Torpedo Riga
Encyclopedia
Torpedo Rīga was a football
club that played in Riga
. The club played in the Latvian league with good success from 1979 to 2000 when it merged with Policijas FK
.
drivers. As the Latvian league was amateur then (at least - partially), all Torpedo footballers in addition to playing football also had to perform duties as taxi drivers (but, of course, to a lesser extent than regular taxi drivers). As taxi driving was then considered a relatively easy job with rather good pay and the club also paid some bonuses, it attracted several former professionals with experience playing with Daugava Rīga and Zvejnieks Liepāja, for example, Grigorijs Kuzņecovs
.
For a couple of decades the club had been playing in lower Latvian football divisions (before Torpedo its name was FK RTP - Riga Taxi Park). In 1963 it even played in the Latvian Cup final, but a place in the top league it earned only after the 1978 season.
In its debut season in the Latvian league in 1979 Torpedo won 13 out of 26 matches and finished a respectable 4th from 14 teams. Several next seasons were significantly less successful, but the mid 1980s brought breakthrough for Torpedo coached by Arkādijs Perkins. The first sign of it came in 1982 as Torpedo reached the Latvian Cup final. Still it came rather unexpected when Torpedo won the Latvian league in 1984. In 1986 the club won another league title, with players like Jurijs Andrejevs
and Einārs Gņedojs on the squad. In 1987 Torpedo won the Latvian league for the third and final time, however it remained one of the top squads in Latvia
before the country regained independence. In 1989 it won the Latvian Cup by beating Celtnieks Rīga
in the final.
The first season in the independent Virslīga
wasn't good for Torpedo which had financial difficulties and had to settle for the 8th place from 12 clubs. After the 1992 season the club changed its name to Vidus Rīga (and lost its connection with taxi driving).
and Sergejs Ivanovs, however without a strong budget the club wasn't able reach significant results. After the 1994 season a new sponsor came to the club bringing it a new name - Amstrig.
. The squad included Andrejs Piedels
, Vladimirs Draguns, Vits Rimkus
, Rihards Butkus and Gints Gilis. Stil the most important newcomer for Amstrig in 1995 proved to be Mihails Miholaps
from Russia
who with 11 goals was the clubs best goalscorer. However as the results for the club didn't correspond to its ambitions, Gusarenko had to leave and another former Daugava veteran Jurijs Popkovs
took over coaching. The 1995 season ended with a 5th place finish for Amstrig, but during the following season as the Amstrig company no longer could support the club, it changed its name again, this time to Daugava Rīga.
as it finished 2nd behind Skonto FC
. That was mostly the result of Mihails Miholaps
scoring 33 goals during the season. This result gave Daugava a chance to play in the UEFA Cup
.
In 1997 it was unlikely that Daugava could repeat the previous year achievements, as the club ran into serious financial difficulties which were partly solved by selling the clubs best player Miholaps to Skonto FC
. The most notable newcomer for the club was veteran Igors Stepanovs (senior). Yet Daugava stroke again as Popkovs brought it to second straight silver medals finish in Virslīga. In the UEFA Cup the results were less successful as Daugava was beaten in the first qualifying round by FC Vorskla Poltava
from Ukraine
.
Still the season ended on a very minor note - the club was on the verge of bankruptcy again, Popkovs left it for FHK Liepājas Metalurgs
, several important players also left including Andrejs Piedels
and Aleksandrs Stradiņš. The club was renamed to LU/Daugava Rīga and got a new head coach in the person of Igors Kļosovs.
but the clubs losses were much more significant and during the season its financial situation only worsened. So there was no wonder that its start in the UEFA cup was disastrous. In the Latvian league Daugava also wasn't anymore the force that it had been under Popkovs - only 6th place form 8 teams. After the season because of financial difficulties Daugava gave up its place in Virslīga and started the 1999 season in 1. liga
and nearly half of its players joined the newly founded FK Rīga
. Those included Igors Korabļovs
, Vsevolods Līdaks, Dzintars Sproģis
, Renārs Vucāns and Aleksejs Sarando
.
