Curicó Unido

Curicó Unido

Full name	Club Deportivo Provincial Curicó Unido
Nickname(s)	Curi Albirrojos (The red & white) Torteros (The cake-makers)) La Banda Sangre (The Blood Stripe)
Founded	1973
Ground	Estadio La Granja (Capacity: 8,000)
Chairman	Julio Odé Reyes
Manager	Raúl Toro
League	Primera B
2010	4th
Home colours Away colours

Curicó Unido is a football club based in Curicó, Maule Region, Chile. They currently play in the Primera B, the second level of the Chilean football system. They are currently managed by Raúl Toro.

History

Curicó Unido was founded on February 26, 1973, with Edmundo Rojas as the first President of the club. They became the fourth football team from the Curicó city to play at the professional level, after Alianza de Curicó, Luis Cruz Martínez and Badminton de Curicó.

Curicó Unido played since the season 1974 at the Primera B, but after seven poor seasons they gained relegation to the third level to the season 1981, returning to Primera B two years later, in 1983.

1984 and 1985 were the best seasons of Curicó Unido history, disputing the promotion until the last week, but with bad luck at the final matches.

The next campaigns were average, with the exception of the season 1990, when they lose the category after the final match with Deportes Valdivia, when they won 4-1, two goals short what they needed to stay at Primera B.

Since then, they stayed at the Tercera División without real chances to returned to the Primera B, until the 2003 season. But at the next year that changed.

In 2004 the albirrojos were really close to returned to the Primera B. At the last week of the season, in Chillán, they arrived as leaders, to face Ñublense who was three points behind at the table; however the Chillanejos won that game 2-1, forcing a tie breaker match in Linares, where Ñublense won 2-0, taking the title and the promotion.

However, the year 2005 Curicó Unido had his revenge. They disputed the title with Trasandino until the last week. While Trasandino tied with Municipal Iquique, Curicó crushed Iberia 4-0, and in this way, after 15 years of suffering, Provincial Curicó Unido returned to the Chilean professional football.

In 2006, in their return to the Primera B, Curicó Unido finished in fifth place.

The next year, Curico avoided relegation only at the end of the season; Deportes Temuco finished last and fell down to the third level of national football for the upcoming season.

Curicó won promotion to the Primera Division after a 1-0 win over Deportes Puerto Montt on the last home-game of the 2008 season, which was enough to securing 1st place of the Primera B and automatic promotion. Only to return to Primera B the next season, after losing a promotion play-off against San Luis

Curicó Unido playing Colo-Colo in 2010's Copa Chile

Honours

• Primera B: 1

2008

• Tercera División: 1

2005

Others

• Copa Confraternidad (Tercera Div.): 1

1991

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• 1 season in Primera División
• 20 seasons in Primera B
• 17 seasons in Tercera División

Records

• Record victory (overall) — 14-0 v. Deportes Rengo (Tercera División 2004)
• Record Primera División victory — 4-0 v. Palestino (2009-A)
• Record defeat (overall) — 0-7 v. Universidad Católica (Primera División 2009-C)
• Record Copa Chile victory — 9-0 v. Lister Rossel (1974)
• Most appearances (overall) — 227, Manuel Díaz (1985–90)
• Most goals scored (overall) — 69, Luis Martínez (1983–88)
• Most goals scored (Primera B league matches) — 31, Luis Martínez (1983–88)
• Most goals scored (Primera División matches) — 10, César Diaz (2009)
• Primera B Best Position — 1st (2008)
• Copa Chile Best Season — Quarter-Finals (2009 & 2010)
• Highest home attendance — 8,981 v. Universidad de Chile (January 14, 1990)

Team colours

Curicó Unido's official kit is a white shirt with a diagonal red stripe that crosses the chest from the right shoulder to the left side of the hip. The shorts are black and socks are white.

