Club Social y Deportivo Municipal, also known as Municipal or ''Los Rojos'' (the Reds), is a Guatemalan football club based in

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...

. They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football, and play their home matches at the Estadio El Trébol. As of 2015, they are the team that has remained the most years at the top level in Guatemala, having done so since the inception of the national league in 1942. They have won the domestic league 31 times; most recently winning the 2019 ''Apertura'' tournament. They won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1974. Municipal is the most winner and popular football club in Guatemala and are traditional arch-rivals of

Comunicaciones Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, are a football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. The most popular and successful footba ...

, who is also based in Guatemala City.

History

The club was founded on May 17, 1936 by workers of the ''

Ayuntamiento ''Ayuntamiento'' ()In other languages of Spain: * ca, ajuntament (). * gl, concello (). * eu, udaletxea (). is the general term for the town council, or ''cabildo'', of a municipality or, sometimes, as is often the case in Spain and Latin Amer ...

'' ( city hall) of the Guatemala City

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, hence the name ''Municipal''. They were first promoted to the top division, (then called '' Liga Capitalina)'' in 1938. They finished in second place in their debut season, and have since remained in the top division.

Early domestic success (1940s–1960s)

The team won its first

national league The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

title in the 1942–43 tournament, the first ever official national league championship in Guatemala. They won three of the following six tournaments, the other three being won by

Tipografía Nacional Tipografía Nacional is a football club based in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It was one of the most traditional teams in the country in the 20th Century, and it remains the fourth-most successful club in the history of Guatemalan football in term ...

, whom which they had their first known rivalry. Municipal were coached by Manuel Felipe Carrera, one of the original founders of the club, and whose name was later given to the stadium where the team currently practices. During the 1940s and early 1950s, Municipal's most iconic player was the forward Carlos "Pepino" Toledo, who wore the red shirt throughout his career. He helped the club win their first four league titles, the last of them coming at the 1954–55 tournament (also the year Toledo retired). His career total of 129 goals remains the fourth-highest in club history. He was also one of Guatemala's first national stars and was chosen for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. Later, he became Municipal's coach. 2346 BanderaCuba412

In 1948, Municipal won its first international honors at a friendly tournament held in Havana, Cuba to commemorate the

Cuban Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). The final three months ...

. That squad featured Toledo,

Mario Camposeco Mario Salvador Camposeco López (6 August 1921 – 17 June 1951) Source: was a Guatemalan footballer. Born in Quetzaltenango, he started his football career in 1938 playing for the local team ''América''. He then joined club Xelajú becoming ...

, and goalkeeper José Pedro "Tarzán" Segura. The end of the 1950s were a darker time for Municipal. Toledo had retired and

had dethroned them at the top of the league, winning it three years in a row. Municipal struggled through an eight-year title drought. They managed to break that drought with three championships in the 1960s (1963–64, 1965–66, and 1969–70), but Comunicaciones remained Guatemala's dominant team, winning seven titles in fourteen years from 1956-72. The Comunicaciones-Municipal match emerged as a high-profile local derby, the biggest in the country. Another rivalry developed with a third Guatemala City club,

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, which also won three titles during this time.

1970s: First international success

In 1973, Uruguayan coach Rubén Amorín arrived at Municipal. He managed a group of players that included defender Alberto López Oliva,

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Benjamín Monterroso Benjamín Eduardo ("''Mincho''") Monterroso Díaz (born January 1, 1952) is a Guatemalan football coach and former midfielder who spent the majority of his playing career at the local club Municipal, and is also a former player and current man ...

and José Emilio "Pepe" Mitrovich, and forward Julio César Anderson. Anderson would become the club's highest ever goalscorer, and help lead the team to its era of greatest glory. Municipal won league championships in both 1973 and 1974 (their first-ever repeat titles). In 1974, the same year that they were marching to a dominant repeat championship, they also became the first Guatemalan club to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The ''Rojos'' then went on to play the ''

Copa Interamericana The Copa Interamericana ( en, Interamerican Cup) was an annual club football competition contested between a representative from North America (CONCACAF) and South America (CONMEBOL). Established in 1969, it was discontinued in 1998 after CONCACA ...

