Venezuela national football team
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| Nickname(s) |
La Vinotinto (The Burgundy) Los Llaneros (The Plainsmen) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (FVF) | ||
| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | ||
| Head coach | Noel Sanvicente | ||
| Captain | Juan Arango | ||
| Most caps | Juan Arango (121) | ||
| Top scorer | Juan Arango (23) | ||
| Home stadium |
Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui Polideportivo Cachamay Estadio Pueblo Nuevo | ||
| FIFA code | VEN | ||
| FIFA ranking |
69  3 (9 April 2015) | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 29 (August 2014) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 129 (November 1998) | ||
| Elo ranking | 44 (31 March 2015) | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 19 (July 17, 2011) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 127 (1993, 1995, 1999) | ||
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| First international | |||
 Panama 3–1 Venezuela  (Panama City, Panama; February 12, 1938) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Venezuela 7–0 Puerto Rico .svg.png){kind=small} (Caracas, Venezuela; January 16, 1959) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Argentina 11–0 Venezuela (Rosario, Argentina; August 10, 1975) | |||
| Copa América | |||
| Appearances | 15 (First in 1967) | ||
| Best result | Fourth place, 2011 | ||
The Venezuela national football team is controlled by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. It is nicknamed La Vinotinto (The Burgundy), because of the traditional burgundy color of their shirts.
When playing at home in official games they usually rotate between three stadiums: the Polideportivo Cachamay, in Puerto Ordaz; the Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui, in Puerto La Cruz; and Estadio Pueblo Nuevo, in San Cristóbal. In friendly matches they tend to rotate between the rest of the stadiums in the country.
The Unofficial Football World Championships, and the related Nasazzi's baton title, was briefly held by Venezuela in 2006.
Unlike other South American nations, and akin to some Caribbean nations, baseball is extremely popular in Venezuela, which diverts athletic talent away from football, contributing to its historic lack of success in CONMEBOL competitions. As of 2014, they are the only CONMEBOL side to have not qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Often Venezuela would go through entire qualification tournaments without recording a single win, although this has changed in the last two qualifying rounds. Until 2011, their best finish in Copa América was fifth in their first entry, in 1967. It is only recently with the spread of the World Cup's popularity in nations where football was not the primary sport (Japan, the United States, Australia, etc.) that the national team found incentives to increase player development and fan support.
History
Backstory
Venezuela did not participate in World Cup qualifying until the 1966 qualifiers in which they were drawn with Uruguay and Peru, but failed to register a point in four games. In the 1970 qualifiers they managed to register a point, and after withdrawing from the 1974 series, repeated that in the 1978 qualifiers. The 1982 qualifiers saw them register their first win, over Bolivia. They wouldn't register another World Cup qualifying win until the 1994 series when they defeated Ecuador. A highlight of the 1998 qualifiers was goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel scoring against Argentina in a 5–2 defeat.
Despite poor results during the 1960s and 1970s, outstanding players like Luis Mendoza and Rafael Santana achieved recognition.
The team failed to qualify for both the 2002, and 2006 World Cups. The latter failure resulted in the resignation of manager Richard Paez.
César Farías era
With new coach César Farías, Venezuela improved their performances. At the beginning of 2010, during qualifying, the national team won its first game in World Cup qualifying against Ecuador in Quito, where the Ecuadorians had previously held a long unbeaten record. Something similar happened to Bolivia in La Paz, where Venezuela won for the first time at Bolivian altitude. Also, they received their first point against Brazil in qualifying. Despite not qualifying for the 2010, Venezuela achieved their best result in qualifying. They finished this round with 22 points in 18 matches, surpassing Peru and Bolivia for eighth place in the region.
On June 6, 2008, Venezuela achieved their first-ever triumph over Brazil, defeating the Seleção 2–0 in a friendly match in Boston, USA.
The team obtained excellent results in the 2011 Copa América when they finished 4th, their highest finish in the tournament so far. With a team composed mostly of players who play in European leagues, they began 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification with a historic result (1-0) against Argentina in Puerto La Cruz by beating (1-0) the Argentines for the first time.
Noel Sanvicente era
On 4 September 2014, Noel Sanvicente was made coach of the Venezuelan national football team.[1] On 5 September 2014, the team lost its first match with Sanvicente under the helm 3-1 against South Korea in Bucheon.[2]
Copa America history
Venezuela first participated in the Copas America in 1967, and finished 5th after defeating Bolivia 3–0 with a side containing Mendoza and Santana. The 1975 tournament saw Venezuela drawn in a group with Brazil and Argentina, and finished bottom with an 11–0 defeat to Argentina. In the 1979 edition, which would be the international swansong for Mendoza and Santana, they drew 0–0 with Colombia and 1–1 with Chile. A highlight of the 1989 tournament was midfielder Carlos Maldonado's 4 goals. In the 1993 series, Venezuela drew with Uruguay and the United States.
