A.D. São Caetano facts for kids
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| Full name | Associação Desportiva São Caetano | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Azulão (Ultramarine grosbeak) | ||
| Founded | 4 December 1989 | ||
| Ground | Anacleto Campanella | ||
| Capacity | 16,744 | ||
| President | Manoel Sabino | ||
| Head coach | Axel | ||
| League | Campeonato Paulista Série A3 | ||
| 2023 | Paulista Série A2, 15th of 16 (relegated) | ||
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São Caetano Futebol Clube, often called São Caetano, is a Brazilian football club. It was founded on December 4, 1989, in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo. The team plays in the Campeonato Paulista Série A3, which is the third level of the São Paulo state football league.
Even though they are a younger club, São Caetano became famous for their amazing performance in the early 2000s. They won the Campeonato Paulista in 2004. They are also well-known for reaching the final of the Copa Libertadores in 2002, which is a huge South American tournament.
History
São Caetano started in 1989 and quickly became successful. They won the Third and Second Divisions of São Paulo's regional tournaments. In 1998, they finished second in the Serie C, which helped them move up to Serie B.
In 2000, the Brazilian national championship, called the Copa João Havelange, was played in a special way. São Caetano was in the Second Division. After all divisions finished, a special tournament brought together teams from all levels. São Caetano, as the runner-up of the Second Division, qualified for the finals.
They beat strong teams like Fluminense, Palmeiras, and Grêmio. This led them to the final against Vasco da Gama. The first match was a draw. During the second match, a fence broke at Estádio São Januário, and the game was stopped. Even though São Caetano argued they should be champions, Vasco asked for a third match. Vasco won this match 3-1. Finishing as runner-up helped São Caetano qualify for the 2001 Copa Libertadores.
São Caetano continued to play well in 2001. They played a full season in the top division and reached the finals against Atlético Paranaense. They finished as runner-up again. These strong performances made them well-known across Brazil. In the 2001 Copa Libertadores, they reached the round of 16 but were knocked out by Palmeiras after a penalty shootout.
The team had an excellent journey in the 2002 Copa Libertadores. They won their group with four wins and two losses. In the round of 16, they beat U. Católica on penalties. Then, they faced Peñarol, a team that had won the Libertadores five times, and São Caetano beat them on penalties too. In the semi-finals, they defeated Club América 3-1 over two games, reaching the final against Club Olimpia, a two-time champion.
On July 24, São Caetano won the first game in Asuncion 1-0. However, in the second game at Pacaembu Stadium, Olimpia won 2-1, leading to a penalty shootout. Olimpia won the shootout 4-2, meaning São Caetano finished as runner-up for the third time in a row. Even though they didn't win, their journey to the final was seen as an amazing story. In the 2002 Serie A, São Caetano also did well, finishing second in the regular season. The next season, they finished fourth in the league, which qualified them for the 2004 Copa Libertadores. They had another good run in the 2004 Libertadores, beating Club America again in the round of 16. They were then narrowly beaten by Boca Juniors, who went on to win the tournament. In the same year, São Caetano won the Campeonato Paulista, beating Paulista from Jundiaí.
On October 27, 2004, a sad event happened during a match against São Paulo. A São Caetano player, Serginho, had a heart attack and passed away. This was a very difficult time for the club, and it led to some challenges for the team.
After this, the club's performance declined. In 2006, they were relegated to the Serie B. They stayed there until 2013, when they were relegated again to Serie C. In the same year, they were also relegated in the São Paulo state championship. In 2014, they struggled in the state championship and barely avoided another relegation. They were then relegated from the national Serie C and played in the Serie D in 2015.
After not doing well in Serie D, the club mostly played in the state leagues. However, after finishing 7th in the 2018 Campeonato Paulista, they qualified for the 2019 Serie D.
Stadium
São Caetano's home stadium is Estádio Anacleto Campanella, which was built in 1955. It can hold 22,738 people. For some big matches, like those in the Copa Libertadores, the club used Pacaembu Stadium. This was because their own stadium did not meet the requirements for those tournaments.
Colors and Nickname
The team is called Azulão, which means "Big Blue". This nickname comes from the color of their shirts.
Rivalry
São Caetano's biggest rival is Santo André.
Honours
Continental
- Copa Libertadores
- Runners-up (1): 2002
National
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
- Runners-up (2): 2000, 2001
- Copa João Havelange Group Yellow
- Runners-up (1): 2000
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série C
- Runners-up (1): 1998
State
- Campeonato Paulista
- Winners (1): 2004
- Runners-up (1): 2007
- Copa Paulista
- Winners (1): 2019
- Campeonato Paulista Série A2
- Winners (3): 2000, 2017, 2020
- Campeonato Paulista Série A3
- Winners (2): 1991, 1998
See also
In Spanish: Associação Desportiva São Caetano para niños