'' against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

's "red team", Independiente. The first leg was played in Guatemala on November 24, 1974, and Independiente won, 1-0. However, Municipal surprised the continent by winning 1-0 in Argentina two days later. The hero was Argentine-born José Emilio "Pepe" Mitrovich in the second half. With both teams equal in points and goal difference, the match went to extra time. No further goals were scored, and the match went into penalty kicks. Misses by Julio César "Morocho" Anderson and Benjamín "Mincho" Monterroso allowed Independiente to prevail, 4-2, but Municipal had earned continental respect.

1980s: Almost relegated

Municipal's glory years continued with another league title in 1976, but their results began to fade. They finished 8th in 1979-80, and in 1981 they fell even further to 11th, forcing them into a relegation mini-league. Ironically, their safety was secured when old rivals

were relegated instead. In 1982, the club came even closer to oblivion, finishing 9th in the regular season. That result put them back in the relegation mini-league, and this time they escaped only on

goal differential Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...

. Over the next several years, Municipal put some distance between themselves and the bottom of the table, but they would not seriously challenge for another title until 1987.

1980s and 1990s: Return to the top

1987 was the year that Argentine coach

Miguel Ángel Brindisi Miguel Ángel Brindisi de Marco (born 8 October 1950) is an Argentine football coach and former player. An attacking midfielder, he played for the Argentina national team at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Playing career Born in the Almagro neig ...

arrived in Guatemala City. A former midfield star who had won two Argentine titles and played a stint in Spain, he came to Municipal with just one previous year of managerial experience. His two years in Guatemala saw brilliant success. In 1987, they beat Aurora 4-2 on penalties to win a championship playoff and claim the Guatemalan title for the first time since 1976. A year later, they repeated as champs for the first time since the early 1970s. Brindisi moved on to a new job managing Barcelona SC in Ecuador, but successor Walter Ormeño kept the momentum going by guiding the team to a third straight crown. In 1990-91, Municipal came within one match of a fourth straight title, but bowed 1-0 to Comunicaciones in the championship final. They avenged that defeat in 1991-92, beating Comunicaciones 2-1 in a championship playoff replay. That made it four titles in five years. The team reached the finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in December 1993, narrowly losing out to Costa Rican champions Saprissa. They did manage to claim some silverware from the season, winning the Guatemalan championship for the fifth time in seven seasons.

2000s: A Decade of Success

In 2000, after the league's competition format was changed to two yearly tournaments on the Apertura and Clausura fashion, Municipal won the title again after Comunicaciones had set a record by winning the previous four; Municipal surpassed that record in 2006 when they won the 2006 ''Apertura'' tournament, their fifth consecutive title, under coach Enzo Trossero. They also added third and fourth Central American titles by winning the

Copa Interclubes UNCAF The UNCAF Club Tournament was an annual international football competition held in the UNCAF region (Central America). The competition was open to the leading domestic club teams in the region. The winners of each national league qualified automa ...

in 2001 and 2004.

Colours and crest

Initially, the team's uniform colors consisted of a red-and-black striped shirt and black shorts. – ''Note: Unable to retrieve direct link. Click on "Historia" on the main menu to access.'' The colours soon changed to the current red shirt and blue shorts for home matches, and all blue for away matches, although other colors have been used for away matches. The club's logo is based in the emblem of the '' Municipalidad de Guatemala'', which is itself based in the original

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the city of ''

Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala ("St. James of the Knights of Guatemala") was the name given to the capital city of the Spanish colonial Captaincy General of Guatemala in Central America. History ;Quauhtemallan — Guatemala :The name was ...

'', with the image of Apostle Santiago ( Saint James) over the stylized scenery of the region. The team's version includes an image of the type of ball used at the time the club was founded, next to a blue and red striped canton in between the former two elements. The circular

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

is surrounded by the name of the team on a red background.

