Valencia CF Mestalla

Valencia Mestalla

Full name	Valencia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Che
Founded	1944
Ground	Antonio Puchades Stadium, Paterna, Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Ground Capacity	4,000
Chairman	Amadeo Salvo
Manager	Curro Torres
League	2ªB – Group 3
2014–15	2ªB – Group 3, 14th
Home colours Away colours

Valencia Club de Fútbol B, also named Mestalla, is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community. Founded in 1944, it is the reserve team of Valencia CF and currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home games at Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna, with a 4,000-seat capacity.

Unlike in England, reserve teams in Spain play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However, reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their senior team. Therefore, the team is ineligible for promotion to La Liga, the division in which the main side plays. Reserve teams are also no longer permitted to enter the Copa del Rey.

The team is officially known as Valencia CF Mestalla on the club's official promotion and website, but Professional Football League rules prohibit B teams from having different names than their parent team.

History

Founded in 1944 as Club Deportivo Mestalla, an independent club, Valencia B managed to play in more than 20 second division seasons from 1947 to 1973. In the 1951–52 campaign, the team finished in a best-ever second position in the league, but was ineligible for La Liga promotion as the first team was also playing in that category.

In the following decades, Valencia B – who merged with the Che organization in 1991 – played mainly in the fourth level, but also appeared 16 times in the third, eight of those consecutive (1992–2000), with three appearances in the promotion playoffs.

Season to season

• As CD Mestalla

• Merged with Valencia

• 21 seasons in Segunda División
• 19 seasons in Segunda División B
• 28 seasons in Tercera División
• 3 seasons in Categorías Regionales

Current squad

As of 4 December 2015

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

No. Position Player GK Ángel Ovejero GK Álex Sánchez GK Antonio Sivera DF Charlie I'Anson DF Carlos Akapo DF Ibrahim Diallo DF Javi Jiménez DF Diego Caballo DF Lato DF Nacho Vidal DF José Moreno (on loan from Once Caldas) DF Sergio Ayala MF Sito MF Tropi

No. Position Player MF Carlos Soler MF Fernando Cano MF Rai MF Jorge Muñoz MF Fran Villalba MF Wilfried Zahibo FW Fran Navarro FW Cedric (on loan from Mallorca) FW Víctor Ruiz FW Ibán FW Cristian Arango (on loan from Envigado) FW Toni Martínez FW Rafa Mir FW Nacho Gil

External links

• Official website
• Futbolme team profile (Spanish)