Associação Portuguesa de Desportos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Portuguesa

Full name	Associação Portuguesa de Desportos
Nickname(s)	Lusa Rubro-Verde (The Red & Green)
Founded	14 August 1920; 104 years ago (1920-08-14)
Stadium	Canindé
Ground Capacity	22,004
President	Antônio Carlos Castanheira
Head coach	Alan Dotti
League	Campeonato Paulista
2023	Paulista, 14th of 16
Home colors Away colors Third colors

Palmeiras and Portuguesa playing in 2008 at the Estádio do Pacaembu

Associação Portuguesa de Desportos, often called Portuguesa or Lusa, is a professional football club from São Paulo, Brazil. The club plays in the Campeonato Paulista, which is the top football league in the São Paulo state. It was started on August 14, 1920, by people from the Portuguese community living in the city.

History

How the Club Started

On August 14, 1920, five football clubs from São Paulo that represented the Portuguese community decided to join together. These clubs were Lusíadas Futebol Club, Portugal Marinhense, Associação Cinco de Outubro, Associação Atlética Marquês de Pombal, and Esporte Club Lusitano. They met and formed a new club called Associação Portuguesa de Esportes. They chose the colors green and red, which are the colors of Portugal. Later in 1920, the club merged with Mackenzie College and was briefly known as Mackenzie-Portuguesa.

The 1940s and 1950s

In 1940, the club changed its name to Associação Portuguesa de Desportos, which is its name today. In 1956, Portuguesa bought a large piece of land from São Paulo FC. This land was used to build the Canindé stadium, which became the club's home. They also built their main offices and social club there.

Recent Years

Winning the 2011 Série B

In 2011, Portuguesa played in the São Paulo State Championship and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. They were eliminated early from the state championship and the Brazilian Cup.

However, on October 22, 2011, Portuguesa won a game against Americana. This win meant they would be promoted to the top national league, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, for the 2012 season. On November 8, they drew a game against Sport Recife and won the 2011 Série B title. This was the club's first national championship!

The team had a great season, winning 23 games and losing only three. Their coach, Jorginho, made the team play an exciting, fast-paced style. They scored 82 goals, which led fans to call them "Barcelusa," like the famous FC Barcelona team. Portuguesa finished the 2011 season with a 2-0 win, staying undefeated for 21 games in a row.

2012: Tough Times and a Famous Goalkeeper

In 2012, the "Barcelusa" team struggled in the Campeonato Paulista after some key players left. They were moved down to a lower state league, Campeonato Paulista Série A2. Because of this, coach Jorginho was replaced by Geninho.

The team did well in the Copa do Brasil but lost in the Round of 16. For the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Portuguesa signed Dida, a famous goalkeeper who had won the UEFA Champions League twice. Dida played his first game for Lusa against São Paulo and helped them win 1-0. He also made amazing saves in a 0-0 draw against Neymar's Santos.

Later, Portuguesa got striker Bruno Mineiro. He scored many goals, becoming one of the top scorers in the league. The team played tough games against big clubs like Palmeiras, Coritiba, Fluminense, São Paulo, Santos, and Atlético Mineiro. Bruno Mineiro even scored three goals in a 5-1 win against Sport Club do Recife, becoming the league's top scorer for a while.

2013: Promotion and a Setback

In December 2012, Péricles Chamusca became the new coach, but he was fired in April 2013. Just nine days later, Portuguesa won promotion back to the top state league, Campeonato Paulista Série A1.

Even though Portuguesa finished the national championship just outside the relegation spots, they faced a big problem. The sports court punished them for using a player who was suspended. This meant the team lost four points. Because of this, Portuguesa ended up in a relegation spot and was moved down to Campeonato Brasileiro Série B.

2014: More Challenges

In 2014, Portuguesa had a difficult start in the 2014 Campeonato Paulista. They struggled in their first five games, and their coach Guto Ferreira resigned. The club also faced more issues, including being punished by the sports court for leaving a game early.

Portuguesa was moved down to Série C on October 28, which was the first time in the club's history they had been in that league.

2015–2016: Lower Leagues

Portuguesa started the 2015 Paulistão with a win. However, in March, the club was moved down to Série A2 again.

