C.S.D. Municipal facts for kids
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| Full name | Club Social y Deportivo Municipal | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Los Rojos (The Reds) El Equipo del Pueblo (The People's Team) El Mimado de la Afición (Fans' Pampered Team) Diablos Rojos (Red Devils) |
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| Founded | 17 May 1936 | ||
| Ground | Estadio El Trébol | ||
| Capacity | 7,500 | ||
| Chairman | Gerardo Villa | ||
| Manager | Sebastián Bini | ||
| League | Liga Nacional | ||
| Clausura 2024 | 1st (Champions) | ||
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Club Social y Deportivo Municipal, often called Municipal or Los Rojos (which means The Reds), is a professional football club from Guatemala City.
They play in the Liga Nacional, which is the top football league in Guatemala. Their home games are held at the Estadio El Trébol. Municipal has been in Guatemala's top league since it started in 1942. They have won the national league 32 times, most recently in the 2024 Clausura tournament. In 1974, they also won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, a big international tournament.
Municipal is the most popular football club in Guatemala. They have a big rivalry with Comunicaciones, another team from Guatemala City. Both clubs have won 32 league titles, sharing the record for most wins in the country.
Contents
History of Municipal Football Club
The club was started on May 17, 1936. It was founded by workers from the city hall of Guatemala City. That's why they chose the name Municipal.
In 1938, they moved up to the top football division, which was then called Liga Capitalina. In their first season, they finished in second place. Since then, they have always stayed in the top division.
Early Wins and Key Players (1940s–1960s)
Municipal won its first national league title in the 1942–43 season. This was the first official national league championship in Guatemala. They won three more titles in the next six tournaments. The other three were won by Tipografía Nacional, which became their first big rival.
The team was coached by Manuel Felipe Carrera, one of the club's founders. A stadium where the team practices today is named after him.
During the 1940s and early 1950s, Carlos "Pepino" Toledo was Municipal's most famous player. He was a forward who played his whole career for the club. He helped the team win their first four league titles. His last title was in the 1954–55 season, the same year he retired. Toledo scored 129 goals for the club, which is still the fourth-highest in their history. He also played for the national team and later became Municipal's coach.
In 1948, Municipal won its first international award. This was at a friendly tournament in Havana, Cuba. The tournament celebrated Cuban Independence. That team included Toledo, Mario Camposeco, and goalkeeper José Pedro "Tarzán" Segura.
The late 1950s were a bit tough for Municipal. Toledo had retired, and Comunicaciones became the top team. Comunicaciones won the league three times in a row. Municipal didn't win a title for eight years. They finally broke this streak with three championships in the 1960s (1963–64, 1965–66, and 1969–70). But Comunicaciones was still the strongest team in Guatemala. The matches between Comunicaciones and Municipal became the biggest local rivalry. Another rivalry grew with Aurora, another Guatemala City club.
1970s: Winning Big on the International Stage
In 1973, Uruguayan coach Rubén Amorín joined Municipal. He coached a strong group of players. These included defender Alberto López Oliva, midfielders Benjamín Monterroso and José Emilio "Pepe" Mitrovich, and forward Julio César Anderson. Anderson became the club's top goal scorer ever. He helped lead the team to its most successful period.
Municipal won league championships in 1973 and 1974. These were their first back-to-back titles. In 1974, while winning their second straight league title, they also made history. They became the first Guatemalan club to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. After that, the Rojos played in the Copa Interamericana. They played against Argentina's "red team," Independiente.
The first game was in Guatemala on November 24, 1974. Independiente won 1-0. But Municipal surprised everyone by winning 1-0 in Argentina two days later. José Emilio "Pepe" Mitrovich scored the winning goal in the second half. Since both teams had the same points and goal difference, the game went into extra time. No more goals were scored, so it went to penalty kicks. Independiente won 4-2 after Municipal missed two penalties. Even though they lost, Municipal earned a lot of respect across the continent.
1980s: A Close Call with Relegation
Municipal continued their success with another league title in 1976. However, their performance started to decline. They finished 8th in 1979-80. In 1981, they dropped to 11th place. This meant they had to play in a special mini-league to avoid being moved down to a lower division. Luckily, their old rivals Tipografía Nacional were relegated instead, and Municipal stayed safe.
In 1982, the club came even closer to being relegated. They finished 9th in the regular season. This put them back in the relegation mini-league. This time, they only avoided relegation because of their goal differential. Over the next few years, Municipal improved. They moved away from the bottom of the league table. But they didn't seriously challenge for another title until 1987.
1980s and 1990s: Back to the Top
In 1987, Argentine coach Miguel Ángel Brindisi arrived in Guatemala City. He was a former star midfielder. He had won two titles in Argentina and played in Spain. He came to Municipal with little coaching experience. But his two years in Guatemala were very successful.
In 1987, Municipal beat Aurora 4-2 in a penalty shootout. This won them a championship playoff and their first Guatemalan title since 1976. A year later, they won again, becoming champions for the first time since the early 1970s. Brindisi then left to coach Barcelona SC in Ecuador. But his replacement, Walter Ormeño, kept the team winning. He led them to a third title in a row.
In 1990-91, Municipal almost won a fourth title in a row. But they lost 1-0 to Comunicaciones in the championship final. They got their revenge in 1991-92. They beat Comunicaciones 2-1 in a championship playoff replay. This meant they had won four titles in five years.
The team reached the finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in December 1993. They lost closely to Costa Rican champions Saprissa. However, they still won the Guatemalan championship. This was their fifth title in seven seasons.
