Club Social y Deportivo Suchitepéquez, commonly referred to as Suchitepéquez, is a Guatemalan professional association football club based in Mazatenango. The club competes in Liga Primera División, the second tier of Guatemalan football.

The team was founded in 1960, and won two Liga Nacional championships in 1983 and 2016. Suchitepéquez have played their home matches in the 10,000-capacity Carlos Salazar Hijo since 1966.

History

1980s

In 1981, they defeated Spanish league champions Atlético Madrid 1–0 on a friendly match to re-open the Carlos Salazar stadium.

The team's most successful era took place in the mid-1980s. Having been runner-up in the 1982 domestic league, Suchitepéquez won the national league title in 1983, with a record of 16 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses in 22 matches. The team was managed by the Uruguayan Julio César Cortés, a former Uruguayan international who played in three World Cups. The stars of this team were Uruguayan strikers César Eduardo Méndez and José Luis "Chopo" González.

Suchitepéquez went on to play in the 1983 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, beating Deportivo Saprissa in the first round. In the second round, they drew with Tigres UANL 1–1 in the first leg, and then beat them 3–0 at home, becoming the first Guatemalan football team to defeat a Mexican team in an official tournament. After that they faced Atlante, drawing the first match but losing 0–6 in the second leg to the eventual champions.

They finished second in the local league again in 1984, repeating that in the 1989–90 tournament.

1990s

In 1992, Suchitepéquez won the summer (cup) tournament, and then defeated the 1992 league champions Municipal in the Champion of champions ("Super Cup") match. They won further domestic cup (Copa de Guatemala) titles in 1993 and 1997.

Relegation

The club struggled to remain in the top division during the 1998–99 season, finishing next to last overall, and avoiding relegation in the last instance by winning a relegation play-off. The following year, they finished in last place overall, and were directly relegated.

2000s

After four years in Primera División, the club returned to the top division for the 2004–05 season, finishing fourth in the Torneo Apertura.

Failed pursuits (2010–15)

The club has been a constant top finisher in the Guatemalan top division but has fallen one game short of reaching the final twice. Currently the club has had solid seasons finishing in the top 3 and finished the Clausura 2015 season in 3rd place behind CSD Municipal and champions Comunicaciones. In the summer of 2014, the club signed Emiliano Lopez, an Argentine prospect who finished his first season as the second top scorer in the first division behind Guatemalan star and Municipal forward, Carlos Ruiz. He was the top scorer in the 2015 clausura tournament, with 12 goals.

Second league title (2015–16)

The club played "La Final" against the champion of the last Clausura Tournament Comunicaciones FC, which in the Estadio Mateo Flores, Comunicaciones FC won the first leg of the Guatemalan championship, winning 2–1, but in the second leg, Suchitepequez came out victorious in their own stadium, Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo. They won 3–0, making after waiting for 33 years, Suchitepequez champions for the 2nd time in their history.

Performance in CONCACAF competitions

1993 - 4th Place 1995 - Qualifying Stage (Central Zone)

1983 - Semifinals 2016-17 - Group stage

Honours

Domestic honours

Leagues

Players

Current squad

As of 2022: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player 3 DF GUA Manuel Ochoa 4 DF GUA Rafael González 5 DF GUA Luis Rodríguez 6 MF GUA Miguel González 9 FW ARG Alexis Ramos 10 MF GUA Kevin Arriola 11 MF GUA Edward Santeliz 16 MF GUA Selvin Barlovento 17 DF GUA Jose Ramos 18 MF GUA Kenneth Mérida 19 MF GUA Paolo OrtizNo. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW PAN Luis Jaramillo 23 DF GUA Víctor Armas 25 GK GUA Johnny Navarro 26 MF GUA German Esquivel 30 MF GUA Oscar Santana 31 DF GUA Wilson Morales 32 DF GUA Erwin Morales (captain) 52 GK GUA Manuel Sosa 77 DF GUA Dilan Cifuentes 99 FW GUA Erick Rivera - FW PLE Matías Jadue
3DFGUAManuel Ochoa
4DFGUARafael González
5DFGUALuis Rodríguez
6MFGUAMiguel González
9FWARGAlexis Ramos
10MFGUAKevin Arriola
11MFGUAEdward Santeliz
16MFGUASelvin Barlovento
17DFGUAJose Ramos
18MFGUAKenneth Mérida
19MFGUAPaolo Ortiz
No.Pos.NationPlayer
20FWPANLuis Jaramillo
23DFGUAVíctor Armas
25GKGUAJohnny Navarro
26MFGUAGerman Esquivel
30MFGUAOscar Santana
31DFGUAWilson Morales
32DFGUAErwin Morales (captain)
52GKGUAManuel Sosa
77DFGUADilan Cifuentes
99FWGUAErick Rivera
-FWPLEMatías Jadue

Notable players

List of coaches

See also

Notes and references

External links

  • (in Spanish) (archived 14 December 2006)
  • (in Spanish) – by Jorge Mario García
  • (in Spanish) (archived 17 March 2007)
  • - Soccerway