Club Deportivo Cuenca
Encyclopedia
Club Deportivo Cuenca is a Ecuador
ian football club based in Cuenca
. They currently play in the Serie A, the top-flight football league in the country, and is one of two clubs from Cuenca to have played in the top-flight (the other being LDU Cuenca
).
Historically an undistinguished club in Ecuador, they have had a recent string of success in the Serie A. They are one of two clubs outside of Quito
& Guayaquil
to have a national championship, which they won in 2004. Since then, they have been a near consistent top club in the country, including numerous Copa Libertadores participations.
Deportivo Cuenca was founded on March 4, 1971 and is the second oldest club in the city after Tecni Club. Their home stadium is Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar
, which was named after former club president and mayor of Cuenca. Because of the limited number of clubs from the Province of Azuay
that have played in the Serie A, Deportivo Cuenca has no major local rivals.
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ian football club based in Cuenca
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca is the capital of the Azuay Province. It is located in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2500 m above sea level...
. They currently play in the Serie A, the top-flight football league in the country, and is one of two clubs from Cuenca to have played in the top-flight (the other being LDU Cuenca
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Cuenca
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Cuenca is a football club based in Cuenca, Ecuador....
).
Historically an undistinguished club in Ecuador, they have had a recent string of success in the Serie A. They are one of two clubs outside of Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
& Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
to have a national championship, which they won in 2004. Since then, they have been a near consistent top club in the country, including numerous Copa Libertadores participations.
Deportivo Cuenca was founded on March 4, 1971 and is the second oldest club in the city after Tecni Club. Their home stadium is Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar
Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar
Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar is a multi-purpose stadium in Cuenca, Ecuador. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Club Deportivo Cuenca and Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Cuenca. The stadium holds 22,000 spectators and opened in 1945....
, which was named after former club president and mayor of Cuenca. Because of the limited number of clubs from the Province of Azuay
Azuay Province
Azuay is a province of Ecuador, created 25 June 1824. It encompasses an area of . Its capital is Cuenca. It is located in the south center of Ecuador in the highlands. Its mountains reach above sea level in the national park of El Cajas....
that have played in the Serie A, Deportivo Cuenca has no major local rivals.
Foundation
In 1970 desire was born to form a professional soccer team in the city of Cuenca. This desire was shaped through Dr Alejandro Serrano Aguilar (mayor of the city then) and the gentlemen Polivio Vázquez and Alfredo Pena. The citizen's endorsement was immediate before the initiative headed by the mayor, therefore the Commission of Sports was satisfied to the gentlemen Gilbert Sotomayor, Ricardo Ordo'ñez and Bolivar Lupercio, whose first management was to obtain the acceptance of the Ecuadorian Federation of Soccer so that the professional team of the city could participate in the professional level. By means of the session celebrated in February 1971 in the "Salón de la Ciudad" of the Very Illustrious Municipality of Cuenca, the project became a reality, and it was then that Deportivo Cuenca was born. A month later, the Association of Soccer funded the Asociación de Fútbol no Amateur del Azuay (AFA) (Association of Soccer non Amateur of Azuay). As club the first decisions were taken: the uniform would be red and yellow with a t-shirt to vertical rays, the first Technical Director was Carlos Alberto Raffo, the first contracted foreign soccer players were Rodolfo Piazza, the Paraguayan Luis Martinez who achieved the first team's goal, and Gerald Laterza. In its start the team was known as the "Franela Roja" (Red Bandana).Historical performance
Originally, and throughout most of its existence, the team was never a contender to the title, and never received much attention internationally, such as in the prestigious Copa Libertadores. Deportivo Cuenca had a brief successful period during the 1970s, becoming runner-up twice in 1975 & 1976. The favorable finishes allowed them to participate the next years Copa Libertadotes. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the club was in-and-out of the second tier Serie B. They returned to the Serie A in 2003, and in 2004, they became the second club outside of Quito or Guayaquil to win the national championship. Since then, they have finished in the top three in three of four seasons, allowing them to participate in five of the past six Copa Libertadores.Current squad
Honors
National- Serie A (1): 2004
- Serie B (2): 1972 E2, 1995