Luis Tejada
Encyclopedia
Luis "Matador" Tejada is a Panama
nian professional association football striker. He currently plays for Juan Aurich
of the Peruvian Primera División and the Panamanian national team
.
in the local league, where he managed to make a good impression and quickly moved to Colombia to play with Colombian side Deportes Tolima
. Later on he was transferred to first division team Envigado Fútbol Club
in 2004, and after a splendid participation in the Gold Cup
, he sets off to the United Arab Emirates
.
In 2005, he signed a 3-year contract to send him to Al Ain FC
of the United Arab Emirates. However, he did not yield the same results he obtained in the Gold Cup, reason why shortly after finished the AFC Champions League
, and he returned to Panama.
Returning to Panama, he participated in the championship of Clausura of ANAPROF, with the Plaza Amador, one of the best teams of the local football league. But he only participated in a few matches. His conditioning was not optimal, and he acquired the nickname of "el gordito (fatty)". Growing into better form, he moved on to Colombia, where he played a short spell with ex Copa Libertadores champions Once Caldas
, from which he was fired for disciplinary problems. He then returned to Panama to play for Plaza Amador
.
Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer
announced the signing of Tejada on December 12, 2006, for the 2007 season. He played only two minutes in five games, however, before he was released by head coach Jason Kreis
. He returned to Panamanian side Tauro F.C.
, but did not play very much since he was shortly signed by Colombia
n side América de Cali
. He scored 4 goals during his short stay in Panama.
Matador scored only 3 goals in the Torneo Finalizacion 2007, however he became a key player for América in the next tournament. Tejada played 19 games in the Torneo Iniciacion 2008
where he scored 12 goals, becoming América de Cali's top-scorer and the second in the tournament. Tejada reached the final where America lost to Boyacá Chicó. He was nicknamed by the Colombian press as America's golden tooth (el diente de oro del America) because of his golden tooth. After the tournament, there was numerous interest for Tejada, includidng Argentine side River Plate
, however nothing was concrete. Unfortunately for the Matador América could not pay his salary and price so he was sold to Bogotá
's side Millonarios
where he debuted on August 16, 2008 in the Embajadores victory over Deportes Quindío
in a World Cup 2006 qualifying match that gave Panama a 1:1 tie against the CONCACAF
giants. This goal was voted the best goal of the year by Fox Sports.
Tejada led Panama to the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
final, where they finished as runners-up to the United States
. He scored three goals to end up as joint top scorer, but unfortunately, he missed his penalty kick in the penalty shoot-out against the United States in the final. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his efforts.
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian professional association football striker. He currently plays for Juan Aurich
Juan Aurich
Juan Aurich is a Peruvian football club located in Chiclayo, Peru. They play their home games at the Estadio Elías Aguirre and currently play in Peru's First Division.-History:...
of the Peruvian Primera División and the Panamanian national team
Panama national football team
The Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
.
Club career
Tejada's debut in professional soccer was with Tauro F.C.Tauro F.C.
Tauro Fútbol Club is a professional football club located in Panama City, Panama that plays in Liga Panameña de Fútbol, the top Panamanian football league. Tauro has won seven Liga Profesional de Fútbol Championships since 1988, the highest total of any team. The club has also finished second seven...
in the local league, where he managed to make a good impression and quickly moved to Colombia to play with Colombian side Deportes Tolima
Deportes Tolima
Deportes Tolima, is a Colombian football club based in the city of Ibagué. The club was founded December 18, 1954 and play their home games at the Manuel Murillo Toro stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000.-Foundation:...
. Later on he was transferred to first division team Envigado Fútbol Club
Envigado Fútbol Club
Envigado Fútbol Club is a Colombian football club based in the metropolitan Medellín of Envigado. The club was founded October 14, 1989 and plays its home games at the Estadio Polideportivo Sur stadium, which has a capacity of approximately 12,000 seats....
in 2004, and after a splendid participation in the Gold Cup
Gold Cup
Gold Cup may refer to:In art and archaeology:* Royal Gold Cup, 14th century French cup in the British Museum* Rillaton Gold Cup, late Neolithic, from Rillaton Barrow in England* Ringlemere Cup, Bronze Age from EnglandIn horse racing:...
, he sets off to the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
In 2005, he signed a 3-year contract to send him to Al Ain FC
Al Ain FC
Al-Ain Sports and Cultural Club is a professional association football and mult-sports club based in the city of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. The football section of Al Ain won the 2003 AFC Champions League competition with a 2-1 aggregate victory over BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand.Al Ain...
of the United Arab Emirates. However, he did not yield the same results he obtained in the Gold Cup, reason why shortly after finished the AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
, and he returned to Panama.