Stadium

Throughout the years, Municipal has used the

Estadio Mateo Flores The Estadio Nacional Doroteo Guamuch Flores is a multi-use national stadium in Guatemala City, the largest venue in Guatemala. It was built in 1948, to host the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1950, and was renamed after long-distance ru ...

as their home ground, sharing it with

since the 1950s until 1991, and again starting in 2005. Other stadiums hosted Municipal in the beginning, namely the ''Estadio Autonomía''. The Estadio La Pedrera has been used when the Mateo Flores has not been available and houses a soup kitchen in the basement. The

Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera A stadium (plural, : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to ...

, also known as "Estadio El Trébol", has been the training venue for the team, and it has been occasionally used for official matches by the club; Municipal had an undefeated streak of 33 official matches in this ground from July 9, 1991 until March 7, 2008, when they lost to Deportivo Petapa 1–0 for the 2008 Clausura tournament.

Supporters

Municipal is believed to have the largest fan base of all Guatemalan clubs, and that their popularity have earned them nicknames like ''El mimado de la afición'' (Fans' pampered team) and ''El equipo del pueblo'' (People's team).

Statistics and records

Municipal has set a record in Guatemalan football by being the club that has spent the most consecutive seasons in the maximum division, having remained there uninterruptedly since 1938.

Juan Carlos Plata Juan Carlos Plata (born 1 January 1971) is a Guatemalan soccer coach and retired football striker. He is the highest-scoring player in the history of Guatemala's top division. As of January 2010, Plata has, except for Marc Lloyd-Williams, bee ...

is the team's all-time top goalscorer in league matches and overall. As of the end of 2010, Plata has scored 299 league goals and 403 overall goals with Municipal, the only club he has played for.

Honours

Domestic

League * Liga Nacional de Guatemala and predecessors ** Champions (31): 1942–43, 1947, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1987, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1993–94, Clausura 2000, Apertura 2000, Apertura 2001, Clausura 2002, Apertura 2003, Apertura 2004, Clausura 2005, Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006, Apertura 2006, Clausura 2008, Apertura 2009, Clausura 2010, Apertura 2011, Clausura 2017, Apertura 2019 Cup *

Copa de Guatemala The Copa de Guatemala is the top knock-out club football competition in Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north a ...

and predecessors ** Champions (8): 1960, 1967, 1969, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003, 2003–04 * Campeón de Campeones (Super Cup) and predecessors ** Champions (5): 1952, 1967, 1977, 1994, 1996

Continental

* CONCACAF Champions' Cup ** Champions (1): 1974 *

UNCAF Interclub Cup The UNCAF Club Tournament was an annual international football competition held in the UNCAF region (Central America). The competition was open to the leading domestic club teams in the region. The winners of each national league qualified automat ...

** Champions (4): 1974,

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

, 2001, 2004 *

** Runners-up (1): 1974

Players

Current squad

Retired numbers

15 –

, forward (1990–2010)

Out on loan

Notable players

Players with at least two years of service for the club are listed here. FormerPlayer years, except for Carlos Toledo's and Juan Manuel Funes', are taken from http://www.angelfire.com/ms/rojosoasis/page5.html
*

(1984–1985) * Martín Crossa (2009–2010) * José Emilio Mitrovich ''(MF)'', (1970's) * Josimar Arias (2012) *

Rónald Gómez Rónald Gómez Gómez (born 24 January 1975 in Puntarenas) is a retired Costa Rican football forward and manager. He is the current manager for Liga Nacional club Santa Lucía. An important player on the Costa Rica national football team ...

(1998–1999) *

Eliseo Quintanilla Eliseo Antonio Quintanilla Ortíz (born 5 February 1983) is a former Salvadoran professional footballer. Club career Nicknamed ''Cheyo'', Quintanilla started his professional career at Salvadorian giants FAS, making his professional debut in ...

'' (FW)'' (2011–2012) *

José Luis Rugamas José Luis Rugamas Portillo (born 5 June 1953 in San Salvador) is a Salvadoran football manager and former professional player. He was interim manager of the El Salvador national team. As a player, he represented his country at the 1982 F ...