In 1999 LU/Daugava won the competition in the 1st league and earned a place in Virslīga for the 2000 season. However the club was financially very weak for Virslīga and it had few players who were known even in Latvia. Only veteran Boriss Monjaks
and Vsevolods Līdaks could be called as such. With only 2 wins in 28 matches Daugava finished last in Virslīga and after the season merged with another struggling club - Policijas FK
thus form PFK Daugava.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club that played in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. The club played in the Latvian league with good success from 1979 to 2000 when it merged with Policijas FK
Policijas FK
Policijas FK was a Latvian football club based in Riga that played in Virslīga from 1999 to 2002.-History:The football club of the Latvian police forces was founded in 1994. Until 1998 it played in the lower divisions of Latvian football as a completely amateur team. In 1998 Policijas FK for the...
.
As Torpedo Rīga
Torpedo Rīga was a football club which was supported by the union of Latvian taxicabTaxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
drivers. As the Latvian league was amateur then (at least - partially), all Torpedo footballers in addition to playing football also had to perform duties as taxi drivers (but, of course, to a lesser extent than regular taxi drivers). As taxi driving was then considered a relatively easy job with rather good pay and the club also paid some bonuses, it attracted several former professionals with experience playing with Daugava Rīga and Zvejnieks Liepāja, for example, Grigorijs Kuzņecovs
Grigorijs Kuznecovs
Grigorijs Kuzņecovs is a former Soviet-Latvian football midfielder who played with FK Daugava Rīga from 1967 to 1973.His first steps in football Kuzņecovs made in the Crimea where he was born - he started with Tavriya Simferopol, the moved to Volyn Lutsk but he made himself really known only when...
.
For a couple of decades the club had been playing in lower Latvian football divisions (before Torpedo its name was FK RTP - Riga Taxi Park). In 1963 it even played in the Latvian Cup final, but a place in the top league it earned only after the 1978 season.
In its debut season in the Latvian league in 1979 Torpedo won 13 out of 26 matches and finished a respectable 4th from 14 teams. Several next seasons were significantly less successful, but the mid 1980s brought breakthrough for Torpedo coached by Arkādijs Perkins. The first sign of it came in 1982 as Torpedo reached the Latvian Cup final. Still it came rather unexpected when Torpedo won the Latvian league in 1984. In 1986 the club won another league title, with players like Jurijs Andrejevs
Jurijs Andrejevs
Jurijs Andrejevs is a former footballer who is currently the sporting director of Liepājas Metalurgs.Previously he was the manager of the team but was released in 2008 after an unsuccessful season....
and Einārs Gņedojs on the squad. In 1987 Torpedo won the Latvian league for the third and final time, however it remained one of the top squads in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
before the country regained independence. In 1989 it won the Latvian Cup by beating Celtnieks Rīga
Celtnieks Riga
Celtnieks Rīga was a Latvian football club that won the Latvian Cup 3 times.-History:Celtnieks made its debut in the Latvian league in 1978. In the 1980s it was one of the strongest clubs in the Latvian league as it finished second in the league in four seasons and for three years in a row it won...
in the final.
The first season in the independent Virslīga
Virsliga
-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
wasn't good for Torpedo which had financial difficulties and had to settle for the 8th place from 12 clubs. After the 1992 season the club changed its name to Vidus Rīga (and lost its connection with taxi driving).
As Vidus Rīga
As Vidus Rīga the club played for two seasons, neither of which was especially successful. The club (still coached by Perkins) had several players including Artūrs ZakreševskisArturs Zakreševskis
Artūrs Zakreševskis is a former football defender from Latvia and is currently the assistant of Latvia U-15 team. He is currently a member of Latvia national beach soccer team too....
and Sergejs Ivanovs, however without a strong budget the club wasn't able reach significant results. After the 1994 season a new sponsor came to the club bringing it a new name - Amstrig.
As Amstrig Rīga
The new name brought several new players and a new manager - former Daugava Rīga player Georgijs GusarenkoGeorgijs Gusarenko
Georgijs Gusarenko is a Latvian football inspector and manager and former footballer.Gusarenko made his first steps in football in the sports school Daugava in Riga. In 1959 he played in the reserves squad of FC Dynamo Moscow. From 1960 to 1962 he played with Daugava Rīga in the Soviet Top League...