2000s: A Decade of Many Wins
In 2000, the league changed its format to two tournaments a year: Apertura and Clausura. Municipal won the title again after Comunicaciones had won the previous four. Municipal broke that record in 2006. They won the 2006 Apertura tournament, which was their fifth title in a row. This was under coach Enzo Trossero. They also won two more Central American titles. They won the Copa Interclubes UNCAF in 2001 and 2004.
Team Colours and Crest
At first, the team's uniform was a red-and-black striped shirt with black shorts. The colors soon changed to what they are now. For home games, they wear a red shirt and blue shorts. For away games, they usually wear all blue, though other colors have been used.
The club's logo is based on the emblem of the Municipalidad de Guatemala. This emblem comes from the original coat of arms of the city of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala. It shows Saint James over a picture of the region. The team's logo also includes a picture of the type of football used when the club was founded. This is next to a blue and red striped section. The circle around these images has the team's name on a red background.
Stadium Information
Over the years, Municipal has often used the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores as their home stadium. They shared it with Comunicaciones from the 1950s until 1991, and again since 2005.
Other stadiums were used by Municipal in the beginning, like the Estadio Autonomía. The Estadio La Pedrera has been used when the Mateo Flores stadium was not available. The Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera, also known as "Estadio El Trébol," is where the team trains. It has also been used for official matches sometimes. Municipal had a great record there. They were undefeated for 33 official matches from July 9, 1991, until March 7, 2008. That's when they lost 1–0 to Deportivo Petapa in the 2008 Clausura tournament.
Who are the Supporters?
Municipal is thought to have the most fans of any football club in Guatemala. Their popularity has given them nicknames like El mimado de la afición (Fans' pampered team) and El equipo del pueblo (People's team).
Team Statistics and Records
Municipal holds a special record in Guatemalan football. They are the club that has spent the most years in the top division without interruption. They have been there since 1938.
Juan Carlos Plata is the team's all-time top goal scorer. He scored 299 league goals and 403 goals overall for Municipal. This is the only club he ever played for.
Honours and Trophies
Domestic Titles
League
- Liga Nacional de Guatemala and earlier versions
- Champions (32 times): 1942–43, 1947, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1987, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1993–94, Clausura 2000, Apertura 2000, Apertura 2001, Clausura 2002, Apertura 2003, Apertura 2004, Clausura 2005, Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006, Apertura 2006, Clausura 2008, Apertura 2009, Clausura 2010, Apertura 2011, Clausura 2017, Apertura 2019, Clausura 2024
Cup
- Copa de Guatemala and earlier versions
- Champions (8 times): 1960, 1967, 1969, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003, 2003–04
- Campeón de Campeones (Super Cup) and earlier versions
- Champions (5 times): 1952, 1967, 1977, 1994, 1996
Continental Titles
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Champions (1 time): 1974
- UNCAF Interclub Cup
- Champions (4 times): 1974, 1977, 2001, 2004
- Copa Interamericana
- Runners-up (1 time): 1974
Players
Current Squad
Here are the players currently on the Municipal team:
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Retired Numbers
Some players are so important that their jersey number is "retired." This means no one else on the team will wear that number again. 15 – 
Juan Carlos Plata, forward (1990–2010)
Notable Players
These are some of the famous players who have played for Municipal for at least two years:
Miguel Ángel Brindisi (FW), (1984–1985)- Martín Crossa (MF), (2009–2010)
- José Emilio Mitrovich (MF), (1970's)
Josimar Arias (MF), (2012)- Rónald Gómez (MF), (1998–1999)
Eliseo Quintanilla (FW), (2011–2012)- José Luis Rugamas (MF), (1984–1986)
- José Pedro "Tarzan" Segura (GK), (1946–1950)
- Mario Acevedo (FW), (2001–2009)
- Julio César Anderson (FW), (1969–1984)
- Carlos Figueroa (MF), (2001–2003), (2004–2007), (2009–2010)
- Guillermo Ramirez (FW/MF), (1997–2000), (2003–2008), (2010–2011)
- Juan Manuel Funes (MF), (1986–1997)
- Freddy García (MF), (2003–2004), (2004–2009)
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Óscar Isaula (FW), (2011–2012) - Alberto López Oliva (DF), (1963–1978)
- Benjamín Monterroso (DF / MF), (1970–1979)
- Juan Carlos Plata (FW), (1989–2010)
- Selvyn Ponciano (DF), (1994–2009)
- Julio Rodas (FW), (1988–1994)
- Sergio Guevara (MF), (2003–2011)
- German Ruano (DF), (1993–2009)
- Carlos Ruiz (FW), (1997–2001), (2014–2016)
- Carlos Toledo (FW), (1938–1955)
Pablo Hutt (MF), (2011)- Juan Manuel Romo (GK), (1983–90)
Kassius Ettienne (MF), (2010–2012)
Jaime Penedo (GK), (2007–2013)
Edgar Aguilera (MF), (2001–2002)- Richart Báez (FW), (2003–04)
Julio César Cortés (MF), (1973–1974)- Carlos Nicola (GK), (2003–2005)
- Gonzalo Romero (MF), (1997–98), (2000–2011)
- Guillermo Lobos (DF), (1942–1955)
- Claudio Albizuris (MF), (2000–10), (2011–2017)
- Jaime Alas (MF), (2016-2023)
- Marco Pappa (MF), (2006–2008), (2017–2018)
- Felipe Baloy (DF), (2017-2018)
- Blas Perez (FW), (2017-2018)
- Paulo Motta (GK), (2004–2008), (2014–2018)
- Nicholas Hagen (GK), (2015–2020)
Managerial History
Champion Coaches
These are the coaches who led Municipal to win championships:
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See also
In Spanish: Club Social y Deportivo Municipal para niños