(1984–1986) * José Pedro "Tarzan" Segura ''(GK)'' (1946–1950) * Mario Acevedo ''(FW)'', (2001–2009) * Julio César Anderson ''(FW)'', (1969–1984) * Carlos Figueroa ''(MF)'', (2001–2003), (2004–2007), (2009–2010) *

Guillermo Ramirez Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'. People *Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Spanish football manager and former player *Guillermo Ar� ...

''(FW/MF)'', (1997–2000), (2003–2008), (2010–2011) *

Juan Manuel Funes Juan Manuel Funes Fernández (born May 16, 1966), popularly known as ''Memín'' Funes is a Guatemalan football coach and former midfielder who played professionally for the three most successful clubs in Guatemala – Aurora F.C., Municipa ...

''(MF)'', (1986–1997) *

Freddy García Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...

''(MF)'', (2003–2004), (2004–2009) * Óscar Isaula (2011–2012) * Alberto López Oliva ''(DF)'', (1963–1978) *

''(DF / MF)'', (1970–1979) *

''(FW)'', (1989–2010) *

Selvyn Ponciano Selvyn Estuardo Ponciano Chitay (born 18 July 1973) is a retired Guatemalan football defender and the General Manager of his former club CSD Municipal since 2010. Club career The versatile Ponciano has played in all defensive positions as we ...

''(DF)'', (1994–2009) *

Julio Rodas Julio Alberto Rodas Hurtarte (born 9 December 1966) is a retired Guatemalan professional football striker. Club career At the club level, Rodas started his professional career playing for Municipal. He then had a one-season stint in El Sa ...

''(FW)'', (1988–1994) *

Sergio Guevara Sergio Augusto Guevara González (born 7 July 1973) is a Guatemalan football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for Primera División club Mixco. Club career Nicknamed ''el Chejo'', Guevera has played for Aurora before joini ...

''(MF)'', (2003–2011) *

German Ruano German Giovanni Ruano González (born 17 October 1971), popularly known as ''El Chino'', is a former Guatemalan football defender who played the majority of his career for Municipal in the Guatemalan top division, and was also a member of th ...

''(DF)'', (1993–2009) * Carlos Ruiz ''(FW)'', (1997–2001), (2014–2016) * Carlos Toledo ''(FW)'', (1938–1955) * Pablo Hutt ''(MF)'', (2011) * Juan Manuel Romo ''(GK)'', (1983–90) * Kassius Ettienne ''(MF)'', (2010–2012) *

Jaime Penedo Jaime Manuel Penedo Cano (born 26 September 1981) is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for various teams such as: Osasuna B, CSD Municipal, LA Galaxy, Deportivo Saprissa and Dinamo București, among others ...

''(GK)'', (2007–2013) * Edgar Aguilera (2001–2002) *

Richart Báez Richart Martín Báez Fernández (born 31 July 1973) is a Paraguayan former footballer who played as a striker. Career Baez can be considered one of the most notable strikers in Olimpia's history. In 2002, he helped Olimpia conquer the Copa L ...

(2003–04) *

Julio César Cortés Julio César "''El Pocho''" Cortés Lagos (born 29 March 1941) is an Uruguayan football coach and former midfielder who participated in three World Cups with the Uruguay national team. At the club level, Cortés was most successful during t ...

''(MF)'', (1973–1974) * Carlos Nicola (2003–2005) *

Gonzalo Romero Gonzalo Antonio Romero Paz (born 25 March 1975) is a retired Guatemalan football midfielder who last played for local club Deportivo Marquense in the Guatemala's top division. Club career Romero joined Guatemalan top side CSD Municipal in 2 ...

(1997–98), (2000–2011) * Guillermo Lobos ''(DF)'', (1942–1955) * Claudio Albizuris ''(MF)'', (2000–10), (2011–2017) *

Jaime Alas Jaime Enrique Alas Morales (born 30 July 1989) is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga Nacional club Municipal and the El Salvador national team. Club career Alas' professional career began in July 2006, ...

''(MF)'', (2016-) *

Marco Pappa Marco Pablo Pappa Ponce (born 15 November 1987) is a Guatemalan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga Nacional club Achuapa. Club career Born in Guatemala City, Pappa, who plays as a winger, joined his local side, Munic ...

