Club Atlético River Plate (Montevideo) facts for kids
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| Full name | Club Atlético River Plate | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Darsenero (Docker) La Dársena |
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| Founded | 11 May 1932 | |||
| Ground | Estadio Saroldi, Montevideo, Uruguay |
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| Capacity | 6,000 (all seated) | |||
| Chairman | Jorge Cibreiro | |||
| Coach | Julio Ribas | |||
| League | Primera División | |||
| 2024 | Primera División, 9th of 16 | |||
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Club Atlético River Plate is a football club from Montevideo, Uruguay. They play in the Primera División, which is the top football league in Uruguay. It's important to know that this club is different from an older club called River Plate F.C. that was famous in the early 1900s.
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Club Atlético River Plate: A Football Story
River Plate de Montevideo was formed when two older clubs, Olimpia and Capurro, joined together. This happened on May 11, 1932. One of their first goals was to find a new football field. They decided to use "Olimpia Park" as their home stadium. Today, this stadium is called Estadio Saroldi. It was renamed to honor Federico Omar Saroldi, who was River Plate's first goalkeeper. Sadly, he passed away after getting an injury during a match.
In the early years, from 1932 to 1942, some of Uruguay's best football players played for River Plate. These included stars like Severino Varela and Héctor Sena Puricelli. Even before the clubs merged, Isabelino Gradín, who was one of Uruguay's first big football stars, played for the Olimpia team.
Climbing the League Ranks
River Plate reached its highest league position in 1992. Players like Osvaldo Canobbio, Juan Ramón Carrasco, Diego López, and Edgardo Adinolfi were part of the team. Víctor Púa was their coach. In 1997, River Plate finished third overall, just a few points behind Peñarol and Defensor Sporting. At that time, Fernando Morena was coaching River Plate. Many great players, such as Hernán Rodrigo López, Pablo Gaglianone, and Gustavo Díaz, grew up playing for River Plate during this period.
Another strong performance happened in the 2007-2008 season. River Plate finished second in the annual standings. Juan Ramón Carrasco was the coach then. Some of the best players in the league were on their team, including Robert Flores, who was considered the best player of the season. Other important players were Pablo Tiscornia, Henry Giménez, Mauricio Prieto, Bruno Montelongo, and goalkeeper Álvaro García. They had big wins against teams like Peñarol (6–3), Defensor Sporting (5–1), and Danubio (5–1). Their biggest win was 7–0 against Rampla Juniors.
International Success: Copa Sudamericana 2009
River Plate had its best international performance in the 2009 Copa Sudamericana. They reached the semifinals of this big tournament. With Juan Ramón Carrasco as coach, they beat Vitória and San Lorenzo. They eventually lost to LDU Quito, finishing in the top four teams. Only a few other smaller Uruguayan clubs, like Danubio and Defensor Sporting, have made it this far in a CONMEBOL international competition.
Recent Years and Copa Libertadores
From April 2011 to June 2015, Guillermo Almada coached River Plate. During these years, the team often finished in the top six, which allowed them to play in CONMEBOL tournaments. Key players during this time included Michael Santos, Cristian González, Damián Frascarelli, Leandro Rodríguez, Cristian Techera, Gabriel Marques, Gabriel Leyes, Gonzalo Porras, Felipe Avenatti, Lucas Olaza, and Sebastián Taborda.
The biggest achievement during this period was qualifying for the 2016 Copa Libertadores. This was the first time in the club's history they played in this major South American tournament. They were in a group with Rosario Central, Palmeiras, and fellow Uruguayan club Club Nacional. They drew three games, earning three points, and finished last in their group.
After Guillermo Almada left in June 2015, Juan Ramón Carrasco returned as coach until September 2016. However, this time the results were not as good as his first period. Later, Jorge Fossati became manager from June 2019 to April 2021. Under Fossati, River Plate reached the third stage of the 2020 Copa Sudamericana. They beat the strong Colombian team Atlético Nacional but were eliminated by Universidad Católica on away goals. In the league, they finished eighth overall in both 2020 and 2021.
In April 2021, Gustavo Díaz took over as head coach. The club finished eighth in the league again in 2021, securing a spot in the Copa Sudamericana. However, in the 2022 Copa Sudamericana, the team did not perform well, finishing last in their group. This result led to Gustavo Díaz leaving his coaching position.
Home Stadiums and Training Facilities
Parque Federico Omar Saroldi Stadium
River Plate usually plays its home games at Estadio Saroldi. This stadium is in the Prado neighborhood of Montevideo. It can hold 6,000 fans and has one of the best playing fields in the league. The stadium was first called "Olimpia Park" because it was the home of Club Atlético Olimpia. After Olimpia and Capurro merged, and after the sad passing of goalkeeper Federico Omar Saroldi, the stadium was renamed in his honor.
Villa Colón Sports Complex
The Villa Colón Sports Complex is located in the Villa Colón neighborhood, northwest of Montevideo. These facilities are used for training both the main team and the youth teams. The complex has six football fields, a base camp for the first-division team, locker rooms, dormitories, fitness centers, and health services. It is considered one of the best-equipped training camps in Uruguay. It opened in August 1999.
Team Uniforms
River Plate's home uniform looks similar to the one used by the older River Plate F.C., which stopped playing in 1929. The away kit for C.A. River Plate is sometimes a sky blue jersey, black shorts, and black socks. This sky blue kit is very special. The Uruguay national football team adopted this kit in 1910 as a tribute to the old River Plate F.C. That team had won the Uruguayan championship four times and had beaten the best team in the Americas at the time, the Argentine team Alumni. This is how the famous "celeste" (sky blue) jersey, known worldwide, became the national team's color. Before 1910, Uruguay's national team wore different jerseys, including dark blue, green, and striped white and sky blue.
Kit Evolution Through the Years
        1932
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1994
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1996
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1996 away
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 2001
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2005 away
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2006 away
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     2012–2016
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    2012–2016 away
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     2016-present
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Club Rivalries
River Plate is located in the same neighborhood, Prado, as two other football clubs: Bella Vista and Montevideo Wanderers. Because they are so close, these three clubs have a long-standing rivalry. Matches between them are known as the "Clásico del Prado" (Prado Derby). In recent years, River Plate has often won these derby matches against both of its rivals.
Team Players
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Players on Loan
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Club Honours
River Plate has won several titles throughout its history:
National Titles
- Torneo Preparación
- Winners (1): 2012
- Copa Integración
- Winners (1): 2012
- Segunda División (Second Division)
- Winners (6): 1943, 1967, 1978, 1984, 1991, 2004
Friendly Tournament Wins
- Copa Aerosur Internacional
- Winners (1): 2010
See also
In Spanish: Club Atlético River Plate (Uruguay) para niños
