Alianza Lima
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| Alianza Lima | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Club Alianza Lima | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | "Los Grones", "Los Íntimos", "Los Blanquiazules" |
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| Founded | 1901 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Estadio Alejandro Villanueva, Lima |
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| Capacity | 35,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Alfonso de Souza Ferreira | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Gerardo Pelusso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Primera División Peruana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | 6th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alianza Lima is one of the most popular football club from Peru [1]. It was founded on 15 February 1901 and plays in the First Division of the Peruvian football league. The club has won the national championship 22 times. They play their home games at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva.
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[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings
The club was founded on February 15, 1901 as Sport Alianza by a group of young workers of a horse stud called "Alianza", property of former President of Peru, Augusto B. Leguía). The stud was located in downtown Lima at the time.
Its first uniform consisted of vertical green and white stripes, similar to the uniforms worn by the stud's jockeys. It later changed to the current uniform, dark blue and white vertical stripes. The closeness between players earned them the nickname Los íntimos ("The intimates").
Alianza participated in the Peruvian football league since the first season 1912, winning its first title in 1918. During its first years, it played irregularly against other teams from Lima and the port of Callao. Its matches against Atlético Chalaco from Callao stirred interest as a clash between limeños and chalacos. Sport Alianza had started to become a popular team drawing large support.
[edit] Three-peat and relegation
While the Alianza stud changed owners and locations continuously, the team was forced to constantly relocate in turn, until 1928, when under the new name Alianza Lima, the club settled in the third block of the Manco Capac avenue in the La Victoria District, where it would stay and become emotionally attached.
That same year they played against the Federación Universitaria (University Federation) for the first time, which would be later renamed Universitario de Deportes and become their greatest rivals in what is today the most important Peruvian derby.
The 1930s brought great joy and frustration to the team. In 1931, 1932 and 1933, Alianza Lima won three championships in a row for the first time in Peruvian football. But the memory of this achievement should be tainted by the relegation in 1938. After a year in the Second Division the team returned to the first level and has stayed there ever since.
[edit] Titles
Alianza Lima has traditionally fought for the first places in Peruvian leagues, and yielded great players to the country. During the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Alianza would win 10 championships, with two in a row in 1977 and 1978, when its players formed almost the entirety of the Peru national football team. By this time, the club already played at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva in La Victoria, located in the neighborhood of Matute where there is vast identification with the team.
[edit] 1980s decade
The 1980s were probably the most bitter years in the club's history. During the first years of the decade, despite having very good players, Alianza could not obtain titles, some which were snatched by Sporting Cristal, which was establishing itself as one of the three big clubs.
[edit] 1987 air disaster
In 1987, Alianza Lima was first in the standings with a few matches left, and it looked like a new title would be obtained, but tragedy would get in the way. On 7 December of that year, Alianza made a trip to Pucallpa to play against Deportivo Pucallpa for the league. The match was won 1-0, with Carlos Bustamante scoring. The team took a charter flight for the round trip. The return flight departed on 8 December in a Peruvian Navy Fokker F27 airplane, which crashed into the sea when it was a few kilometers away from the Lima-Callao Airport, close to the Ventanilla district in Callao. The only survivor was the pilot, all the players and the coaching staff died.
Alianza finished the championship playing with youngsters and a few players on loan from Chilean club Colo Colo, which had suffered a similar tragedy and offered to help. Friendship between both teams has been strong since then. Alianza could not keep the first place and its greatest rival, Universitario de Deportes, obtained the title.
The team had to restart from scratch and even former players who had already retired, like Teófilo Cubillas, or others who were about to, like Cesar Cueto, returned to play to help the club get out of these bitter times.
Alianza Lima was close to relegation in 1988, but it managed to hold on in the last matches. In the next few years, despite being competitive, it failed to obtain a title. This drought extended until 1997, which closed 18 sad seasons without winning a single championship and having lost a very promising team.
[edit] The titles and the centenary
In 1997, Alianza Lima obtained its first title since 1978, under Colombian manager Jorge Luis Pinto. In 1999 it came in second place, after losing to Universitario in the finals. In the early hours of year 2000, tragedy struck again, when the young captain, Sandro Baylón died in a car accident after crashing with a post.
In 2001 the club celebrated its centenary and obtained the national title after beating Cienciano in Cusco, after penalty kicks. Later on, Alianza Lima would win the 2003 and 2004 championships, after defeating Sporting Cristal in both finals, this time under Argentinian manager Gustavo Costas. In the year 2006 Alianza Lima won again the championship beating Cienciano del Cusco in the play-off, becoming so far the most successful team of the Peruvian League in the 21st Century.
[edit] Uniform
The team's home uniform consists of a shirt with navy blue and white vertical stripes, navy blue shorts and navy blue socks. Its away uniform is not commonly used nor well established, playing sometimes in blue or in white.
During the month of October, as a tribute to the "Señor de los Milagros", patron saint of the team, the regular uniform is switched for an alternative purple one. The color purple is often associated with the religious image and its procession.
[edit] Stadium
The Club's headquarters are located at the district of la Victoria, city of Lima.
The infrastructure includes the Stadium Alejandro Villanueva with a capacity for approximately 35,000 spectators, training facilities and administrative offices.
[edit] Fans
The main fan organization is known as "Comando Sur". They receive this name because they locate themselves in the Southern Bleachers of the Stadium. The word Sur (which means South in English) is written with a v because the letter U identifies their eternal rival (Universitario de Deportes).
There is a strong rivalry between Comando Svr and the Trinchera Norte (the biggest fan organization in la U).
In the other bleachers there are also other fan groups: in the eastern bleachers (Tribuna Oriente) we find the fan group known as "Los de Oriente" and in the western bleachers (Tribuna Occidente) the fan group called "Los de Abajo".
[edit] Current squad
As of February 5, 2007[1]
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Note: The current squad shown is the one used for the Copa Libertadores matches of 2007. Some players have selected a different number for the Peruvian First Division.
[edit] Noted players
Many of the most notable players in Peruvian football have played in Alianza Lima, with the following standing out:
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[edit] Achievements
- Peruvian First Division
- Peruvian Second Division
- Winners (1): 1939
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Club Alianza Lima Official Club Website
- alianzalima.tv Fan Website
- Comando Svr Official Ultra Supporters Group Website
[edit] Notes
- ^ Alianza Lima Squad 2007. Conmebol.com. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
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| Alianza Atlético | Alianza Lima | Arequipa Total | Cienciano | Coronel Bolognesi | Deportivo Municipal | FBC Melgar Sport Áncash | Sport Boys | Sporting Cristal | Universidad San Martín | Universitario de Deportes edit |
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| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 edit | |