''(MF)'', (2006–2008), (2017–2018) *

Felipe Baloy Felipe Abdiel Baloy Ramírez (born 24 February 1981) is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He scored Panama’s first ever goal in a FIFA World Cup, against England at the 2018 edition. Early life He was the ...

''(DF)'', (2017-2018) *

Blas Perez Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) is a specification that prescribes a set of low-level routines for performing common linear algebra operations such as vector addition, scalar multiplication, dot products, linear combinations, and matrix ...

''(FW)'', (2017-2018) * Paulo Motta ''(GK)'', (2004–2008), (2014–2018) * Nicholas Hagen ''(GK)'', (2015–2020)

Managerial history

Champion coaches

* Sebastián Bini (Apertura 2019)

List of coaches

* Jaime Borja (1957) * Ferenc Mészáros (1967–1968) *

Rolando Torino Segundo Rolando Torino Flores (10 July 1929 – 24 October 2018), known as Rolando Torino, was a Chilean football manager and player. Early years Born in Caleta Río Seco, Iquique, Torino belonged to a well-known sports family from that city ...

(1986) * Gustavo Faral (1996) * Horacio Cordero (2000–2001) *

Ever Hugo Almeida Ever Hugo Almeida Almada (born 1 July 1948) is a Paraguayan football manager and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He is the current manager of Ecuadorian club El Nacional. Almeida was born in Salto, Uruguay, but became a naturalized ...

(2001–2004) * Enzo Trossero (2004–2006) * Victor Hugo Monzon (Jul 2007-Oct 2007) *

Jorge José Benítez Jorge José Benítez (born 3 June 1950 in Gobernador Castro, Buenos Aires Province) is an Argentine former football player and coach. Nicknamed ''El Chino'' ("The Chinese"), Benítez started his career in Racing Club in 1969; in 1973 he was tra ...

(Oct 2007–Apr 2008) * Horacio Cordero (Apr 2008-Dec 2008) * Carlos Ruiz (Jan 2009-Nov 2009) * Jorge Habbegger (Nov 2009-Mar2010) * Manuel Keosseian (Apr 2010-Jun 2010) * Guilherme Farinha (2010) * Javier Delgado (May 2011–Oct 2012) * Ramón Maradiaga (Oct 2012–Feb 2013) *

Fernando Díaz Fernando Díaz (''floruit'' 1071–1106) was a Spanish nobleman and military leader in the Kingdom of León, the most powerful Asturian magnate of the period. He held the highest rank in the kingdom, that of count (Latin ''comes''), from at least ...

(Feb 2013–Dec 2013) *

Aníbal Ruiz Aníbal Ruiz Leites (30 December 1942 – 10 March 2017) was a Uruguayan association football coach. Death On March 10, 2017, while serving as assistant manager to lead manager José Cardozo at Puebla, Ruiz collapsed on the pitch of the Luis ...

(Dec 2013–Sept 2014) * Manuel Keosseián (Oct 2014–Dec 2014) * Enzo Trossero (Jan 2015–May 2015) *

Mauricio Wright Wílber Mauricio Wright Reynolds (born 20 December 1970 in San José, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was a key member of the Costa Rica national team for over ten years. Club career Wri ...

(Jul 2015–Nov 2015) * Gustavo Machain (Nov 2015–Oct 2017) *

(Oct 2017–Dec 2017) * Hernán Medford (Jan 2018–Sep 2018) * Horacio Cordero (Sep 2018-Sep 2019) * Sebastián Bini (Sep 2019-May 2021) *

José Cardozo José Saturnino Cardozo Otazú (; born 19 March 1971) is a Paraguayan football manager and former professional footballer. He played as a striker and spent 10 years of his career playing for Toluca and is the club's all-time top goalscorer. H ...

(May 2021-May 2022) * Juan Antonio Torres (Jun 2022-Oct 2022) *

(Oct 2022- )

References and notes

External links

Official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Municipal Football clubs in Guatemala Football clubs in Guatemala City Association football clubs established in 1936 1936 establishments in Guatemala Works association football teams M M