Returning to Panama, he participated in the championship of Clausura of ANAPROF, with the Plaza Amador, one of the best teams of the local football league. But he only participated in a few matches. His conditioning was not optimal, and he acquired the nickname of "el gordito (fatty)". Growing into better form, he moved on to Colombia, where he played a short spell with ex Copa Libertadores champions Once Caldas
Once Caldas
Corporación Deportiva Once Caldas is a Colombian association football team, based in Manizales. They were the surprise winners of Copa Libertadores de América in 2004, mainly due to the performances of Juan Carlos Henao and Jhon Viáfara...
, from which he was fired for disciplinary problems. He then returned to Panama to play for Plaza Amador
Plaza Amador
Plaza Amador is a Panamanian soccer club, that currently plays in Liga Panameña de Fútbol. It is one of the oldest teams in Panama.- History :...
.
Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
announced the signing of Tejada on December 12, 2006, for the 2007 season. He played only two minutes in five games, however, before he was released by head coach Jason Kreis
Jason Kreis
Jason Clarence Kreis is an American soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer....
. He returned to Panamanian side Tauro F.C.
Tauro F.C.
Tauro Fútbol Club is a professional football club located in Panama City, Panama that plays in Liga Panameña de Fútbol, the top Panamanian football league. Tauro has won seven Liga Profesional de Fútbol Championships since 1988, the highest total of any team. The club has also finished second seven...
, but did not play very much since he was shortly signed by Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n side América de Cali
América de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
. He scored 4 goals during his short stay in Panama.
Matador scored only 3 goals in the Torneo Finalizacion 2007, however he became a key player for América in the next tournament. Tejada played 19 games in the Torneo Iniciacion 2008
2008-I Copa Mustang
The 2008 Categoría Primera A season is the 61st season of Colombia's top-flight football league. The first division started on February 1. This season they have the newcomer from the second division Categoría Primera B, Envigado FC, and the relegated team of Real Cartagena.-Standings:- Schedule...
where he scored 12 goals, becoming América de Cali's top-scorer and the second in the tournament. Tejada reached the final where America lost to Boyacá Chicó. He was nicknamed by the Colombian press as America's golden tooth (el diente de oro del America) because of his golden tooth. After the tournament, there was numerous interest for Tejada, includidng Argentine side River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
, however nothing was concrete. Unfortunately for the Matador América could not pay his salary and price so he was sold to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
's side Millonarios
Millonarios
Millonarios Fútbol Club is a Colombian football club based in Bogotá. As of 2011, Millonarios shares with rivals América de Cali the most Fútbol Profesional Colombiano championships, 13 in total, although Millonarios haven't won this tournament since 1988. They are also the third Colombian team to...
where he debuted on August 16, 2008 in the Embajadores victory over Deportes Quindío
Deportes Quindío
Deportes Quindío, is a Colombian football club based in the city of Armenia. The club was founded January 8, 1951 and play their home games at the Centenario de Armenia stadium, which has a capacity of approximately 29,000.-National Honours:...
International career
In March 2005, Tejada scored a great goal on an overhead kick against MexicoMexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in a World Cup 2006 qualifying match that gave Panama a 1:1 tie against the CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
giants. This goal was voted the best goal of the year by Fox Sports.
Tejada led Panama to the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...
final, where they finished as runners-up to the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. He scored three goals to end up as joint top scorer, but unfortunately, he missed his penalty kick in the penalty shoot-out against the United States in the final. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his efforts.
International goals
- Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. June 27, 2003 Estadio Rommel Fernández Estadio Rommel FernandezEstadio Rommel Fernández is a multi-purpose stadium located in Panama City, It is used for different sports, and mainly for the conduct of games football. It was inaugurated February 6 of 1970. It was designed to accommodate the XI Central American and Caribbean Games in 1970...
, Panama CityPanama CityPanama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, Panama1–0 2–0 Friendly 2. June 29, 2003 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–0 1–0 Friendly 3. April 28, 2004 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 3–0 4–1 Friendly 4. June 13, 2004 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 2–0 4–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qual. 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for North, Central America and the Caribbean. A total of 34 teams took part , competing for 3.5 places in the World Cup.The qualification process was divided in three stages...5. June 20, 2004 Vieux Fort Stadium, Vieux Fort Vieux Fort QuarterVieux Fort is located in the southern part of St. Lucia. It is the second-largest town on the island and is the home of St Lucia's international airport, Hewanorra International Airport....