The team's overall Copa América record has been pretty poor (goal difference 33–145 before 2011 Copa), but the "Auge Vinotinto" (Vinotinto Rise) period in the early 2000s (decade) brought increased attention to the sport in the country, which in turn brought increased support from both government and private institutions. Said support contributed greatly to the "Vinotinto's" rise in quality. In 2007, during the Copa América held in Venezuela, the team progressed to the quarterfinals for the first time in its history after finishing first in a group containing Peru, Bolivia and Uruguay. Venezuela's 2–0 victory over Perú during the competition was its first Copa América victory since 1967.
2011 Copa América
At the 2011 Copa América championship, Venezuela reached the semifinals round for the first time by defeating Chile in the quarterfinal, 2–1. Despite their commanding presence against Paraguay in their semifinal, Venezuela were unable to convert their chances into goals. They would eventually lose 5–3 to Paraguay in a penalty shootout after remaining scoreless in normal and extra time. Venezuela and Peru played for 3rd Place of Copa America 2011 at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata. Venezuela would suffer their biggest loss of the tournament, losing 4–1 to Peru and falling into 4th place overall, but it was their best ever finish at the competition
Group B:
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brazil |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 5 |
| Venezuela |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
 Paraguay |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
 Ecuador |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
Results:
| Group stages July 3, 2011 | Brazil |
0–0 | Venezuela |
La Plata, Argentina | ||
| 16:00 UTC-3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata Referee: Raúl Orosco (Bolivia) | ||||
| Group stages July 9, 2011 | Venezuela |
1–0 | Ecuador |
Salta, Argentina | ||
| 18:30 UTC-3 | C. González  61' |
Report | Stadium: Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena Referee: Wálter Quesada (Costa Rica) | |||
| Group stages July 13, 2011 | Paraguay |
3–3 | Venezuela |
Salta, Argentina | ||
| 19:15 UTC-3 | Alcaraz 32' Barrios 62'Riveros 85' |
Report | Rondón 5' Miku 89'Perozo 90+2' |
Stadium: Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile) | ||
| Quarterfinals July 17, 2011 | Chile  |
1–2 | Venezuela |
San Juan, Argentina | ||
| 19:15 UTC-3 | Suazo 69' |
Report | Vizcarrondo 34' Cichero 80' |
Stadium: Estadio del Bicentenario Referee: Carlos Vera (Ecuador) | ||
| Semifinals July 20, 2011 | Venezuela |
0–0 (3–5 p) |
Paraguay |
Mendoza, Argentina | ||
| 21:45 UTC-3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Malvinas Argentinas Referee: Francisco Chacón (Mexico) | ||||
| Penalties | ||||||
Maldonado  Rey Lucena  Miku |
Ortigoza Barrios Riveros Martínez Verón |
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| Third-place match July 23, 2011 | Peru  |
4–1 | Venezuela |
La Plata, Argentina | ||
| 16:00 UTC-3 | Chiroque 41' Guerrero 63', 89', 90+2' |
Report | Arango 77' |
Stadium: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia) | ||
Historical kits
     (1926) |
 (1967) |
 (1970) |
 (1977) |
 (1979) |
 (1981) |
 (1982) |
(1986) |
(1989) |
 (1990) |
 (1993) |
(1994) |
 (1995) |
(1996) |
(1997) |
 (1998) |
 (1999) |
(1999) |
(2001) |
(2004) |
 (2005) |
 (2007) |
 (2010) |
 (2011) |
 (2011– 2013) |
Current status
Venezuela Men's National Football Team Recent and forthcoming matches
Matches from the past 12 months as well as any future scheduled matches.
