Club Jorge Wilstermann

Jorge Wilstermann
Full name Club Jorge Wilstermann
Nickname(s) El Equipo Aviador, Wilster, Hercules, Rojo del valle
Founded November 24, 1949
Ground Estadio Félix Capriles,
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Capacity 32,000 [1]
Chairman Bolivia Mario Montaño
Manager Argentina Juan Manuel Llop
League Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano
Apertura 2014
Website Club home page

Club Jorge Wilstermann is a Bolivian football club from the city of Cochabamba. It is named after Bolivian aviator Jorge Wilstermann.

History

On November 24, 1949,[2] a group of employees of Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano met to form a football club that would be identified with the company and become the pride of its workers. After two hours of debate, they founded the club with the name "San Jose de la Banda" in tribute to the area and the airport in Cochabamba. They proceeded to the election of the board, and appointed Justo Mancilla as club president. After some debate, blue and white were chosen as the team colors.

After the death of the company's first commercial pilot in Bolivia, Jorge Wilstermann, the name of the club was changed. In 1953, Captain Walter Lemma, manager of the company and partner of the deceased, suggested that both the airport and the team bear the name of the pilot, who had been very dear to the institution.

After the club's foundation, the leaders entered it in Cochabamba's Football Association (AFC) to compete in the second division. Wilstermann had no clear rival for first place and its good campaign forced it to seek to intervene in the AFC championship, which was played in La Paz and Oruro between teams from those cities.

When Dr. Jorge Rojas was appointed Wilstermann's chairman, he changed its colors to red and blue. "I chose those colors because they mean force, ferocity, and total dedication in the field", he stated. It was also the only team in the country which used those colors.

Golden ages

First golden era

Wilstermann's first national title came in 1958. This was the first in the club's "golden age", highlighted by star players such as Walter Zamorano, Mario Zabalaga, Carlos Trigo, Cesar Sanchez, Maximo Alcocer, Ausberto Garcia, Renan Lopez, Alfredo Soria Romulo Cortez, Wilfredo Villarroel, Jose Trujillo, and Jose Oscar Claure Rocabado. At that time, Wilsterman was the only team in Bolivia that played with five forwards, which shattered defenses.

In 1959, Wilstermann repeated as national champions, earning the honor to be the representative Bolivian side in the first edition of the Copa Libertadores de América in 1960. Their initial match pitted them against Peñarol of Uruguay. The Uruguyans defeated Wilster 7–1 in Montevideo, although the Bolivians drew their home game 1–1.

In 1960, Wilstermann won its third consecutive national title, an achievement that has not been equalled by any other Bolivian club.

In the 1961 Copa competition, Wilster played to a tie against Santa Fe, Colombia, winning 3–2 in Cochabamba and losing 1–0 in Colombia. The governing body decided to draw lots to determine which team would advance to the next round. "The draw was a fraud. After many years we learned that the full intention of the South American Football Confederation, which at that time was based in Bogota, was to eliminate Wilstermann and promote Santa Fe to the semis," claimed then Wilster club chairman, the late Jorge Rojas. The unsubstantiated story was that both of the pieces of paper that were put in the hat had Wilstermann's name. The team that was drawn was eliminated. "The Confederation official of that process confessed that he had been forced to proceed in this manner," recalled Rojas.

Second golden era

Wilstermann enjoyed a second "golden era" in the 1970s under the chairmanship of Alfredo Salazar. The Wilstermann team again won the national championships in 1972 and 1973. "They were spectacular years. Wilstermann had that mystique of a winning team: they did not like to lose ever, even less to a visiting side. Besides they were always on the attack and even achieved a historic 2–2 tie with River Plate in Buenos Aires," recalls Antonio Yanez, organization leader since 1975.

The Wilstermann sides of this era were highlighted by players such as Rene Bilbao, Jaime Olivera, Hugo Perez, Hugo Franco, Juan Jose Ponce, Victor Hugo Bravo, Juan Carlos Sanchez, Freddy Vargas, Limbert Cabrera Rivero, Milton Theodore Abel and Joana Gangas, Carlos Canelas.

Third golden era

Following a period of club organizational turmoil and the founding of the professional football league of Bolivia, the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano, Wilstermann enjoyed its third "golden age", winning national titles in 1980 and 1981.

