América Futebol Clube (MG)

Football club infobox
clubname = América


fullname = América Futebol Clube
nickname = "Coelho" ("Rabbit")
founded = 1912
ground = Independência,
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
capacity = 18,000| chairman = Antônio Baltazar
manager = Flávio Lopes
league = -
season = 2008
position = Campeonato Brasileiro Série C,
eliminated in second stage
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_blackstripes|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=00A651|body1=00A651|rightarm1=00A651|shorts1=000000|socks1=FFFFFF
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=00A651

América Futebol Clube, or América (or América Mineiro), as they are usually called, is a traditional Brazilian football team from Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais, founded on April 30, 1912.

Home stadium is the Independência stadium, capacity 18,000.

History

On April 30, 1912, a group of young men who played football purely for the love of the game, decided to turn their team into a football club.cite web | title = América Mineiro | url=http://www.arquivodeclubes.com/mg/americamg.htm| accessdate = 2008-08-28 | publisher=Arquivo de Clubes|language=Portuguese] In the first meeting, the founders decided that the name of the club would be América Foot-Ball Club,cite web | title = América x Atlético | url=http://classicoeclassico.sites.uol.com.br/mg/amexatl.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | publisher=Clássicos do Futebol Brasileiro|language=Portuguese] and the colors would be green and white. The first matches were played on the mayor's field. In 1913, América and Minas Gerais Futebol Clube fused, and the club changed its colors to green, white and black.cite book | first = | last = | title = Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro Lance Volume 1 | publisher = Aretê Editorial S/A | location = Rio de Janeiro | year = 2001 | pages = 118| id = ISBN 8588651017] Between 1916 and 1925, the team won ten state championships in a row.

In 1933, as a protest to the professionalization of Brazilian football, the club changed its colors to red and white. In 1943, the club professionalized its football division, and returned to its previous colors, which are green, black and white. In 1948, América won its first state championship as a professional club.

In 1997, América won the Campeonato Brasileiro Second Division for the first time,cite web | title = Brazil 1997 Championship - Second Level (Série B) | url=http://paginas.terra.com.br/esporte/rsssfbrasil/tables/br1997l2.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | date = 2000-02-18 | publisher=RSSSF|language=Portuguese] and in 2000, the club won the Copa Sul-Minas first edition, beating Cruzeiro in the final.cite web | title = Copa Sul-Minas 2000 | url=http://paginas.terra.com.br/esporte/rsssfbrasil/tables/smg2000.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | date = 2008-08-25 | publisher=RSSSF|language=Portuguese] In 2004, after a poor performance in the Série B, América was relegated to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C,cite web | title = Brazil 2004 Championship - Second Level (Série B) | url=http://paginas.terra.com.br/esporte/rsssfbrasil/tables/br2004l2.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | date = 2004-12-05 | publisher=RSSSF|language=Portuguese] and in 2007, the club finished in Campeonato Mineiro's last position, and was relegated to the following year's Campeonato Mineiro Second Division.cite web | title = Minas Gerais State Championship 2007 | url=http://paginas.terra.com.br/esporte/rsssfbrasil/tables/mg2007.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | date = 2007-05-30 | publisher=RSSSF|language=Portuguese]

Achievements

*Brazilian Second Division
** Winners (1): 1997
* Copa Sul-Minas (South-Minas Cup)
** Winners (1): 2000
* Campeonato Mineiro (Minas Gerais State Championship)
** Winners (15): 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1948, 1957, 1971, 1993, 2001
** Runners-up (13): 1915, 1930, 1931, 1942, 1948, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1973, 1992, 1995, 1999
* Copa São Paulo de Juniores (São Paulo Youth Cup)
** Winners (1): 1996
* Taça Belo Horizonte de Juniores (Belo Horizonte Youth Cup)
** Winners (1): 2000
** Runners-up (1): 1995
* Taça Minas Gerais (Minas Gerais State Cup)
** Winners (1): 2005
** Runners-up (3): 1977, 1980, 1984

tadiums

The first América's stadium was inaugurated in 1922, where now is placed the municipal market.cite web | title = História | url=http://america-mg.vilabol.uol.com.br/historia.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | publisher=AméricaNet|language=Portuguese] In the 1970s, América's stadium at the time, Estádio Otacílio Negrão de Lima, was demolished.cite web | title = Alameda | url=http://mavalem.sites.uol.com.br/mg/BH5.htm| accessdate = 2008-08-28 | publisher=Templos do Futebol|language=Portuguese] América's current stadium, Estádio Raimundo Sampaio, usually called Estádio Independência, was inaugurated on June 29, 1950 and managed by América since 1989.cite web | title = Independência será reformado | url=http://www.otempo.com.br/otempo/noticias/?IdNoticia=61550 | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | date = 2007-11-10 | publisher=O Tempo|language=Portuguese]

Derbies

América's greatest rivals are Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro.cite web | title = De férias, Alex Mineiro pode voltar ao futebol brasileiro | url=http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/materias/esportes/2628501-2629000/2628745/2628745_1.xml | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | date = 2006-12-15 | publisher=Último Segundo iG|language=Portuguese] The derby between América and Atlético Mineiro is known as "O Clássico das Multidões" ("The Derby of the Masses"), and was first played on November 15, 1913, in a friendly game that ended in a 1–1 draw.cite web | title = América x Atlético - Resultadoa | url=http://classicoeclassico.sites.uol.com.br/mg/amexatl_resultados.htm | accessdate = 2008-10-06 | publisher=Clássicos do Futebol Brasileiro|language=Portuguese]

ymbols

The club's official anthem was composed by Vicente Motta. There are also two other anthems. The unofficial anthem, which was composed by Fernando Brant and Tavinho Moura, and the supporters anthem, whose lyrics were composed by Márcio Dias Vianna and it was sung by Fernando Ângelo.cite web | title = Hinos do América | url=http://www.americamineiro.com.br/area_torcedor/multimidia | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | publisher=América Futebol Clube (MG) official website|language=Portuguese] América's mascot, was created by the cartoonist Fernando Pierucetti, and is a red-eyed white cartoon rabbit with clearly protruding teeth.

References

External links

*pt icon [http://www.americamineiro.com.br/ Official website]