In the Série C that year, Portuguesa did well enough to reach the final rounds, but they missed out on promotion back to Série B. The next year, they barely avoided being moved down in Série A2.

At the end of the 2016 season, Portuguesa was moved down again, this time to Série D, the fourth national division.

2017–2024: Copa Paulista Title and Comeback

From 2017 to 2019, Portuguesa struggled in the lower leagues and even had a few years without being in any national division. They had several different coaches during this time.

In 2020, under coach Fernando Marchiori, the club won the Copa Paulista for the first time ever! They only lost one match in the whole competition. This win meant Portuguesa would return to a national tournament after three years.

In 2021, Portuguesa led their group in the 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série D but lost in a penalty shootout. On April 9, 2022, under coach Sérgio Soares, Lusa earned promotion back to the Campeonato Paulista (the top state league) after seven years!

In 2023, the club narrowly avoided being moved down from the Campeonato Paulista. In 2024, Portuguesa reached the quarterfinals of the Paulistão for the first time in 13 years, but they were knocked out by Santos.

2025–: New Plans for the Future

On November 7, 2024, a group of investors offered to buy 80% of the club's new project, called Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF). This plan includes investing a lot of money to pay off the club's debts and build a new stadium where the Estádio do Canindé currently stands. The club's council approved this exciting offer a week later.

Honours

National Titles

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
  • Runners-up (1): 1996
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
  • Winners (1): 2011

Inter-state Titles

• Torneio Rio – São Paulo
  • Winners (2): 1952, 1955

State Titles

• Campeonato Paulista
  • Winners (3): 1935, 1936, 1973
  • Runners-up (4): 1940, 1960, 1975, 1985
• Copa Paulista
  • Winners (1): 2020
• Campeonato Paulista Série A2
  • Winners (3): 2007, 2013, 2022
• Taça Cidade de São Paulo
  • Winners (1): 1973
• Taça Governador do Estado de São Paulo
  • Winners (1): 1976
• Taça Piratininga
  • Winners (1): 1964
• Torneio Início
  • Winners (3): 1935, 1947, 1996

Friendly Tournaments

• Torneio Madeira Autonomia
  • Winners (1): 1988

Youth Team Titles

• Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior
  • Winners (2): 1991, 2002

Women's Football Titles

• Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino
  • Winners (1): 1999-2000
• Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Feminino
  • Winners (2): 1998, 2000

Rivals

Portuguesa has played many important matches against other big clubs like Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo, and Juventus.

Stadium

A view of Estádio do Canindé, Portuguesa's home stadium

Portuguesa's home stadium is the Estádio do Canindé. It was built in 1956 and can hold up to 27,500 fans. However, due to modern safety rules, its current capacity is 25,470 people.

Logo History

Portuguesa's logo used from 2005 to 2015

The club's very first logo was a Portuguese shield, chosen to honor Portugal when the club was founded on August 14, 1920.

In 1923, a new logo was introduced. It featured a Cross of Avis with a red outline. The Cross of Avis is a symbol of Portugal's independence.

In 2005, the club's logo was updated with a more modern design and a golden border. However, in 2015, Portuguesa decided to go back to the older logo design that was used between 1923 and 2005.

Team Colors

Portuguesa's first uniform, introduced on September 20, 1920, was an all-red shirt, white shorts, and red socks with two green lines. The goalkeeper wore an all-white uniform.

On March 26, 1923, the club's uniform changed to shirts with red and green vertical stripes. Later, the team's kit changed again to red and green horizontal stripes. The away uniform became an all-white shirt with red shorts and red socks.

Mascots

Portuguesa's first mascot was a Portuguese girl named Severa. She was named after a famous fado singer from the 1930s.

In 1994, Portuguesa changed its mascot to a lion wearing the club's home uniform. The lion is a common mascot for many football clubs in Brazil.

Anthems

Portuguesa has two club anthems. The first one is called Hino Rubro-verde (which means Red and Green Anthem in Portuguese). The second and current anthem is called Campeões (meaning Champions in Portuguese).

Managers

See Also

In Spanish: Associação Portuguesa de Desportos para niños

• List of Associação Portuguesa de Desportos statistics