U.S. Sassuolo Calcio

Sassuolo
Full name Unione Sportiva Sassuolo
Calcio Srl
Nickname(s) I Neroverdi (The Black and Greens)
Founded 17 July 1920 (1920-07-17)
Ground
Ground Capacity 23,717[1]
Owner Mapei
Chairman Carlo Rossi
Manager Cristian Bucchi
League Serie A
2016–17 Serie A, 12th
Website Club website

Unione Sportiva Sassuolo Calcio ([uˈnjoːne sporˈtiːva sasˈswɔːlo ˈkaltʃo], "Sassuolo Football Sport Union") is an Italian professional football club based in Sassuolo, in the province of Modena.[2] Their colours are black and green, hence the nickname "neroverdi".[2]

Founded in 1920,[3] Sassuolo have played in Serie A from the 2013–14 season, joining a select group of teams not belonging to a provincial capital city: Empoli, Legnano, Pro Patria, Carpi and Casale.[4]

History

The club was founded in 1920 and played in the Emilian amateur divisions for most of its history until its first promotion to Serie D in 1968. In this era, the club merged with other local football teams to eventually form the current US Sassuolo Calcio in 1974. In 1984, it first gained promotion to Serie C2, the lowest level of professional football in Italy. However, they were relegated again in 1990 and subsequently spent most of the decade back in Serie D. In 1998, a second-place finish ensured promotion back to Serie C2.

Serie C1

Sassuolo reached Serie C1 in 2006 after winning the Serie C2 promotion play-offs by beating Sansovino in the final. In the following years, Sassuolo proved to be a serious contender for promotion to Serie B, barely missing it in 2007, with Gian Marco Remondina as head coach, as they lost immediate promotion to Grosseto in the final season days, and were defeated by fifth-placed Monza in the play-off semi-finals. Remondina then left Sassuolo to join Serie B's Piacenza, and former Serie A player Massimiliano Allegri was then chosen as new head coach.

Under Allegri, Sassuolo quickly revived their hopes to obtain promotion to Serie B; this ultimately came on 27 April 2008, when they won the Serie C1/A title, thus ensuring a historical promotion to Serie B, the first in the club's history.[5]

Serie B

Following Sassuolo's promotion to the Italian second tier, Allegri left Sassuolo to fill the head coaching position at Serie A team Cagliari. On July 2008, the club appointed former Atalanta and Siena boss Andrea Mandorlini for the 2008–09 season.

Massimiliano Allegri, manager of Sassuolo in 2008 who won promotion to Serie B, winning group A of Serie C1 and the Supercoppa Lega Pro.

Sassuolo had a surprisingly good start to the 2008–09 campaign and held a promotion playoff place for very long time. They only won two points in their last five matches to eventually finish in seventh place. Despite a successful season, Mandorlini left Sassuolo by mutual consent in June 2009, whereupon the team then appointed former Piacenza coach Stefano Pioli on 11 June 2009.

Sassuolo successively qualified to the Serie B promotion playoffs in 2009–10 by placing fourth, and 2011–12 in third, being eliminated at the semi-finals in both seasons.

In the 2012–13 season, however, under the guidance of new head coach Eusebio Di Francesco, Sassuolo won the Serie B title, thus achieving direct promotion to Serie A and ensuring a first top-flight campaign ever for the 2013–14 season.

Serie A

During pre-season training, Sassuolo won the TIM Trophy after losing to Juventus on penalties then beating Milan 2–1, marking the first time a team other than Milan, Internazionale or Juventus have won the Cup.

Eusebio Di Francesco, manager of the historic promotion to Serie A for the Neroverdi in 2014.

On 25 August 2013, Sassuolo played their first-ever Serie A match, a 2–0 loss away at Torino.[6] The team's second match was their first at home, against Livorno, where striker Simone Zaza scored Sassuolo's first top-flight goal as they lost 4–1.[7] On 22 September 2013, Sassuolo endured a heavy 7–0 defeat at home to Internazionale. The team earned their first point in their fifth match, on 25 September away to Napoli. Zaza equalised as the game finished 1–1, ending the hosts' perfect start to the season.[8] This was followed by a first home point on 29 September, a 2–2 draw with Lazio.[9] On 20 October 2013, Sassuolo won their first Serie A game, defeating Bologna 2–1 at home with goals from Domenico Berardi and Antonio Floro Flores, moving the club off bottom place.[10] Sassuolo won away for the first time in Serie A on 3 November against Sampdoria, with Berardi scoring their first top-flight hat-trick to win 4–3.[11] Since the following match, a 1–1 draw at Roma on 10 November, the club has been outside the relegation zone.[12] On 12 January 2014, Berardi was the only player in the season to score four goals in a game, as Sassuolo came from 2–0 down to win 4–3 against Milan.[13] Towards the end of January 2014, Sassuolo were in bottom place and so manager Di Francesco was relieved of his duties and Alberto Malesani was brought in. The managerial change did not have the desired effects and so in early March, Sassuolo re-entrust the side to the management of Di Francesco. Sassuolo won its away match against Fiorentina 4–3 on 6 May 2014, and after winning 4–2 against Genoa on 11 May, Sassuolo guaranteed its place in Serie A for the 2014–15 season. Berardi finished in equal 7th place in the Serie A top scorers list, with 16 goals for the season.