. The squad included Andrejs Piedels
Andrejs Piedels
Andrejs Piedels is a former Latvian football goalkeeper and the current assistant coach for Olimps/RFS in the Latvian Higher League....
, Vladimirs Draguns, Vits Rimkus
Vits Rimkus
Vīts Rimkus is a football striker from Latvia, currently playing for Finikas Ayias Marinas Chrisohus in Cypriot Fourth Division, after being released by FK Ekranas in Lithuania....
, Rihards Butkus and Gints Gilis. Stil the most important newcomer for Amstrig in 1995 proved to be Mihails Miholaps
Mihails Miholaps
Mihails Miholaps is a former football striker from Latvia. His last club was Olimps/RFS in the Latvian Virsliga. Currently he is the manager of the team....
from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
who with 11 goals was the clubs best goalscorer. However as the results for the club didn't correspond to its ambitions, Gusarenko had to leave and another former Daugava veteran Jurijs Popkovs
Jurijs Popkovs
Jurijs Popkovs is a Latvian football manager and a former footballer.-Playing career:Jurijs Popkovs was born in Kiev, Ukraine. His first professional club was Dynamo Minsk which he joined in 1980. In four years which he stayed with Dynamo he made only one appearance in the Soviet Top League...
took over coaching. The 1995 season ended with a 5th place finish for Amstrig, but during the following season as the Amstrig company no longer could support the club, it changed its name again, this time to Daugava Rīga.
As Daugava Rīga
In 1996 Daugava made a sensation in VirslīgaVirsliga
-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
as it finished 2nd behind Skonto FC
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
. That was mostly the result of Mihails Miholaps
Mihails Miholaps
Mihails Miholaps is a former football striker from Latvia. His last club was Olimps/RFS in the Latvian Virsliga. Currently he is the manager of the team....
scoring 33 goals during the season. This result gave Daugava a chance to play in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
In 1997 it was unlikely that Daugava could repeat the previous year achievements, as the club ran into serious financial difficulties which were partly solved by selling the clubs best player Miholaps to Skonto FC
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
. The most notable newcomer for the club was veteran Igors Stepanovs (senior). Yet Daugava stroke again as Popkovs brought it to second straight silver medals finish in Virslīga. In the UEFA Cup the results were less successful as Daugava was beaten in the first qualifying round by FC Vorskla Poltava
FC Vorskla Poltava
FC Vorskla Poltava ,is a professional football team which plays in the Ukrainian Premier League and represents the city of Poltava.- History :...
from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Still the season ended on a very minor note - the club was on the verge of bankruptcy again, Popkovs left it for FHK Liepājas Metalurgs
FHK Liepajas Metalurgs
FK Liepājas Metalurgs is a Latvian football club, based in the city of Liepāja and playing in the Virslīga. They play at the Daugava Stadium...
, several important players also left including Andrejs Piedels
Andrejs Piedels
Andrejs Piedels is a former Latvian football goalkeeper and the current assistant coach for Olimps/RFS in the Latvian Higher League....
and Aleksandrs Stradiņš. The club was renamed to LU/Daugava Rīga and got a new head coach in the person of Igors Kļosovs.
As LU/Daugava Rīga
In 1998 the only notable newcomer for Daugava was Dzintars SproģisDzintars Sprogis
Dzintars Sproģis is a former Latvian football defender. Sproģis was recognized as the best defender in the first season of Virslīga.-Playing biography:...
but the clubs losses were much more significant and during the season its financial situation only worsened. So there was no wonder that its start in the UEFA cup was disastrous. In the Latvian league Daugava also wasn't anymore the force that it had been under Popkovs - only 6th place form 8 teams. After the season because of financial difficulties Daugava gave up its place in Virslīga and started the 1999 season in 1. liga
1. Liga
1. Liga is the third-highest ice hockey league in Switzerland, behind Nationalliga A and Nationalliga B. Thirty-six teams compete in three divisions – East Switzerland, Central Switzerland and West Switzerland.-East Switzerland:*EHC Arosa*GDT Bellinzona...
and nearly half of its players joined the newly founded FK Rīga
FK Riga
FK Rīga was a Latvian football club based in Riga. They played in the Virslīga, the top division in Latvian football. They played their home games at Latvijas Universitates Stadions. In 1999, its first year of existence, the club won the Latvian Cup, beating Skonto at the final. The club also...