Kit evolution

1982 1985 1986 1987 2001 2004 2007 Sponsorship The club are currently sponsored by Multihogar and their technical sponsors are Mitre. Shirt Sponsors 1976: Buses Galgo Azul 1977-78: Cecinas Soler 1981-82: Multifrut 1983-95: Fideos Suazo 1996-: Multihogar Stadiums Curicó Unido's traditional home-ground is the Estadio La Granja, located in Curicó city; a 8,000 football stadium with an athletic track around the pitch, located in the "La Granja sports complex", leased from Curicó City Municipality. Curicó Unido have also used other grounds during their history. The Estadio Carabineros de Curicó, was Curicó Unido's home in 1976 and 1977. They also played their Tercera Division league home games of the season 1992, at the Estadio ANFA Luis H. Alvarez. And recently, during the 2010 season, the Estadio Municipal Jorge Silva de San Fernando, was their temporary home ground due to the reconstruction of the Estadio La Granja. Supporters Curicó Unido fans traditionally come from Curicó itself; and from the rest of the Curicó Province, but in smaller numbers. The largest supporters' group is the Marginales, created in 1997. Curicó Unido supporters' current main rivals are Rangers de Talca, and Ñublense. Current roster As of April 25, 2011 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Position Player 1 GK Leonardo Zamora 2 DF Juan Carlos Muñoz 3 DF Fernando Gutiérrez 4 DF Jorge Inostroza 5 MF Jorge Alvarez 6 MF Eduardo Pinto 7 FW Alejandro Maureira 8 MF Miguel Ángel Romero 9 MF Sebastián Malandra 10 MF Oliver Toledo 11 FW Ariel Pereyra 12 GK Luis Santelices 13 DF Wilson Méndez 14 FW Braulio Brizuela 15 DF Eduardo Quiñones No. Position Player 16 DF Manuel Avendaño 17 MF Patricio Ormazábal 18 DF Cristián Reynero 19 FW Rodrigo Pereira 20 MF Marcelo Lucero 21 DF Christian Gálvez 22 MF Sergio Catalán 23 DF Francisco Ayala 24 DF Alejandro Kruchowski 25 MF Sebastián Rivera 27 DF Jaime Cáceres 30 GK Juan Halty DF José Guerrero FW Felipe Vergara MF Martín Miguel Cortes Notable players Ivo Basay César Díaz Luis Martínez Managers Ricardo Oteíza (1973) Julio Campos (1974) Eugenio Jara (1974-75) Pedro Araya (1975-76) Leonardo Bedoya (1976-77) Sergio Gutiérrez (1977) Pedro Araya (1977-78) José González (1978-79) Luis Alvarez (1979) Sergio Navarro (1979-80) Guillermo Báez (1980) Luis Alvarez (1981) Enrique Arredondo (1982) Francisco Quinteros (1983) Carlos Contreras (1983) Eugenio Horta (1983-84) Sergio Gutiérrez (1985) Luis Orrego (1985) Roque Mercury (1986) Guillermo Páez (1986-87) Luis Orrego (1987-88) Sergio Gutiérrez (1988-90) Manuel Rubilar (1990) Eugenio Horta (1990-91) Julio García (1991) Manuel Espinoza (1991-93) Julio García (1993) Sergio Gutiérrez (1993-94) Julio García (1994-95) Hugo Cicamois (1995-96) Eugenio Horta (1996) Esaú Bravo (1996) Pedro Araya (1997) Roberto Ortiz (1998) Carlos Encina (1998) Manuel Alvarado (1999) Luis Urrutia (1999) Eugenio Jara (2000) John Castro (2000) Hugo Cicamois (2001) Enzo Silva (2001) Ramon Castro (2002) Esaú Bravo (2002-03) Alex Barrales (2003) Jaime Nova (2004-05) Eduardo Cortázar (2005-06) Nelson Mores (2006) Germán Cornejo (2007) Juan Ubilla (2007) Luis Marcoleta (2008-10) Raúl Toro (2010-) External links (Spanish) Curicó Unido, Official web site (Spanish) Curicó Unido, unofficial web site (Spanish) Curicó Unido, Information about the team.