The Neroverdi had a much better 2014–15 Serie A season, finishing comfortably beyond relegation in 12th place. Berardi was once more the club's top goalscorer with 15 league goals.

Sassuolo improved again in the 2015–16 Serie A season, finishing ahead of the likes of Milan and Lazio in sixth place. The season included an opening day win over Napoli,[14] a Round 10 1–0 victory over Juventus at Mapei Stadium[15] and a 1–0 victory over Inter at the San Siro.[16]

On 21 May 2016, Sassuolo achieved their first ever Europa League qualification after finishing sixth in Serie A courtesy of a Juventus Coppa Italia win over Milan as Milan would have gone to Europe instead if they had won the final.[17] On 25 August 2016, Sassuolo qualified for the Europa League group stage after beating out Red Star Belgrade 4–1 on aggregate in the playoff round.[18]

Stadium

The Stadio Alberto Braglia in Modena was Sassuolo's temporary home while playing in Serie B.

Sassuolo's home stadium is Stadio Enzo Ricci still used for training, but due to its tiny capacity (4,000), the club played Serie B seasons in Modena's Stadio Alberto Braglia.[19]

Starting from the 2013–14 season, the first Serie A campaign for the club, Sassuolo plays in Reggio Emilia at the renovated Stadio Città del Tricolore (formerly Stadio Giglio) in a venue-sharing agreement with Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Reggiana.[20]

Current squad

As of 10 August 2017

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

No. Position Player
4 Italy MF Francesco Magnanelli (captain)
5 Italy DF Luca Antei
6 Italy MF Luca Mazzitelli
7 Italy MF Simone Missiroli
8 Italy MF Davide Biondini
9 Italy FW Pietro Iemmello
10 Italy FW Alessandro Matri
11 Italy FW Diego Falcinelli
12 Italy MF Stefano Sensi
13 Italy DF Federico Peluso
14 Italy FW Gianluca Scamacca
15 Italy DF Francesco Acerbi
16 Italy FW Matteo Politano
19 Italy DF Riccardo Marchizza
20 Italy MF Federico Ricci
No. Position Player
21 Spain DF Pol Lirola (on loan from Juventus)
23 Italy DF Marcello Gazzola
24 Italy DF Edoardo Goldaniga
25 Italy FW Domenico Berardi
28 Italy DF Paolo Cannavaro
29 Italy MF Francesco Cassata
32 Ghana MF Alfred Duncan
39 Italy DF Cristian Dell'Orco
47 Italy GK Andrea Consigli
55 Netherlands DF Timo Letschert
70 Italy GK Leonardo Marson (on loan from Palermo)
79 Italy GK Gianluca Pegolo
90 Italy MF Antonino Ragusa
98 Italy DF Claud Adjapong [21]
— Italy MF Filippo Bandinelli

Other players under contract

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

No. Position Player
Italy DF Gian Marco Ferrari
Switzerland DF Jonathan Rossini
Italy MF Giovanni Sbrissa
No. Position Player
Italy FW Pietro Cianci

Primavera

The following Primavera player (player born 1998 or after) had also made a first team appearance during 2016–17 season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
31 Italy MF Simone Caputo
34 Italy MF Giacomo Cataldo
35 Italy MF Leonardo Maddidini [22]
97 Italy FW Giacomo Zecca [23]
 

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player
Italy DF Leonardo Fontanesi (on loan to Gubbio until 30 June 2018)

Managers

References

  1. ↑ "Mapei Stadium, c’è l’ok. La capienza sale a 24mila  – Sport – Gazzetta di Reggio". 11 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Storia". sassuolocalcio.it. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Giovanardi, Rossi, Sassuolo nel pallone. Storia del calcio sassolese dalla Z alla... A, Edizioni Artestampa.
  4. ↑ "Non solo Sassuolo, quando la "provincia" arriva in Serie A". Sky Italia. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Sassuolo e Salernitana in serie B, promozione storica per gli emiliani" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  6. ↑ http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/300466
  7. ↑ http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/299347/report
  8. ↑ http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/299246/report
  9. ↑ http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/303022/report
  10. ↑ "Sassuolo 2–1 Bologna: Neroverdi leapfrog Rossublu after home win".
  11. ↑ http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/299284/report
  12. ↑ http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/299291/report
  13. ↑ "Milan rocked by Sassuolo". Sky Sports News. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  14. ↑ http://www.legaseriea.it/it/serie-a-tim/match-report/2015-16/UNICO/UNI/1/SASNAP
  15. ↑ http://www.legaseriea.it/it/serie-a-tim/match-report/2015-16/UNICO/UNI/10/SASJUV
  16. ↑ http://www.legaseriea.it/it/serie-a-tim/match-report/2015-16/UNICO/UNI/19/INTSAS
  17. ↑ "Sassuolo in the Europa League". Football Italia. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Sassuolo make it to Europa League group stage". Gazzetta World. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  19. ↑ Sito ufficiale US Sassuolo Calcio – La Società
  20. ↑ http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Squadre/Sassuolo/notizie/24-06-2013/sassulo-trofeo-tim-juve-milan-20647501610.shtml
  21. ↑ "Palermo-Sassuolo 0-1" (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  22. ↑ "Trofeo TIM 2016: neroverdi secondi, vince il Celta Vigo" (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  23. ↑ "SASSUOLO-STELLA ROSSA: sono 21 i convocati neroverdi" (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
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