. Those included Igors Korabļovs
Igors Korablovs
Igors Korabļovs is a Latvian football defender who currently plays for FB Gulbene-2005.He has also played for clubs like Daugava, FK Ventspils and FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. He played his first match for Latvia national football team in 1998 and participated at Euro 2004.-External links:* *...
, Vsevolods Līdaks, Dzintars Sproģis
Dzintars Sprogis
Dzintars Sproģis is a former Latvian football defender. Sproģis was recognized as the best defender in the first season of Virslīga.-Playing biography:...
, Renārs Vucāns and Aleksejs Sarando
Aleksejs Sarando
Aleksejs Šarando is a former football midfielder from Latvia. He obtained a total number of 24 caps for the Latvia national team between 1993 and 1999, scoring two goals. His last club was FK Rīga, where he retired in 2001. Sarando also played as a professional in Russia, Finland and...
.
In 1999 LU/Daugava won the competition in the 1st league and earned a place in Virslīga for the 2000 season. However the club was financially very weak for Virslīga and it had few players who were known even in Latvia. Only veteran Boriss Monjaks
Boriss Monjaks
Boriss Monjaks is a former football defender from Latvia. He obtained a total number of 16 caps for the Latvia national team between 1992 and 2001, scoring no goal. His last club was Daugava Rīga, where he retired in 2002.-References:*...
and Vsevolods Līdaks could be called as such. With only 2 wins in 28 matches Daugava finished last in Virslīga and after the season merged with another struggling club - Policijas FK
Policijas FK
Policijas FK was a Latvian football club based in Riga that played in Virslīga from 1999 to 2002.-History:The football club of the Latvian police forces was founded in 1994. Until 1998 it played in the lower divisions of Latvian football as a completely amateur team. In 1998 Policijas FK for the...
thus form PFK Daugava.
Managers
- 19??-1994
Arkādijs Perkins - 1995 Georgijs GusarenkoGeorgijs GusarenkoGeorgijs Gusarenko is a Latvian football inspector and manager and former footballer.Gusarenko made his first steps in football in the sports school Daugava in Riga. In 1959 he played in the reserves squad of FC Dynamo Moscow. From 1960 to 1962 he played with Daugava Rīga in the Soviet Top League...
- 1996-1997 Jurijs PopkovsJurijs PopkovsJurijs Popkovs is a Latvian football manager and a former footballer.-Playing career:Jurijs Popkovs was born in Kiev, Ukraine. His first professional club was Dynamo Minsk which he joined in 1980. In four years which he stayed with Dynamo he made only one appearance in the Soviet Top League...
- 1998-2000 Igors Kļosovs
Achievements
- Latvian Cup: 1
-
- 1989
- Latvian League winners: 3
- 1984, 1986, 1987
- 1989
Notable former players
- Grigorijs KuzņecovsGrigorijs KuznecovsGrigorijs Kuzņecovs is a former Soviet-Latvian football midfielder who played with FK Daugava Rīga from 1967 to 1973.His first steps in football Kuzņecovs made in the Crimea where he was born - he started with Tavriya Simferopol, the moved to Volyn Lutsk but he made himself really known only when...
- Artūrs ZakreševskisArturs ZakreševskisArtūrs Zakreševskis is a former football defender from Latvia and is currently the assistant of Latvia U-15 team. He is currently a member of Latvia national beach soccer team too....
- Mihails MiholapsMihails MiholapsMihails Miholaps is a former football striker from Latvia. His last club was Olimps/RFS in the Latvian Virsliga. Currently he is the manager of the team....
- Vits RimkusVits RimkusVīts Rimkus is a football striker from Latvia, currently playing for Finikas Ayias Marinas Chrisohus in Cypriot Fourth Division, after being released by FK Ekranas in Lithuania....
- Andrejs PiedelsAndrejs PiedelsAndrejs Piedels is a former Latvian football goalkeeper and the current assistant coach for Olimps/RFS in the Latvian Higher League....