History
Club Sport Cartaginés was founded on July 1, 1906, by Willie Pirie, a Canadian immigrant, together with a group of Costa Ricans of British descent and some England immigrants that lived in Cartago. Since there were few football teams at the time in the country, games were repeatedly held against teams in Cartago such as Combate and Monte Libano. The team's original uniform colors were red and blue. Club Sport Cartaginés' first official match was seen as a local social event as the municipal Philharmonic played prior to the game. In 1914, Club Sport Cartaginés got into the Costa Rican football scene with a new name: ''The Americano''. The name Americano lasted until 1921 when Costa Rica's Primera División started its national championship. At that time, Americano reverted to its original name of Club Sport Cartaginés and changed their uniform and colors to vertical white and blue stripes, a scheme that still prevails today. The 1923 National Championship Final saw Club Sport Cartaginés face La Libertad, a match that Cartaginés won by a score of two to one giving the club its first of three national titles. After the seasons many of Cartaginés' players left the team to play in Europe and in teams based in San José. Due to the mass exodus of players from the team Club Sport Cartaginés disbanded in 1925. By 1934 the popularity of football in Cartago reemerged as a tournament of local Cartago teams participated. After the tournament it was decided to form Club Sport Cartaginés once again with the best players that participated in the tournament and to emerge as a third division team winning the third division title in 1935. In 1936 the team managed to be victorious in the Second Division, winning all of its games and being crowned the champions, thus earning them a spot in the top flight. In their returning season to the First Division, Club Sport Cartaginés once again made it to the Final, and once again facing La Libertad, defeating them by a score of 1-0 and achieving the status of national champions in Costa Rica's national stadium in San Jose. By 1940 Cartaginés only had three players left from its 1936 championship season, but they still managed to make it to the final against heavily favorites Herediano. At half time the score was in favor of the latter as they led 3–1, but Cartaginés fought back in the second half, scoring three goals and beating Herediano by a score of 4–3. The 1940 Cartaginés team was the last one to win any national league championship for Cartago for the next 81 years, something which a local myth states to be the result of a curse set that year on the team by a priest at the highly revered temple Basílica de Los Ángeles, when the players celebrated their victory by storming the Basilica riding on top of their horses, which was considered sacrilegious. Another myth credits the lack of titles to the curse of "El Muñeco", a strange voodoo-like doll that was supposedly buried under Cartaginés' turf at their stadium in order to prevent them from winning further titles and bringing bad luck to the club. In the years following the 1940 Championship, the club discovered their currently considered greatest player, José Rafael "Fello" Meza Ivancovich. Within a few years, Jose Rafael became known as "El Maestro", the teacher. He was named so because his new tricks and ways of playing, innovative at the time. The influence of "Fello" Meza was so deep, that the club's current stadium is named in his honor. Also, in 2009 he was included in UNAFUT's (governing body of Costa Rican football clubs) official list of Costa Rica's 100 best players of the 20th century. In 1966 Cartaginés was the first Costa Rican club to travel to the United States playing againstStadium
The stadium Jose Rafael "Fello" Meza is located in Barrio Asis in Cartago, it has a capacity of 13,500 and is the fourth of the highest capacity stadiums in Costa Rica.Honours
Domestic
* Primera División de Costa Rica **Winners (4): 1923, 1936, 1940, 2022 Clausura * Costa Rican Cup **Winners (5): 1963, 1984,International
* CONCACAF Champions' Cup **Winners (1):Current squad
''As of 16 January 2025.''Out on loan
Retired numbers
11 – Leonel Hernández, Winger (1957–77)Player records
Honorable mention to Bernald Mullins Campbell, who almost entered the historic list of Club Sport Cartaginés'goal scorersHistorical list of coaches
* Giovanny Alfaro * Rodolfo Arias * Ivan Mráz * José Rafael Meza Ivancovich (1950s) * Carlos Farres (1965) * Alfredo ''"Chato''" Piedra (1965–74) * Marvin Rodríguez (1968–70) * Armando Mareque (1973), (1975) * Luis Borghini (1973), (1975) * Walter Elizondo (1977), (1979) * Álvaro Grant MacDonald (1982) * Juan José Gámez (1982–86) * Gustavo de Simone (1987) * ''Chelato Uclés'' (1990–91) * Flavio Ortega (1994) * Rolando Villalobos (1995–96) * Juan José Gámez (1996–97) * Miguel Calvo (1997–99) * José Matera (1999–00) * Juan Luis Hernández (2000), (2004–05) * Josef Pešice (Jan 1, 2001 – June 30, 2001) * Michal Bílek (July 1, 2001–02) * Carlos de Toro (2002–03) * Alexandre Guimarães (2003) * Marvin Rodríguez (2004) * Carlos Linaris (2004–05) * Rónald Mora (2005–06) * Luis Manuel Blanco (2006 – June 30, 2006), (Jan 1, 2008 – Feb 26, 2008) * Juan Luis Hernández (Feb 26, 2008 – June 30, 2010) * Johnny Chávez (July 1, 2010 – Aug 28, 2012) * Odir Jaques (Aug 28, 2012 – Nov 1, 2012) * Rolando Villalobos ''(interim)'' (Nov 2, 2012 – Dec 31, 2012) * Javier Delgado (Jan 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014) * Claudio Ciccia (April 1, 2014 – June 30, 2014) * Mauricio Wright (July 1, 2014 – December 22, 2014) * Enrique Meza jr. (Dec 23, 2014 – March 12, 2015) * Claudio Ciccia (March 13, 2015–August 2015)References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cartagines Football clubs in Costa Rica Association football clubs established in 1906 1906 establishments in Costa Rica C