, Saint LuciaSaint LuciaSaint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...1–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qual. 6. March 30, 2005 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–1 1–1 2006 FIFA World Cup qual. 7. July 5, 2005 Orange Bowl Miami Orange BowlThe Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
, Miami, United States1–0 1–0 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2005 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...8. July 9, 2005 Orange Bowl, Miami, United States 1–1 2–2 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup 9. 2–2 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup 10. September 3, 2005 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–3 1–3 2006 FIFA World Cup qual. 11. October 7, 2006 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–0 1–0 Friendly 12. November 19, 2006 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–0 1–2 Friendly 13. January 14, 2007 East Los Angeles College Stadium East Los Angeles CollegeEast Los Angeles College is a community college of the Los Angeles Community College District in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park. Fourteen communities comprise its primary service area...
, Monterey ParkMonterey Park, CaliforniaMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...
, United States1–0 1–1 Friendly 14. February 18, 2007 Estadio Cuscatlán Estadio CuscatlánMonumental Estadio Cuscatlán is a football stadium located in San Salvador, El Salvador. It is the largest stadium in Central America with a capacity of 45,000...
, San SalvadorSan SalvadorThe city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
, El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...1–0 1–1 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup 15. June 4, 2008 Lockhart Stadium Lockhart StadiumLockhart Stadium is a stadium located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It is currently used by Fort Lauderdale High School, Stranahan High School, Northeast High School and Dillard High School for home high school football games, and previously served as the home of the Florida Atlantic...
, Fort LauderdaleFort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, United States1–1 2–2 Friendly 16. June 15, 2008 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–0 1–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qual. 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)The CONCACAF qualification stage for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa consisted of 35 national teams competing for the three berths given automatically to CONCACAF by FIFA. The United States, Mexico and Honduras qualified...17. March 31, 2009 Estadio Agustín Sánchez, La Chorrera, Panama La Chorrera, PanamaLa Chorrera is a city and municipality in southern Panama which is located about 30 km south-west of Panama City. It is the second largest city in the country, with about 180,000 inhabitants. La Chorrera is renowned for its international fair and famous as being the home of Bollo and...1–0 4–0 Friendly 18. June 7, 2009 National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, JamaicaKingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...2–2 2–3 Friendly 19. July 12, 2009 University of Phoenix Stadium University of Phoenix StadiumUniversity of Phoenix Stadium, opened August 1, 2006, is a multipurpose football stadium located in Glendale, Arizona. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and the annual Fiesta Bowl...
, GlendaleGlendale, ArizonaGlendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
, United States3–0 4–0 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2009 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested from 3 July to 26 July 2009 in the United States. This competition was the fourth tournament...20. 4–0 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup 21. August 11, 2010 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 2–1 3–1 Friendly 22. September 3, 2010 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–1 2–2 Friendly 23. 2–1 Friendly 24. September 7, 2010 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 2–0 3–0 Friendly 25. November 17, 2010 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–0 2–0 Friendly 26. June 7, 2011 Ford Field Ford FieldFord Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
, Detroit, United States2–0 3–2 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2011 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...27. June 14, 2011 Livestrong Sporting Park Livestrong Sporting ParkLivestrong Sporting Park is a soccer-specific stadium in Kansas City, Kansas and is the home of Sporting Kansas City. The stadium opened during the 2011 season of Major League Soccer on June 9, 2011 with a match against the Chicago Fire. The stadium has a seating capacity of 18,467 seats, which can...
, Kansas CityKansas City, KansasKansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, United States1–1 1–1 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup 28. June 19, 2011 RFK Stadium, Washington Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States1–1 1–1 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup 29. August 10, 2011 Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera Estadio Ramón Tahuichi AguileraEstadio Ramón "Tahuichi" Aguilera is a multi-purpose stadium in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It is used mostly for football matches, on club level by Club Blooming, Oriente Petrolero, and Club Destroyers. The stadium has a capacity of 38,000 people and was built in 1939...
, Santa CruzSanta Cruz de la SierraSanta Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
, BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...1–1 3–1 Friendly 30. 2–1 Friendly 31. September 6, 2011 Estadio Nacional de Fútbol, Managua ManaguaManagua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...1–0 2–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)The CONCACAF qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil.As in recent tournaments, CONCACAF will have three direct qualifiers for the finals tournament in addition to a further possible place via the inter-confederation play-offs against the...32. October 7, 2011 Windsor Park Windsor Park (Dominica)Windsor Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Roseau, Dominica. It also serves as the national stadium and is currently used mostly for cricket matches...
, RoseauRoseau-Architecture:The central district of Roseau is tightly packed with small and large houses and even larger modern concrete structures. There is little green or open space situated within the city, and this is even more so today, as many of the courtyards which was once commonplace within the city...
, DominicaDominicaDominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...2–0 5–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 33. October 11, 2011 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 1–0 5–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 34. 4–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification