Deportivo Saprissa
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| Deportivo Saprissa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Club Deportivo de Saprissa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | El Monstruo Morado | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | July 16, 1935 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 23,112 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Jorge Vergara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Image:Flag of Costa Rica.svg Jeaustin Campos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Primera División, Costa Rica | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican football club, currently playing in the Primera División. It holds the record of most international titles by a Costa Rican soccer squad, and is tied with LD Alajuelense in national championships with a total of 24. The team is most notable for its policy of only fielding Costa Rican players since Jorge Vergara acquired the team in 2003, and its on-field success which lead to the Costa Rican press nicknaming them "El Monstruo Morado," the purple monster. In December 2005 they played the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup, representing the CONCACAF region as their current champions. They finished in third place.
[edit] History
Deportivo Saprissa was founded July 16, 1935 by Roberto “Beto” Fernández in his shoe store in el barrio Los Angeles in San Jose. After a meeting with the football club's members Beto Fernandez decided to name his team after the man who sponsored their uniform, Don Ricardo Saprissa and with this announcement they entered the Costa Rican Third Division as Saprissa F.C.
In 1947 with Ricardo Saprissa's financial support and excellent coaching by Francisco "Pachico" García, los morados were able to win the Costa Rican Third Division Championship. In 1948 they ascended to Costa Rica's Second Division and won the championship, thus propelling them to Costa Rica's premier soccer division. Deportivo Saprissa first played in the Costa Rica First Division on August 21, 1949 where it has remained for over 50 years.
In the March of 1959, Deportivo Saprissa achieved recognition as being the first Latin American soccer team to travel around the world. They played 25 games in 22 nations in which they won 14 games, tied one, and lost 7. In Costa Rica they were named the team of the century as they had participated in 50 Costa Rican Championships, they also have the immense prestige of winning 6 consecutive Costa Rican National Championships between the years 1972-1977, a record that stands not only in Costa Rica, but across the entire American continent as well.
In 1937 Deportivo Saprissa adopted purple as the official colors of the team. It is said that the team adopted purple because their previous uniforms which were red shirts and blue shorts were mistakenly washed together. When the uniforms were ready to be picked up it was realized that the two colors blended on the uniform to become a solid purple uniform.
In the 1970's, Deportivo Saprissa established a dinasty in the local tournament, winning the National Title 6 years in a row, from 1972 to 1978. This record hasn't been repeated neither in Costa Rica nor no where else in the Americas.
During the end of the 1980's and beginning of the 1990's, Saprissa was the backbone of the Costa Rican national team, whose international pinnacle came at the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in Italy, when against all the odds, Costa Rica reached the second round, eliminating countries such as Scotland and Sweden.
In 2002 the team was purchased by Mexican entrepreneur Jorge Vergara, also the owner of Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara and the operator of Major League Soccer club C.D. Chivas USA. In 2005 Deportivo Saprissa beat Pumas de UNAM (Mexico) to become CONCACAF Club Champions thus earning a berth at the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup, where Saprissa finished third behind São Paulo Futebol Clube and Liverpool F.C..
Having defeated Sydney F.C. thanks to a goal by Cristian Bolaños, they were beaten by Liverpool F.C. 3-0 in the semifinals. Then they played against Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in the game that decided the third and fourth places of the cup. Saprissa won the game with a final score of 3-2. The electrifying match was held at Yokohama Stadium, where Alvaro Saborío scored two goals, and Ronald Gomez scored the final goal just minutes before the game ended. Gomez's goal was considered among the best of the tournament, Saborío ended up tied as the top scorer of the cup, and Cristian Bolaños was awarded by FIFA as the third best player of the championship.
Deportivo Saprissa has also ventured out by branding itself such as buying Fusion Tibas in Costa Rica's second division league and renaming them Saprissa, they also own a team in Costa Rica's women's soccer league, a basketball team in Costa Rica's Liga Superior de Baloncesto, and a cycling team. Deportivo Saprissa has become Costa Rica's most visible and marketable sports brand.