During this period, the team looked to achieve something sought unsuccessfully by many Bolivian football clubs before: qualifying for the second phase of the Copa Libertadores de America. In opening Copa round play, Wilster beat good teams Club Deportivo Técnico Universitario, Ambato and Barcelona Sporting Club. To seal their qualification for the second round, Wilstermann beat The Strongest 4–1 in the match tiebreaker in a memorable match at the stadium Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

In the second phase, Wilstermann faced the formidable rosters of Deportivo Cali of Colombia and Flamengo of Brazil. They first tied the Colombian side 1–1 in Cochabamba, but fell 1–0 in Cali. The team from Rio de Janeiro defeated Wilster 2–1 at home, as well as in Maracanã, 4–1. While these results were disappointing, Wilstermann had accomplished what no Bolivian team had before. The Wilstermann sides of this era were highlighted by players such as Roger Perez, Carlos Trigo, Victor Villalon, Carlos Arias, Eduardo Navarro, Jhonny Villarroel, Freddy Vargas, Cesar Enriquez, Jairzinho, Gaston Taborga and Freddy Salguero.

Achievements

National honours

1980, 1981, 2000, 2006-ST, 2010
Runners-up (5): 1978, 1985, 1994, 1998, 2003-C
1958*, 1959*, 1960, 1967, 1972, 1973 (* Torneo Nacional)
Runners-up (2): 1965, 1974
1976, 1991, 1998
Runners-up (2): 1989, 2002
2004, 2011
Runners-up (4): 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010

Record in CONMEBOL competitions

Best: Semi-finals in 1981
2007 - First round
1998 - Quarter-finals

Current squad

Updated players officially presented for the season 2014/15 (July 05, 2014)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Argentina GK Matías Dituro
2 Bolivia DF Jose Luis Mendoza
3 Bolivia MF Fernando Castellón
4 Bolivia DF Juan Carlos Aponte
5 Bolivia DF Christian Vargas (3rd captain)
6 Paraguay FW Carlos Neumann
7 Bolivia FW Gianakis Suárez
8 Bolivia MF Amílcar Sánchez
9 Bolivia FW Augusto Andaveris (Vice-captain)
10 Brazil MF Thomaz
11 Bolivia FW Rodrigo Vargas
12 Bolivia GK Yadín Salazar
13 Bolivia MF Iván Huayhuata
14 Bolivia DF Juan Reyes
15 Argentina MF Alexis Bravo
No. Position Player
16 Bolivia MF Roly Sejas
17 Bolivia DF Juan Carlos Zampiery
18 Bolivia FW Carlos Vargas
19 Bolivia FW Oscar Díaz
20 Bolivia DF José Carlos Barba
21 Bolivia GK Gustavo Salvatierra
22 Bolivia DF Edward Zenteno (Captain)
23 Bolivia MF Edson Zenteno
24 Bolivia DF Ronald Segovia
25 Bolivia DF Marco Rivero
26 Bolivia MF Brian Hinojosa
27 Uruguay DF Enrique Díaz
30 Bolivia DF Jorge Ayala
31 Argentina MF Mariano Torres

Winter 2015

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Bolivia DF Iván Huayhuata (transfer from Aurora)
No. Position Player
Argentina MF Mariano Torres (transfer from Cobresal)

Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
6 Spain MF Felix Quero (June becomes)
No. Position Player
10 Brazil MF Marcelo Gomes

Coaching Staff

Position Staff
ManagerArgentina Juan Manuel Llop
Assistant First Team CoachArgentina Jorge Gabrich
First Team Fitness CoachArgentina Hugo Reinaudo
Goalkeeper CoachBrazil Mauro Machado
Medical Director Bolivia Luis Montaño
Medical Team Bolivia Raul Limache
Medical Team Bolivia Alejandro Prieto
First Team Props Bolivia Alex Rodriguez
First Team Props Bolivia Roger Salinas

Managers

References

  1. http://www.fussballtempel.net/conmebol/listeconmebol.html
  2. Vanauskas, Laura (1999). An Encyclopedia of Football in Bolivia – 1914 to 1998. The Clubs –Jorga Wilstermann, details and references to formation (Heart Books - Belgium). p. 192.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Club Jorge Wilstermann.