 1983 15 2 Calcio Catania DF Carlos Zambrano Ochandarte July 10, 1989 1 1 FC Schalke 04 MF Juan Cominges Mayorga October 1, 1983 11 0 Caracas F.C. MF Nolberto Solano Todco December 12, 1974 82 20 West Ham United F.C. MF Rinaldo Cruzado Durand September 21, 1984 6 0 Grasshopper-Club Zürich MF Juan Carlos Mariño Márquez January 2, 1982 4 1 Hércules CF FW Daniel Chávez Castillo January 8, 1988 1 0 Club Brugge K.V. FW Hernán Rengifo Trigoso April 18, 1983 1 1 KKS Lech Poznań FW José Paolo Guerrero Gonzales January 1, 1984 20 9 Hamburger SV

[edit] Recent international matches

Date	Venue	Opponents	Result	Score	Type
October 13, 2007	Estadio Monumental Lima, Peru	Paraguay	D	0 - 0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
October 17, 2007	Estadio Nacional de Chile Santiago de Chile, Chile	Chile	L	2 - 0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
November 18, 2007	Estadio Monumental Lima, Peru	Brazil	D	1 - 1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
November 21, 2007	Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa Quito, Ecuador	Ecuador	L	5 - 1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
February 6, 2008	Estadio Hernando Siles La Paz, Bolivia	Bolivia	L	2 - 1	Friendly match
March 26, 2008	Estadio Max Augustín Iquitos, Peru	Costa Rica	W	3 - 1	Friendly match
May 31, 2008	Nuevo Colombino Huelva, Spain	Spain	L	2 - 1	Friendly match
June 8, 2008	Soldier Field Chicago, IL, USA	Mexico	L	0 - 4	Friendly match
June 14, 2008	Estadio Monumental Lima, Peru	Colombia			2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
June 18, 2008	Estadio Centenario Montevideo, Uruguay	Uruguay			2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

[edit] See also

• Federación Peruana de Fútbol
  • Primera División Peruana
  • Segunda División Peruana
  • Copa Perú
• Chile and Peru football rivalry
• Peru national under-17 football team
• Sport in Peru
  • Peru Davis Cup team
• CONMEBOL

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Peru FA
• FIFA team profile

Preceded by 1937 Argentina	South American Champions 1939 (First title)	Succeeded by 1941 Argentina
Preceded by 1967 Uruguay	South American Champions 1975 (Second title)	Succeeded by 1979 Paraguay
Preceded by 1998 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 1999 (First title)	Succeeded by 2000 Slovakia
Preceded by 2004 Japan	Kirin Cup Champions 2005 (Second title)	Succeeded by 2006 Scotland

International football v • d • e
FIFA | World Cup | Confederations Cup | U-20 World Cup | U-17 World Cup Olympics | Asian Games | All-Africa Games | Pan American Games | Island Games | Minor Tournaments World Rankings | Player of the Year | Teams | Competitions | Organizations | Codes
Asia: AFC – Asian Cup      Africa: CAF – Africa Cup of Nations      North America: CONCACAF – Gold Cup      South America: CONMEBOL – Copa América      Oceania: OFC – Nations Cup      Europe: UEFA – European Championship      Non-FIFA: NF-Board – Viva World Cup
National football teams of South America (CONMEBOL) v • d • e
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | Paraguay | Peru | Uruguay | Venezuela |
1978 FIFA World Cup finalists v • d • e
Champions: Argentina  Runners-up: Netherlands  Third place: Brazil  Fourth place: Italy  Eliminated in Second Group Round: Austria • Peru • Poland • West  Germany Eliminated in Group Stage: France • Hungary • Iran • Mexico • Scotland • Spain • Sweden • Tunisia