Union Sportive Médina d'Alger, (Arabic: إتحاد رياضي مدينة الجزائر), known as USM Alger or simply USMA for short, is an football club based in the city of Algiers. The club was founded in 1937 and its colours are red and black. Their venue, the Stade Omar Hammadi, has a capacity of some 10,000. The club is currently playing in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1.
USM Alger are one of the most successful clubs in Algeria, having won the Algerian Championnat National 5 times and the Algerian Cup a record 7 times. The club also reached the semi-finals of the 2003 CAF Champions League and just missed out on the final of the 1997 CAF Champions League on goal differential.
[edit] History
In May 1937, a group of friends brimming with nationalism came up with the idea of creating a club.[1] The group was made up of Kamel Kemmat, Ali "Lahmar" Zaïd, Ali Slimani, Saïd Bennour, Arezki Meddad and Sid Ali Terkmane. Two months later, on July 5, 1937, the club was founded with its headquarters located at Rue du Divan, now known as Rue Abdelkader Aoua, in the Casbah neighborhood of Algiers. Along with the original members, the group was joined by Abdelkader Amrani, Omar Hamza, Omar Lakehal, Mohamed Ouali Basta, Mohamed Zennagui and Ali Cherifi. Arezki Meddad was selected as the first president of the club.
On July 16, 1963, USM Alger won the inaugural edition of the Algerian Championnat National after beating MC Alger 3-0 in the final of the national championship playoff.[2] The club reached the final after winning the central regional league and then beating USM Annaba 7-6 on corners in the semi-final.
In 1969, USM Alger reached the final of the Algerian Cup for the first time in the club's history. However, in the final, they lost 5-3 to CR Belcourt.[3]
[edit] Haddad era
On August 4, 2010, USM Alger went public in conjunction with the professionalization of the domestic league.[4] Algerian businessman Ali Haddad became the majority share owner after investing 700 million Algeria dinars to buy an 83% ownership in the club.[5] On October 27, 2010, Haddad replaced Saïd Allik as president of the club.[6] Allik had been the club's president for the past 18 years.
[edit] Honours
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- Winner: 1963, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2005
- Runner-up: 1998, 2001, 2004
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- Winner: 1981, 1988, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004
- Finalist: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1980, 2006, 2007
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- Semi-Finalist: 1997, 2003
[edit] Performance in CAF competitions
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- 1997 - Group Stage
- 2003 - Semi-Finals
- 2004 - Group Stage
- 2005 - Second Round
- 2006 - First Round
- 2007 - Preliminary Round
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- 2005 - Intermediate Round
- 2007 - First Round
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- 1999 - Quarter-Finals
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- 1982 - Quarter-Finals
- 1989 - Quarter-Finals
- 1998 - Quarter-Finals
- 2000 - Disqualified in First Round
- 2002 - Semi-Finals
[edit] Current squad (2011-2012)
As of January 19, 2012:[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
[edit] On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
[edit] Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
[edit] Notable players
Below are the notable former players who have represented USM Alger in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1937. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 100 official matches for the club or represented the national team for which the player is eligible during his stint with USM Alger or following his departure.
For a complete list of former USM Alger players, see Category:USM Alger players
[edit] References
[edit] External links
(French) Non Official Site
