Atlético Morelia facts for kids
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| Full name | Club Atlético Morelia | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Los Canarios (The Canaries) | |||
| Founded | June 4, 1950 | |||
| Ground | Estadio Morelos Morelia, Michoacán |
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| Capacity | 35,000 | |||
| Owner |
List
José Luis Higuera, Alberto Gabriel Guzmán, Arturo Rojas Díaz, Camelia Lizbeth Callejas, Carlos Antonio Díaz, Carlos Eduardo Garza, Domingo Ruiz, Gabriel Villaseñor, Gerardo Salvador Bustos, Gibrán González, Gonzalo Espinosa, José Félix, Roberto Santillán, Juan Martín Rivera, Martín Padilla, Zaid Gutiérrez, Raymundo López, Saúl Cerda, Víctor Manuel Mora, Jesús Antonio Contreras, Antonio Abraham
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| Chairman | José Luis Higuera | |||
| Manager | Nacho Castro | |||
| League | Liga de Expansión MX | |||
| Apertura 2024 | 11th | |||
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Club Atlético Morelia is a Mexican football club. It is based in Morelia, Michoacán. The club was started on June 4, 1950. They play in the Liga de Expansión MX. This is the second-highest football league in Mexico. Their home games are played at the Estadio Morelos.
From 1981 to 2020, the club played in Liga MX. This is Mexico's top football league. They won the championship in the Invierno 2000 season. On June 2, 2020, the team moved to Mazatlan. They changed their name to Mazatlán F.C..
A few weeks later, on June 26, another team called Atlético Zacatepec moved to Morelia. They took on the name Atlético Morelia. This new team joined the Liga de Expansión MX. On June 11, 2024, Atlético Morelia bought the original club's brand and history. This means they are now seen as the same club that started in 1950.
Morelia has won the Liga de Expansión championship. They won it in the Clausura 2022 season. This was their second title in a second-division league.
History
How it Started
In 1950, the team "Oro Morelia" changed its name. It became Club Deportivo Morelia. Morelia was one of the first teams in the Segunda División. This was Mexico's second division.
After the 1956–1957 season, they finished second. They were then moved up to the Primera División. This was the top league. In 1968, Atlético Morelia went back down to the Segunda División.
Between 1968 and 1971, Nicandro Ortiz became the chairman. He bought the team and made it stronger. In July 1974, the club's name changed again. It became Club Atlético Morelia.
In the 1978–1979 season, Morelia aimed for promotion. Nicandro Ortiz became chairman in 1980. Under manager Diego Malta, Atlético Morelia won the Mexico Championship. They were promoted to the Primera División in 1981.
In 1986, before the World Cup in Mexico, Atlético Morelia played friendly games. They lost 2-1 against Germany. They also lost 4-1 against the USSR.
In 1996, a big TV company called TV Azteca bought the team. In 1999, the club started playing as Club Monarcas Morelia.
Winning the Championship
The team had played professional football for 70 years. But they had never won a first-division tournament. That changed in the winter of 2000. The club won the cup after beating Toluca. They won by penalty kicks. The team was crowned champions at Toluca's stadium.
The day after their win, a huge crowd welcomed the team. Some say 100,000 people cheered them on. The team paraded along Morelia's main street. They went to the stadium where fans celebrated. The team raised the cup, and fans were very proud. This was their first top-division trophy.
After missing the playoffs for three seasons, Morelia finished third. This was in the Apertura 2009 season. Morelia beat Santos Laguna in the first round. The score was 4–2 overall. Then, Cruz Azul defeated Morelia in the semi-finals. There was some debate about a play where a Cruz Azul player used his hand. Morelia lost 2–1 overall and was out.
Morelia got to play in the 2010 Copa Libertadores. This was because they finished third. It was their second time in the Copa Libertadores. The first time was in 2002. Morelia was the runner-up in the Clausura 2011 season. They lost a tough final against Pumas. Pumas won 3–2 overall.
In 2010, Morelia won the North American SuperLiga. They beat the New England Revolution 2–1 in the final. Miguel Sabah scored both goals for Morelia.
On November 5, 2013, Monarcas Morelia won their first Copa MX title. The game ended 3–3 and went to penalties. They won the penalty shootout. This win also let them play in the first Supercopa MX. They won that too, beating Tigres UANL 5–4 overall.
Tough Times and Moving
After 15 years, the 2014–15 season was difficult. Monarcas was one of the last teams in the relegation table. This table shows which teams might be moved down to a lower league. So, Enrique Meza became the coach for the Apertura 2015 season. He had helped Morelia before in 1995–96.
But the team did not get much better. Meza left in 2016. Roberto Hernandez took over as a temporary manager. During his time, Peruvian player Raul Ruidiaz joined the team. Ruidiaz was very important for the club. He scored 20 goals in the 2016–17 Liga MX season. He was the top scorer in both parts of the season.
In the next season, Morelia was in danger of being relegated. This was on the last day of the Apertura season. They were in last place in the relegation table. They needed to win against Monterrey to stay up. The score was 1-1 in extra time. Raul Ruidiaz scored a vital goal. This moved them out of the relegation zone. Another team, Jaguares de Chiapas, was relegated instead. Ruidiaz's goal also helped them qualify for the playoffs.