| Friendly September 5, 2014 | South Korea  |
3–1 | Venezuela |
Bucheon, South Korea | ||
| 12:00 UTC+9 | Myung-joo 33' Dong-gook 53', 64' |
Report | M. Rondón 21' |
Stadium: Bucheon Sports Complex Attendance: 34,456 Referee: Võ Minh Trí (Vietnam) | ||
| Kirin Challenge Cup 2014 September 9, 2014 | Japan  |
3–0 (forfeit) | Venezuela |
Yokohama, Japan | ||
| 19:20 | Report | Stadium: International Stadium Yokohama Referee: Chris Beath (Australia) | ||||
| Friendly November 14, 2014 | Chile |
5-0 | Venezuela |
Talcahuano, Chile | ||
| 20:00 UTC−3 | A. Sánchez 17' Valdivia 45+1'Vargas 55'Millar 78'Hernández 90+3' |
Report | Stadium: CAP Attendance: 10,200 Referee: Antonio Arias (Paraguay) | |||
| Friendly November 18, 2014 | Bolivia  |
3-2 | Venezuela |
La Paz, Bolivia | ||
| 19:00 UTC-4 | Raldes 41' Lizio 53'Arce 87' |
Report | Ángel 39' González 71' |
Stadium: Estadio Hernando Siles Referee: Eduardo Gamboa (Chile) | ||
| Friendly February 4, 2015 | Honduras  |
2-3 | Venezuela |
San Pedro Sula, Honduras | ||
| Lozano 80' Montes 90' |
Report | Blanco 21' Figuera 51'Farías 76' |
Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano Referee: Joel Aguilar Chicas (El Salvador) | |||
| Friendly February 11, 2015 | Venezuela |
2-1 | Honduras |
Barinas, Venezuela | ||
| Lucena 17' Murillo 57' |
Report | Lozano 13' |
Stadium: Estadio Agustín Tovar Referee: Diego Haro (Peru) | |||
| Friendly March 27, 2015 | Jamaica  |
2-1 | Venezuela |
Montego Bay, Jamaica | ||
| Barnes 15' Mattocks 58' |
Report | Cichero 13' |
Stadium: Catherine Hall Sports Complex Referee: Kimbell Ward (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) | |||
| Friendly March 31, 2015 | Peru |
0-1 | Venezuela |
Fort Lauderdale, USA | ||
| Report | J. Martínez 60' |
Stadium: Lockhart Stadium Referee: Armando Castro (Honduras) | ||||
| Friendly May 31, 2015 | Bolivia |
v | Venezuela |
Mendoza, Argentina | ||
| Stadium: Estadio Malvinas Argentinas | ||||||
| Copa América 14 June 2015 | Colombia  |
v | Venezuela |
Rancagua, Chile | ||
| Stadium: Estadio El Teniente | ||||||
| Copa América 18 June 2015 | Peru |
v | Venezuela |
Valparaíso, Chile | ||
| Stadium: Estadio Elías Figueroa | ||||||
| Copa América 21 June 2015 | Brazil |
v | Venezuela |
Santiago, Chile | ||
| Stadium: Estadio Monumental David Arellano | ||||||
Win Draw Loss
2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification Standings
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Players
Current squad
The following 23 players were named for the Friendly Matches:
Match Date: March 27 & 31, 2015
Opposition: Jamaica and Peru
Caps and goals are correct as of April 1, 2015.
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Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.
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Notes:
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Injured or recovering from surgery
Records
Most caps
Blue highlights denotes active players.
| Position | Name | Period | caps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Arango | 1999– | 124 | 22 | |
| 2 | José Manuel Rey | 1997–2011 | 115 | 11 | |
| 3 | Jorge Alberto Rojas | 1999–2009 | 91 | 3 | |
| 4 | Miguel Mea Vitali | 1999–2012 | 85 | 1 | |
| 5 | Gabriel Urdaneta | 1996–2005 | 77 | 9 | |
| Luis Vallenilla | 1996–2007 | 77 | 1 | ||
| 7 | Ruberth Morán | 1996–2007 | 65 | 14 | |
| Giancarlo Maldonado | 2003–2011 | 65 | 22 | ||
| 9 | Leopoldo Jiménez | 1999–2005 | 64 | 0 | |
| Ricardo Páez | 2000–2007 | 64 | 7 | ||
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Top scorers
Blue highlights denotes active players.
| Position | Name | Period | Goals | Caps | Goals/Caps Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Arango | 1999– | 22 | 124 | 0.18 |
| Giancarlo Maldonado | 2003–2011 | 22 | 65 | 0.33 | |
| 3 | Ruberth Morán | 1996–2007 | 14 | 65 | 0.22 |
| 4 | José Salomón Rondón | 2008– | 12 | 38 | 0.32 |
| 5 | Daniel Arismendi | 2006–2011 | 11 | 31 | 0.35 |
| José Manuel Rey | 1997–2011 | 11 | 115 | 0.10 | |
| 7 | Nicolás Fedor | 2006– | 10 | 50 | 0.21 |
| 8 | Gabriel Urdaneta | 1996–2005 | 9 | 77 | 0.12 |
| 9 | Oswaldo Vizcarrondo | 2004– | 8 | 61 | 0.13 |
| 10 | Juan García Rivas | 1993–2009 | 7 | 49 | 0.14 |
| Ricardo Páez | 2000–2007 | 7 | 64 | 0.11 | |
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Competitive record
World Cup record
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 to 1954 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1958 | Withdrew | ||||||||
| 1962 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1966 to 1970 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1974 | Withdrew | ||||||||
| 1978 to 2014 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
Head to head
Copa América record
Pan American Games record
References
- ↑ http://www.fifa.com/world-match-centre/news/newsid/240/651/2/index.html
- ↑ http://www.goal.com/en/match/korea-republic-vs-venezuela/1802751/report
- ↑ Luis Fernando Passo Alpuin. "Appearances for Venezuela National Team". RSSSF. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ↑ Luis Fernando Passo Alpuin. "Goals for Venezuela National Team". RSSSF. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
External links
- (Spanish) Federacion Venezolana De Fútbol The official Venezuelan soccer federation website.
- (Spanish) La Vinotinto – The latest news about Venezuelan professional soccer and more.
- (Spanish) ForoVinotinto The Unofficial Forum.
- (Spanish) Futbol es todo The latest news about Venezuelan professional soccer and more.
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