[edit] El Monstruo Morado
The history of the nickname "El Monstruo Morado" (The Purple Monster) can be traced back to 1987 when the Costa Rican newspaper El Diario Extra (a low-class newspaper) named the team this during the Costa Rican derby between Deportivo Saprissa and La Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. A reporter said due to the fans wearing purple and the grandstands at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in Tibas shaking he felt he was in the presence of a purple monster. Deportivo Saprissa immediately adopted the moniker of El Monstruo Morado. Official site: [1]
[edit] La Ultra Morada
La Ultra Morada (The Purple Ultra) is Deportivo Saprissa's official firm. The group was the first of its kind in Costa Rica, formed in 1995 when the then Deportivo Saprissa President Enrique Artiñano brought to Costa Rica, fans from the Chilean league team Universidad Católica, known as "Los Cruzados" to help build a likeminded firm for Saprissa. In the mid to late 1990s the Ultra began to develop the image of being a hooligan-type fan club when violence began to break out with other fans during games. Due to the negative atmosphere and press Deportivo Saprissa stepped in to restore order to a phenomenon they helped create. Recently the Ultra Morada has been taken under the wing of Deportivo Saprissa in order to fix its image, making it a more stable but devoted fan base.
- Official Ultra morada website:
[edit] Estadio Ricardo Saprissa
In 1955 Ricardo Saprissa embarked on a long search for a training site. Not only did he want this to be a training site but he wanted it to be a possible location for a permanent stadium that Deportivo Saprissa could call their own. Ricardo Saprissa had criteria for the location of the stadium, he wanted easy transportation access to the location and he also wanted it to be near the capital city of San Jose, but also at the same time he wanted to be close enough for the other provincial cities such as Alajuela, Cartago, and Heredia. On August 3rd, 1965 after 10 years of searching Ricardo Saprissa came to a final solution and agreed to buy land in San Juan de Tibas but construction would not begin until October 12, 1966. The location would be first built into a soccer field with bleachers and technically it would not be considered a stadium. But on October 29, 1972 after 6 years of construction and upgrades Estadio Ricardo Saprissa was inaugurated with a match between Deportivo Saprissa and Comunicaciones of Guatemala, the match ended in a 1 - 1 draw. In 2003 due to the long tropical rainy seasons Deportivo Saprissa applied and was granted by FIFA the right to change the field from natural grass to synthetic turf, becoming the only stadium in Latin America to display this type of turf. Estadio Ricardo Saprissa has also gained the national distinction of being the home field of Costa Rica's national matches. Estadio Ricardo Saprissa is the biggest soccer stadium in Costa Rica with a seating capacity of 23,112 and has an excellent view of the local mountains and downtown San Jose.
[edit] Recent News
As of October 28, 2006, the Costa Rican Football Federation, or Federación Costarricense de Fútbol, has announced that the new coaching staff for the Costa Rica national football team is Saprissa's head coach, Hernan Medford, his assistant Oscar Ramírez, and his head athletic trainer Marcelo Tulbovitz.
