Monagas S.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Monagas Sport Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Guerreros de Guarapiche Los Guerreros Chaima Los Azulgranas |
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| Founded | September 23, 1987 | |||
| Ground | Estadio Monumental de Maturín | |||
| Capacity | 51,796 | |||
| Chairman | Nicolás Fernández de Caleya | |||
| Manager | Jhonny Ferreira | |||
| League | Primera División | |||
| 2024 | Primera División, 3rd of 14 | |||
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Monagas Sport Club is a professional football team from Venezuela. They play in the top league, the Primera División Venezolana. The team is based in Maturín and plays its home games at the Estadio Monumental de Maturín. People often call them “Los Guerreros del Guarapiche” (The Warriors from the Guarapiche). This nickname comes from their players' never-give-up attitude and the Guarapiche River that flows through Maturín.
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Team History
How Monagas SC Started
Monagas Sport Club was founded on September 23, 1987. A group of people including Joaquín (Fariñas) da Silva, Ramón Ramírez, and Enrique Polo started the club. Their very first official game was on May 22, 1988, against "Unión Deportivo Puerto la Cruz". The team began in Venezuela's second football division. They won their first league game with a score of 4–0 against "Unión Deportivo Puerto La Cruz".
Moving Up to the Top League
In 1990, Monagas Sport Club was promoted to the first division. Since then, the team has worked hard to stay in the top league.
A Difficult Season (2006–2007)
The 2006–2007 season was tough for Monagas Sport Club. They had very poor results, and several coaches tried to help the team. Some players even left before the season ended. The club finished in the relegation spots, meaning they were supposed to drop to a lower league. However, the Primera División Venezolana decided to add more teams, expanding from 10 to 18. This change allowed Monagas Sport Club to stay in the top league.
Becoming Champions in 2017
The year 2017 was amazing for Monagas Sport Club. They played in the Primera División and made it to the knockout stage of the Torneo Apertura (Opening Tournament). They finished 6th in the regular season.
In the quarter-finals, they beat Zamora with a total score of 6–2 over two games. Then, in the semi-finals, they defeated Carabobo. The total score was 1–1, but Monagas won because they scored more goals away from home.
The final was against Caracas. Monagas won the first game 1–0 at home in Maturín on June 25. In the second game in Caracas on July 2, Monagas lost 2–1. But, because of the away goals rule (2–2 total score), Monagas won their first short tournament title! This also meant they qualified for the Copa Libertadores for the first time.
Later, in the Serie Final, Monagas played against Deportivo Lara, who won the Torneo Clausura (Closing Tournament). Monagas lost the first game 1–0 at home on December 13. But they won the second game 2–0 in Cabudare on December 17. This made Monagas Sport Club the Venezuelan champions for the very first time, winning the Serie Final 2–1 overall!
Home Stadium
The Estadio Monumental de Maturín is the home stadium for Monagas Sport Club. It is located in Maturín, Monagas state. This stadium is the largest in Venezuela, with space for 51,796 fans. It hosts all of Monagas Sport Club's home games. The stadium was built to be one of the venues for the Copa America Venezuela 2007 football tournament.
El Monumental opened on June 24, 2007. The first game played there was between Monagas Sport Club and Zamora Fútbol Club. Monagas won that game 2–0. Before 2007, Monagas Sport Club played their games at the Estadio Alexander Botinni in Maturín.
Team Sponsors
La Lotería de Oriente is the main sponsor of Monagas Sport Club. This is a public lottery from Maturín. For many years, the president of the lottery, Willy Farías, also served as the president of the football club.
Team Achievements
National Titles
- Primera División (Top League): 1 (in 2017)
- Torneo Apertura (Opening Tournament): 1 (in 2017)
- Segunda División (Second Division): 1 (in 2015)
International Competitions
Monagas Sport Club has also played in important South American football tournaments:
- Copa Libertadores: They have appeared 4 times.
- 2018: Group stage
- 2022: Qualifying stage
- 2023: Group stage
- 2025: Second stage
- Copa Sudamericana: They have appeared 4 times.
- 2002: Second stage
- 2003: Preliminary round
- 2012: First stage
- 2019: First stage
Current Players
Monagas SC Squad
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Club Leaders
Presidents of Monagas SC
Many people have served as president of Monagas Sport Club throughout its history. Some were owners, and others were honorary presidents. Here is a list of them:
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Rubén León | 1988-1992 |
| Romualdo Romero | 1993-1995 |
| Jesús Salgado | 1995-1996 |
| Rafael Castellín Osuna | 1997 |
| Claudio González | 2000-2001 |
| Roicis Pérez | 2001-2003 |
| Antonio del Moral | 2003-2004 |
| Antonio Núñez | 2004 |
| Manuel Villalba | 2005 |
| Ramón Caballero | 2005-2006 |
| Nelson Rodríguez | 2006-2009 |
| Eduardo Pinto | 2010 |
| Willy Farias | 2010-2011 |
| Darwin Ágreda | 2012 |
| Gustavo Mendiri | 2013-2014 |
| Manuel Villalba | 2014-2016 |
| José González Espín | 2016-2017 |
| Nicolás Fernández | 2017-present |
Managers of Monagas SC
Here is a list of the coaches (managers) who have led Monagas SC from 1987 until now:
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See also
In Spanish: Monagas Sport Club para niños
