You may know that your Houston Dynamo is facing off against CSD Municipal in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, right? Honestly now: what else do you know about Municipal? If you answered "nothing", then here are a few quick facts about Los Rojos, one of the most storied and respected clubs in Central America, not to mention Guatemala's winningest team.
Complete Name: Club Social y Deportivo Municipal
Date Founded: May 17, 1936
Home Stadium: Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City (Cap. 30,000)
Biggest Rival: Comunicaciones, winner of 21 league titles
Titles won:
• League Titles: 25 (most ever by any team in Guatemala's History)
1942, 1947, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1963-64, 1965-66, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1987, 1988, 1989-90, 1991-92, 1993-94, Apertura 2000, Clausura 2000, Clausura 2001, Clausura 2002, Apertura 2003, Apertura 2004, Apertura 2005, Clausura 2005, Apertura 2006, Clausura 2006.
• Domestic Cup titles: 8
1960, 1967, 1969, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2004
• CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1
1974
• Torneo Fraternidad/UNCAF Club Championship: 4
1974, 1977, 2001, 2004
Team Roster
1 GK Ronald Zavala
4 DF Pablo Villatoro
3 MF Pablo Melgar Torino
5 MF Fredy Thompson
6 DF Henry Medina
7 DF Claudio Albizuris
8 MF Gonzalo Romero
9 FW Mario Acevedo
10 MF Fredy García
11 MF Guillermo Ramírez
12 GK Paulo César Motta
14 DF Selvyn Ponciano
15 FW Juan Carlos Plata
17 DF German Ruano
19 FW Marvin Ávila
20 FW Carlos Asprilla
21 MF Carlos Figueroa
22 GK Rony Alvarez
23 DF Renato Blanco
24 MF Sergio Guevara
25 FW Mario Rodríguez
26 FW Marwin Marroquín
29 GK Jaime Penedo
Brief History: The club was founded in May 17, 1936 by workers of the Ayuntamiento (city hall) of the Guatemala City municipality, hence the name Municipal, earning promotion to the maximum division (then called Liga Capitalina) in 1938. They finished in second place in their debut season. They have since remained in the top division, the longest streak of any Guatemalan team.
The team won its first national league title in the 1942-43 tournament, the first official national league championship. At the end of the 1950s, as Comunicaciones emerged as one of the top contenders for the league title - winning it three years in a row -, Municipal went 8 years without a championship, but then won three of them in the 1963-64, 1965-66, and 1969-70 seasons.
During the 1970s, the team found international success, winning the Copa Fraternidad in 1974, and the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in that same year, becoming the only Guatemalan club to win the tournament in the country's history. During the 1980s, the club was almost relegated to the Guatemalan second division in 1981, only to return to its glory days in 1987, winning its first title in 11 years. This would also be the club's first of five titles in the next five years.
In 2000, after the league's competition format was changed to the double Apertura and Clausura tournaments, Municipal won another title after Comunicaciones had set a record by winning the previous four; Municipal surpassed that record in 2006, winning the 2006 Apertura tournament, their fifth consecutive title, under coach Enzo Trossero. They have won 10 of the 15 titles in dispute since the current tournament's format was introduced.
For more information, visit the club's official website, www.rojos.com.