[edit] List of famous players
Note: The Players marked '(c)' have also coached the team
[edit] 1950s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Guillermo León (Viriguas)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rodolfo Sanabria (El Cholo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mario Cordero (Catato) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Greivin Zumbado
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rigoberto Rojas (Feo) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jorge Hernan Monge (Cuty)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Marvin Rodríguez (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mario Pérez (El Flaco)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Guillermo Hernández (Coco) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Constantino Quirós (Tulio)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jose Soto (Saningo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Ulises Aguero
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Carlos Vivó Gobán
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Giovanny Rodríguez (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rodolfo Herrera
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alex Sanchez Cruz (El Nene)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rubén Jiménez (La Rata)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alvaro Murillo
[edit] 1960s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mario Cordero (Catato) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Marvin Rodríguez (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mario Pérez (El Flaco)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rigoberto Rojas (Feo) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jorge Hernan Monge (Cuty)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rodolfo Umaña
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Eduardo Umaña
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Guillermo Hernández (Coco) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Giovanny Rodríguez (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alvaro Murillo
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Miguel Cortes
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Victor Manuel Ruiz (El Cholo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Edgar Marín
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Fernando Hernández (El Príncipe)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Wálter Elizondo
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Eduardo Chavarría (El Flaco)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jaime Grant
[edit] 1970s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Edgar Marín
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Fernando Hernández (El Príncipe)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Carlos Solano
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Marco Antonio Rojas
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Wilberth Barquero
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Juan Gutiérrez
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Carlos Santana (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Francisco Hernández (Chico)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Heriberto Rojas
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Javier Masís (Michelin)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Fernando Solano
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Hernán Morales
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gerardo Ureña (El Puro)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jose Manuel Rojas (Chinimba)
- Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Odir Jaques (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Asdrubal Paniagua (Yuba)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gerardo Solano
[edit] 1980s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Evaristo Coronado (El Caballero del Futbol) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Hernán Medford (El Pelícano) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Alexandre Guimaraes (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Benjamín Mayorga (El Indio)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Enrique Díaz (El Zancudo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alexánder Sáenz
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Luis Fernández (Neco)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rodrigo Kenton
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alexis Camacho
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Juan Arnoldo Cayasso
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Carlos Santana (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Marco Antonio Rojas
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rónald Mora (El Macho)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Roger Flores
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Enrique Rivers (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Guillermo Guardia (El Nica)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Carlos Mario Hidalgo
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Vladimir Quesada
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Freddy Méndez
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Tomás Segura
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Miguel Segura
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jorge Jiménez (Pipiolo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg José Jaikel
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Carlos Vivó Quirós
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rolando Villalobos (El Cadaver) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gerardo Ureña (El Puro)
[edit] 1990s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Evaristo Coronado (El Caballero del Futbol) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Hernán Medford (El Pelícano) (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Alexandre Guimaraes (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Benjamín Mayorga (El Mincho)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Enrique Díaz (El Zancudo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Juan Arnoldo Cayasso
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Marvin Obando
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Victor Badilla
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Roger Flores
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Edwin Salazar (Sarapiquí)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Giancarlo Morera
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Erick Lonnis
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Max Sánchez
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jervis Drummond
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Hermidio Barrantes
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Juan Carlos Arguedas
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Harold Wallace
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rolando Fonseca (El Principito)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Ronald González
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mauricio Wright
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Randall Row
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Roy Myers (El Maravilloso)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gerald Drummond
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Víctor Cordero
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jeaustin Campos (c)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Steven Bryce
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Javier Wanchope
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Oscar Ramírez (El Machillo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Vladimir Quesada
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Adrián Mahía
- Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Adonis Hilario
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Alejandro Larrea
[edit] 2000s to date
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alvaro Saborío (Sabo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Walter Centeno (El Paté)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jervis Drummond
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gonzalo Segares
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Rónald Gómez (La Bala)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg José Francisco Porras (Porritas)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Ronald González
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Juan Bautista Esquivel (Juancho)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gilberto Martínez (El Tuma)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alonso Solís (El Mariachi)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Víctor Cordero
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Daniel Torres
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jonathan Bolaños
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Try Bennett
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Victor Núñez (El Mambo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Douglas Sequeira
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Froylan Ledezma (El Cachorro)
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Jose Cancela
- Image:Flag of Honduras.svg Amado Guevara (El Lobo)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg William Sunsing
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg José Luis López Ramírez (El Pupy)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Christian Bolaños
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gabriel Badilla
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Pablo Brenes
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Wilson Muñoz
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Randall Azofeifa
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Allan Alemán
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gerald Drummond
[edit] Notable Coaches
[edit] 1950s - 1960s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Francisco García (Pachico)
- Image:Flag of Spain.svg Eduardo Viso Abella
- Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Otto Pedro Bumbell
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Carlos Peucelle
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alfredo Piedra (Chato)
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg José Ramos
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mario Cordero (Catato)
[edit] 1970s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Marvin Rodríguez
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Geovanny Rodríguez
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Guillermo Hernández
- Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jozef Karel
[edit] 1980s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Giovanny Rodríguez
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Raúl Betancourt
- Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jozef Bouska
- Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Odir Jaques
[edit] 1990s
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Alexandre Guimaraes
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Carlos Linaris
- Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Luis García (El Chiqui)
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Carlos Watson
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Julio César Cortés (El Pocho)
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Jorge Mario Olguín
- Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Valdeir Vieira (Badú)
[edit] 2000s to date
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Manuel Keossián
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Hernán Medford
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jeaustin Campos
[edit] Current Administrative Staff
General Manager
Football Operations Manager
Commercial Manager
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mario Jiménez
[edit] Current Coaching Staff
Head Coach
Assistant Coaches
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Randall Row
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Ronald González
Head Athletic Trainer
Goalkeeper's Coach
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Roger Mora
Team Physician
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Willy Gálvez
[edit] Current squad 2006/07
The players and numbers are established according to the official website: www.saprissa.co.cr
[edit] Current squad 2006/07
As of 15 August 2006.
