La Paz Fútbol Club, also known as La Paz F.C., was a professional

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team from La Paz, that played in the La Paz Regional League. Formerly known as Atlético González, the team gained promotion to the

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga ...

in 2003 and competed in first division until relegation in 2013.

History

La Paz F.C. is the "Cinderella" sensation of Bolivian football. In Actuality it is the third most important professional football/soccer team in the city of

La Paz, Bolivia La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bol ...

behind The Strongest and

Club Bolívar Club Bolívar () is a Bolivian professional football club that currently plays in the Bolivian Primera División. Founded in 1925 in honor of Venezuelan military leader Simón Bolívar, it is the most successful and popular club in the history ...

, both of which have much longer histories, more numerous followings, and larger payrolls than La Paz F.C. The team's motto is 'Plus Altus', meaning "something higher" a reference both to the team's aspirations as well as to the team's

high altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

home. (The City of La Paz is located at an elevation of 3,600 meters above sea level and is the highest capital in the world.) The team colors are blue, red and white. Blue symbolizes the perennial cobalt skies over the City of La Paz and the loyalty of its fans; red symbolizes the passion and love of football; and white symbolizes the snow cap of Mt.

Illimani Illimani (Aymara) is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real (part of the Cordillera Oriental, a subrange of the Andes) of western Bolivia. It lies near the cities of El Alto and La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano. It is the sec ...

(the symbol of the City of La Paz) and the purity of

Our Lady of Peace Our Lady of Peace, Mother of Peace, Queen of Peace or Our Lady Queen of Peace is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. She is represented in art holding a dove and an olive branch, symbols of peace. Her official memoria ...

, patroness of the team. The uniform design is similar to that of Barcelona F.C. (Spain). La Paz F.C. plays its home matches at

Estadio Hernando Siles Estadio Hernando Siles is a multi-purpose stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the country's largest stadium, with a capacity of 41,143 seats. It is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the 31st President of Bolivia (1926–1930). The stadium is locat ...

. The founder, owner and president of La Paz F.C. is Mauricio González . The original name of the team is in honor of Mr. González's late father Ing. Walter González (see external link below to " Premio Academico Ing. Walter González"), a past president of the Bolivian Society of

Engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the ...

. Mauricio González has had a lifelong involvement and is a charismatic promoter of Bolivian football/soccer, including youth and women's programs. Moreover, he is an articulate advocate for the proposition that Bolivia has the right—based on history, medical science, and fairness—to play international matches in its

cities of La Paz, Potosi and

Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by pop ...

. He is a leading member of an ''ad hoc'' committee of prominent Bolivians formed to design a strategy to campaign against the FIFA altitude ban.

Manager

The current manager (''"Director Técnico"'') of La Paz F.C. is Felix Berdeja. He was also the first manager of the team, having returned "home" to La Paz F.C. at the beginning of the 2009 Apertura season.

Players

La Paz F.C. fields mostly Bolivian players; however, it has also benefited from the services of Argentine, Brazilian, Colombian, Peruvian, and American players. In addition, several La Paz F.C. players have played in Europe and China. The team captain for the past several years has been Romulo Alaca, a veteran who has been with the team since its days in the lower divisions. La Paz F.C. players that have been "capped" for the Bolivia national team include Ronald Gutierrez, Augusto Andaveris, Helmuth Gutierrez, and Didí Torrico.

Achievements

National and regional honours

* First Division – Professional Era: 0 ::Runners-up (2): 2007-C, 2008-A * Second Division, Copa Simón Bolivar: 1 ::2003 * AFLP Primera "A": 5 ::1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003 (First 3 as Atletico Gonzalez) * AFLP Primera "B": 1 ::1993 (as Atletico Gonzalez) * AFLP Primera "A" Aficionados: 1 ::1992 (as Atletico Gonzalez)

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

* Copa Libertadores: 1 appearance ::Best: Preliminary Round in 2008 (lost to FC Atlas, 2–1) ::2008 – Preliminary Round * Copa Sudamericana: 1 appearance ::Best: First Stage in 2009 ::2009 – First Stage * Recopa Sudamericana: 0 appearances :: :

External links

*League Standings

*Team Website: https://web.archive.org/web/20050125131922/http://lapazfutbolclub.com/ *Numerous articles regarding Mr. Gonzalez's advocacy in defense of Bolivian high-altitude football/socce

{{Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano Football clubs in Bolivia Football clubs in La Paz Association football clubs established in 1989 1989 establishments in Bolivia Association football clubs disestablished in 2013 2013 disestablishments in Bolivia Defunct football clubs in Bolivia