America Football Club (Rio de Janeiro)

America
Full name America Football Club
Nickname(s) Diabo (Devil), Sangue (Blood), Mecão and Rubro Carioca
Founded September 18, 1904 (1904-09-18)
Stadium Giulite Coutinho,
Mesquita, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ground Capacity 16,000
President Léo Almada
Head coach João Carlos Ângelo
Website Club website
America F.C. team in 1929.
Estádio Giulite Coutinho
Club offices
Team photo from the 2009 season
Team photo from the 2008 season

America Football Club, or America as it is usually called, is a Brazilian football club from Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro state, which was founded on September 18, 1904. The club competed in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A several times, winning the state championship seven times. The club's home stadium is the Estádio Giulite Coutinho, which has a capacity of 16,000. They play in red shirts, white shorts and red socks.

The football anthem composer Lamartine Babo was a supporter of America.[1] America's mascot is a devil. America also sponsors a beach American football team, the America Red Lions.[2]

History

On September 18, 1904, Alberto Koltzbucher, Alfredo Guilherme Koehler, Alfredo Mohrsted, Gustavo Bruno Mohrsted, Henrique Mohrsted, Jayme Faria Machado and Oswaldo Mohrsted founded America Football Club.[3] In 1905, America, together with Bangu, Botafogo, Petrópolis, Fluminense and Futebol Atlético Clube founded Liga de Football do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro Football League), which was the first football federation of Rio de Janeiro.[3] In 1913, the club won the state championship for the first time.[4]

For the 1971 season, the club competed in the national Championship's first edition, finishing in 11th place.[5]

The yellow star just above their emblem represents their win in the Tournament of the Champions (Torneio dos Campeões) in 1982, which was a tournament organized by CBF to serve as a preview to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A tournament. Flamengo declined the invitation so America, the team with the best record after the selected teams, was invited to fill the spot. America won the tournament by beating Guarani in overtime at Maracanã stadium.[6]

In 2006, America was the runner-up of Taça Guanabara. America played the final against Botafogo.[7]

In 2008, America suffered a major blow by being relegated to the Second Division of the Campeonato Carioca. However, they won the Second Division in 2009, thus being promoted to the first level in 2010.[8] However, the club were relegated again in 2011 and continues playing the Second Division in 2015, returns to the elite of the Campeonato Carioca after five years vying for the Serie B, after beating the Americano.[9]

Honors

National
Campetition Titles Seasons
Brazil Torneio dos Campeões 1 1982
Regionais
Campetition Titles Seasons
Brazil Taça Ioduran 1 1917
Brazil Taça Brasil - Zona Sul 1 1961
Estaduais
Campetition Titles Seasons
Rio de Janeiro (state) Campeonato Carioca 7 1913, 1916, 1922, 1928, 1931, 1935 and 1960
Rio de Janeiro (state) Campeonato Carioca – Série B 2 2009, 2015
Rio de Janeiro (state) Taça Guanabara 1 1974
Rio de Janeiro (state) Taça Rio 1 1982
Rio de Janeiro (state) Torneio Início 1 1949
Rio de Janeiro (state) Troféu João Ellis Filho 1 2010

Other state titles

International tournaments

(1955)
(1961)
(1961)
(1962)
(1967)
(1973)
(1983)

National tournaments

(1968)
(1968)

Youth teams

*Undefeated.

**Torneio Extra Carlos Martins da Rocha.

Women's team

Current squad

According to the CBF register.

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

No. Position Player
Brazil GK Luis Henrique
Brazil GK Felipe Eduardo
Brazil DF Matheus Menezes (on loan from Botafogo)
Brazil DF Erick (on loan from Botafogo)
Brazil DF Marcão
Brazil DF Enric
Brazil DF Fábio Braz
Brazil DF Wagner Diniz
Brazil MF PH
Brazil MF Muniz
Argentina MF Matías Sosa
Brazil MF Darlan
No. Position Player
Brazil MF Victor Pucinelli
Brazil MF Leandro Aguiar
Brazil MF Thiago Accioli
Brazil MF Ramon Fraga
Brazil FW Russo
Brazil FW Renato
Brazil FW Marcelinho Quarterole
Brazil FW Igor
Brazil FW Daniel
Brazil FW Jean

Top goalscores

  1. Luisinho Lemos : 311
  2. Edu : 212
  3. Maneco : 187
  4. Plácido: 167
  5. Carola : 158
  6. Chiquinho : 102

Highest attendances

  1. America 1–4 Flamengo, 147.661(139,599 people seated), April 4, 1956
  2. America 0–2 Fluminense, 141,689 (120,178 people seated), June 9, 1968
  3. America 1–2 Vasco, 121,765 (104,775 people seated), January 28, 1951
  4. America 1–0 Flamengo, 104,532, April 25, 1976
  5. America 5–1 Flamengo, 102,002 (94,516 people seated), April 1, 1956
  6. America 2–1 Bonsucesso, 101.363, July 25, 1973
  7. America 2–0 Fluminense, 100,635 (92,516 people seated), March 17, 1956
  8. America 2–1 Fluminense, 98,099, December 18, 1960
  9. America 1–0 Fluminense, 97,681, September 22, 1974
  10. America 0–1 Fluminense, 96,035, April 27, 1975
  11. America 4–2 Benfica (POR), 94,642 (87,686 people seated), July 3, 1955
  12. America 1–1 Flamengo, 93,393, May 19, 1969

Mascot

One controversial aspect of the club is the official mascot: the Diabo (devil), depicted as a red demon complete with horns, pointy beard, curled moustache, a long fat arrow-pointed tail, hooved feet and a black cape. The club's old stadium was nicknamed Caldeirão do Diabo ("Devil's Cauldron"). In 2006 some of the club's fans, supported by then-manager Jorginho who is an Evangelical Christian, attempted to replace the diabo with a bald eagle, claiming that the devil was "unlucky". However, as the "diabo" is a traditional part of the club's story and with the original mascot the club conquered its greatest achievements and there was no change in the club's fortunes with the new mascot, the replacement was abandoned and it was considered that Jorginho's opinion was motivated by religious fanaticism.[10]

Clubs named after America

America is the Brazilian club with the largest number of other clubs named after it, who copy even its symbols. Some of its clones include: América of Natal, América of São José do Rio Preto, América of Três Rios, América of Amazonas, América Futebol Clube (Teófilo Otoni), América of Ceará.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Lamartine Babo" (in Portuguese). E-Biografias. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Histórico Red Lions" (in Portuguese). América Red Lions. Archived from the original on December 5, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  3. 1 2 "America Football Club" (in Portuguese). Campeões do Futebol. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Rio de Janeiro Championship 1913" (in Portuguese). RSSSF Brasil. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Brazil 1971 Championship – Primeiro Campeonato Nacional de Clubes" (in Portuguese). RSSSF Brasil. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Campeonatos" (in Portuguese). America Football Club. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Rio de Janeiro State League 2006" (in Portuguese). RSSSF Brasil. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  8. ↑ Luiz Maurício Monteiro (November 25, 2009). "Com Romário em campo, America bate Artsul e é campeão da Série B do Rio" (in Portuguese). Sidney Rezende. Archived from the original on November 29, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Emoção e alegria: América vence e volta à Primeira Divisão do Rio depois de quatro anos". ESPN. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  10. ↑ "Técnico do America veta palavrões e diabo como mascote" (in Portuguese). Planeta Gol. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  11. ↑ Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro Lance Volume 1. Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A. 2001. p. 120. ISBN 85-88651-01-7.
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