On May 23, 2020, news came out that the club would move. It would go from Morelia to Mazatlán, Sinaloa. The new name would be Mazatlán F.C.. The club's owner, Grupo Salinas, reportedly asked for a lot of money from the government. They wanted money to keep the team in Morelia. Many fans and former players were unhappy about the move. Over 7,000 fans protested in Morelia. This was even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 2, 2020, the club and Liga MX announced the move. This was just two days before the club's 70th birthday.
Atlético Morelia is Reborn
On June 26, 2020, the head of Liga MX announced something new. Atlético Zacatepec would move to Morelia. This was because of money problems. The next day, at Estadio Morelos, it was announced. The club would be called Club Atlético Morelia. This was the club's name for over 25 years. The old owners, Grupo Salinas, had changed it in 1999.
The new owners bought the rights to the club's name and logo. These were owned by Grupo Salinas. The new ownership group includes José Luis Higuera. He used to be the president of Guadalajara. It also includes business people from Michoacán.
Badges
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First badge (1950–1972)
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Second badge (1981–1984)
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Third badge (1985–1999)
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Fourth badge (1999–2020)
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Fifth badge (2020–present)
- Names Changes
- Oro Morelia (1924–1950): This was the club's name when it started. It was used before they became a professional team.
- Club Deportivo Morelia (1950–1972): This was the official name after they joined the Segunda División.
- Club Atlético Morelia (1972–1999): They took this name after coming back from a break in 1971.
- Club Monarcas Morelia (1999–2020): This name was used after TV Azteca bought the team.
- Club Atlético Morelia (2020–present): This is the name they use now. They took it after buying the Zacatepec team.
Kit
The club's colors are yellow and red. These colors come from the flag of the city of Morelia. They are also the same colors as the Spanish flag. This is because Morelia is a historic Spanish city.
When the club first started, they were called Oro. They were known as the canarios (canaries). This was until 1999. Then the club changed its name to Monarcas. This name came from the three monarchs on the city's flag.
Stadium
In the late 1980s, the team decided their old stadium was too small. They needed a new stadium with more seats. On April 9, 1989, the Stadium Jose Maria Morelos and Pavón opened. It is located near the Quinceo mountain.
The first game there was between Atlético Morelia and Club América. The stadium can hold 35,000 people. But on opening day in 1989, over 50,000 people were there. Morelia won that first match 2–1. In 2011, the stadium got a new look. This was because the FIFA U-17 World Cup was held in Mexico.
Personnel
Management
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  José Luis Higuera |
| Vice-chairman | Raymundo López Olvera |
| Director of football | Christian Barrientos |
Source: Liga MX
Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Nacho Castro |
| Goalkeeper coach | Oscar Resano |
| Fitness coach | Darío Gutiérrez |
| Physiotherapist | Francisco Arias |
| Team doctors | Vicente Villalva |
| Team doctors | Julio Cambrón |
Players
Morelia has had many famous players. Marco Antonio Figueroa is the club's top scorer ever. He scored 130 goals. Players like Adolfo Bautista, Rafael Márquez Lugo, and Miguel Sabah played for Morelia. They were also called to play for the Mexico national team. Raul Ruidiaz was the first Morelia player to be the top scorer in Liga MX.
First-team squad
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World Cup Players
These players played for their country in the World Cup while at Morelia:
Egidio Arévalo Ríos (2014)
Jefferson Montero (2014)
Raúl Ruidíaz (2018)
Olympic Players
These players played for their country in the Summer Olympic Games while at Morelia:
- Pablo López (1964)
- Rafael Márquez Lugo (2004)
Top Goalscorers
| Atletico Morelia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Goals | ||
| 1 |  Marco Antonio Figueroa |
130 Goals | ||
| 2 |  Alex Fernandes |
71 Goals | ||
| 3 | Miguel Sabah |
64 Goals | ||
| 4 | Carlos Miloc |
59 Goals | ||
| 5 | Rafael Márquez Lugo |
58 Goals | ||
- This list includes top scorers from both Atletico Morelia and Monarcas Morelia.
- It does not include goals from international competitions.
Honours
Domestic Titles
- Primera División: 1
- They won the Invierno 2000 championship.
- They were runner-up (finished second) 3 times: Apertura 2002, Clausura 2003, Clausura 2011.
- Segunda División/Liga de Expansión MX: 2
- They won in 1980–81 and Clausura 2022.
- They were runner-up 2 times: Guardianes 2021, Clausura 2023.
- Copa MX: 1
- They won the Apertura 2013.
- They were runner-up 2 times: 1964–65, Clausura 2017.
- Supercopa MX: 1
- They won in 2014.
- They were runner-up 1 time: 2015.
Regional Titles
- North American SuperLiga: 1
- They won in 2010.
Continental Titles
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 0
- They were runner-up (finished second) 2 times: 2002, 2003.
Images for kids
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2012 squad.
See also
In Spanish: Atlético Morelia para niños
