Montevideo Wanderers F.C.

Montevideo Wanderers

Full name	Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club
Nickname(s)	Bohemios
Founded	15 August 1902
Ground	Estadio Viera, Montevideo (Capacity: 11,000)
Chairman	Raúl Aguerrebere
Coach	Daniel Carreño
League	Primera División
2009–10	7th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers is a Uruguayan football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. As well as football, the club also has teams playing basketball, volleyball, athletics, futsal, pool and pelota.

History

Montevideo Wanderers was officially established in 1902 by a group of students and several young players of the Albion Football Club, led by the Sardeson brothers. The brothers had travelled from Montevideo to England to see their parents during the 1890s. At the time, Wolverhampton Wanderers won the FA Cup. The new club were named after the Wolves team, and because they had no home ground.

They joined the Primera División in 1903, winning it in 1906 and 1909. In 1908 they won the Copa de Honor and the Copa Cusenier. They won the Copa de Honor for a second time in 1910, before going on to win the Copa Cusenier again in 1912.

In 1923 the club also began entering a team in the league created by the breakaway Uruguayan Football Federation. They won the league in its first season. During this period they also won the Copa Río de la Plata in 1924, defeating Independiente de Avellaneda.

In the 1930s, club made several successful tours to Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile, and played against some European teams, like Chelsea. In 1931 the club won the last amateur Uruguayan league, whilst In 1937 they won the Torneo de Honor.

By the end of the 1940s the club was suffering from financial problems, and to avoid bankruptcy several of their best players - including Obdulio Varela and José María Medina - were sold. In 1961 they were relegated to the second tier. Although they returned to the Primera División, they were relegated again in 1966. In 1969 the club left Montevideo and moved to Las Piedras.

They returned to both the Primera División and Montevideo in 1974, qualifying for the Copa Libertadores in their first season back in the top division.

The club suffered further financial problems in the 1990s, and were relegated at the end of the 1998 season. They returned to the Primera División again in 2001.

Rivalries

Montevideo Wanderers has had a long standing rivalry with Defensor Sporting Club, and more recently with Club Atlético River Plate. In the early days of the amateur era, the direct rival was Rampla Juniors Fútbol Club. During their time in the second division, Wanderers's main rival was Club Atlético Fénix.

Stadium

The club had more than four home grounds during its first 30 years, including Liverpool's current stadium, Estadio Belvedere. Additionally, the club has suffered from several periods of homelessness, though none during the play-off season. Its current home stadium is Estadio Viera located in the Prado neighbourhood of Montevideo.

Team colours

The club originally wore brown shirts with a sky blue horizontal band, the former kit of Uruguay Athletic, where Sardeson brothers started playing football. These shirts were send as a gift by the board of that club. Between 1900 and 1902 the club played in blue and white stripes, white shorts and black socks. In 1902 Wanderers changed to their current black and white stripes as a homage to the Argentine club Estudiantes de Buenos Aires in recognition of their friendship. For some time, in the 1960s, Wanderers used white socks and shorts.

The first away shirts were white with a black horizontal stripe. After 1940 Wanderers used red or green shirts until 1980, when a black jersey with a white horizontal stripe appeared. In 1994, Wanderers used a white shirt with small black squares. In 1995, Wanderers changed their away kit, adopting a red and blue halves shirt in homage the Albion Football Club uniform. In 2000 they switched to black shirts with white sleeves, returning to red shirts in 2001.

1898-1900

1900-1902

1903-present

Current squad

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Martín Rodríguez 2 DF Cristian Esnal 3 DF Martín González 4 DF Jonathan Sandoval 5 MF Santiago Martínez 6 DF Federico Domínguez 7 FW Richard Mercado 8 MF Antonio Pacheco 9 FW Excequiel Vázquez 10 MF Maximiliano Rodríguez 11 FW Javier Cabrera 13 DF Maximiliano Olivera 14 MF Guzmán Pereira 15 MF Juan José Blanco

No. Position Player 16 DF Nicolás Rodríguez 17 MF Diogo 18 DF Marcelo Méndez 19 FW Santiago Lamanna 20 FW Sebastián Gagnebin 27 FW Martín Correa GK Rodrigo Odriozola DF Matías Quagliotti MF Adrián Colombino MF José Ortiz MF Mathias Mirabaje MF Juan Ramón Curbelo FW Wallisson

Honours

• Uruguayan Primera División
  • Winners 1906, 1909, 1923,^[1] 1931
• Segunda División Uruguay
  • Champions 1952, 1962, 1972, 2000
• Liguilla Pre-Libertadores de América
  • Champions 1987, 2001
• Copa Competencia
  • Winners 1906, 1908, 1911, 1917, 1918
• Copa de Honor
  • Winners 1908, 1910
• Torneo Competencia
  • Winners 1987, 1990
• Torneo de Honor
  • Winners 1937
• Copa Montevideo
  • Winners 1981
• Copa Cusenier
  • Winners 1908, 1912
• Cup Tie Competition
  • Winners 1911, 1917, 1918
• Copa Río de la Plata
  • Winners 1924

References

1. ^ From 1922 to 1925 the Uruguayan Football was divided in two organisations: Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), recognised by FIFA, and the dissident Uruguayan Football Federation (FUF), of which Wanderers was one of the founders and competed in the three tournaments organised by that federation in 1923, 1924 and 1925 (not finished). Those championships are not recognised by the AUF.)

External links

• Montevideo Wanderers Official Site
• Montevideo Wanderers Fans official Site
• Alfredo Víctor Viera Stadium