[edit] Squad changes during 2006/07 season
In:
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Mauricio Wright - Signed From C.S. Herediano
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Randall Porras - Signed From Municipal Osa
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alejandro Alpizar - Signed From L.D. Alajuelense
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Jairo Arrieta - Signed From Brujas F.C.
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Edgar Greaves - Signed From Universidad de Costa Rica
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Ever Alfaro - Signed From C.S. Herediano
Out:
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Randall Azofeifa - Transferred To K.A.A. Gent
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Ronald Gomez - Transferred To Apoel FC
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Alvaro Saborío - Loaned To FC Sion
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Gerald Drummond - Transferred To C.S. Herediano
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Ronald Gonzalez - Retired
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Juan Bautista Esquivel - Retired
- Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg Wilson Muñoz - Retired
[edit] Costa Rican National Championships
Deportivo Saprissa has won 24 Total Costa Rican National Championships:
- 1952-53
- 1953-54
- 1957-58
- 1962-63
- 1964-65
- 1965-66
- 1967-68
- 1968-69
- 1969-70
- 1972-73
- 1973-74
- 1974-75
- 1975-76
- 1976-77
- 1977-78
- 1982-83
- 1988-89
- 1989-90
- 1993-94
- 1994-95
- 1997-98
- 1998-99
- 2003-04
- 2005-06
[edit] Costa Rican Short Championships
Deportivo Saprissa has won 6 short championships: (These are not total national championships)
- 1997-98 Clausura
- 1998-99 Apertura
- 1998-99 Clausura
- 2003-04 Apertura
- 2005-06 Apertura
- 2005-06 Clausura
[edit] International Tournament Championships
Deportivo Saprissa has won 10 international championships: (Plus a third place in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship)
- 1970 CONCACAF Central American Champions
- 1972 Fraternidad Centroamericana Champions
- 1973 Fraternidad Centroamericana Champions
- 1978 Fraternidad Centroamericana Champions
- 1985 U.S. Camel Cup Champions
- 1993 CONCACAF Tournament Champions
- 1995 CONCACAF Tournament Champions
- 1998 Copa del Torneo Grandes de Centroamérica Champions
- 2003 UNCAF Cup Champions
- 2005 CONCACAF Club Champions (Representing North America in the FIFA Club World Championship - Third place)
[edit] External links
- (English) (Japanese) (Spanish) Official Web Site
- http://www.saprissa.com
| Image:Flag of Costa Rica.svg Primera División de Costa Rica 2006/07 teams: |
| LD Alajuelense | Brujas FC | AD Carmelita | CS Cartaginés | CS Herediano | Liberia Pérez Zeledón | Puntarenas FC | AD San Carlos | AD Santacruceña | Santos | Saprissa |
de:Deportivo Saprissa es:Deportivo Saprissa fr:Deportivo Saprissa nl:Deportivo Saprissa ja:デポルティーボ・サプリサ pl:Deportivo Saprissa pt:Deportivo Saprissa


