L.D.U. Quito
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| File:LDU Quito logo.png | |||
| Full name | Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito | ||
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| Nickname(s) | La Liga Los Albos (The Whites) Los Centrales Los Merengues (The Meringues) Los Azucenas (The Lilies) Los Universitarios (The Collegiates) Rey de Copas | ||
| Founded | January 11, 1930 | ||
| Ground | Estadio de Liga Deportiva Universitaria Quito, Ecuador | ||
| Capacity | 55,104[1] | ||
| Chairman |  Carlos Arroyo | ||
| Manager |  Edgardo Bauza | ||
| League | Serie A | ||
| 2009 | 4th | ||
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Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito —often referred to as LDU Quito, or Liga de Quito, or simply la Liga— is an Ecuadorian professional football club based in Quito, Ecuador. They play in the Serie A, the highest level of the Ecuadorian professional football league.
LDU Quito is the current holder of both the Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana (the latter of which they successfully defended in 2010). It was the first Ecuadorian club to win the Copa Libertadores (where it became the first Ecuadorian club to win an international tournament) and one of only three teams —Boca Juniors and Internacional being the other two— to have achieved the CONMEBOL treble, winning all three continental club tournaments. LDU Quito was additionally the runner-up at the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. The club has won twenty domestic titles, including nine Serie A championships, two Serie B titles, a record six professional Inter-Andean titles, and three amateur Pichincha titles.
LDU Quito has its roots in the semi-pro sports teams at the Central University of Ecuador, and was officially founded in 1930. Rival clubs include Quito clubs Aucas, Deportivo Quito, El Nacional, and Universidad Católica, as well as Guayaquil-based club Barcelona. The squad plays its home games at the Estadio de Liga Deportiva Universitaria, more commonly referred to as La Casa Blanca.
History
Creation and early years (1930-1953)
LDU Quito's roots lie in a semi-pro sports team based out of the Universidad Central del Ecuador in 1918, headed by Dr. César Jácome Moscoso. Under the leadership of Dr. Bolívar León, the club was officially founded on January 11, 1930.[2] In the early days, Liga participated in a variety of disciplines, including soccer, basketball, athletics, boxing, baseball, swimming, ping-pong, and chess. The club's initial budget was about 500 sucres. The first team's players were students from the university, and had to pay for their own uniforms, medicines, and expenses. Dr. León designed the first uniform, placing its crest, a white "U" on an inverted red and blue triangle, on a white shirt, honoring the team's beginnings at the university. Amongst Liga's first players were Carlos Andrade Marín, Oswaldo Mosquera, Alfonso Cevallos, Alfonso Troya and "El Mono" Icaza.
In 1932, LDU Quito won their first football title at an amateur Pichincha tournament; there was no national amateur league at the time. Five teams participated: Liga, Gladiador, Gimnástico, Atlético, and Cleveland. Liga won all their games, and in the final match, played at the Estadio El Ejido, defeated Gladiador by a score of 4-0. Playing for Liga were Jorge Zapater, Eduardo Flores, Alfonso Cevallos, César González, Jorge Vallarino, Jorge Naranjo, Bolívar "Ñato" León, Alejandro Dávalos, Humberto Yáñez, Humberto Freire, and Ernesto Guevara, with Bolívar León as coach. LDU would also win amateur titles in 1952 and 1953, before the league turned professional the following year.
Beginning of professional era (1954-1966)
By 1954, the amateur football association in Pichincha had evolved into the Asociación de Fútbol No Amateur de Pichincha (English: Pichincha Non-Amateur Football Association), which subsequently organized a professional league for their member clubs from Quito and Ambato. The inaugural Campeonato Professional Interandino (English: Inter-Andean Professional Championship) was held in 1954. Liga won the league's first title, under the management of Lucho Vásquez. The club finished as the runner-up in 1955 and 1956, before winning again in 1958 under Argentine Roberto Ortega. The club won four titles during the 1960s, in 1960, 1961, 1966, and 1967, and finished as runner-up in 1962, 1963, and 1964. LDU Quito had the most successful run of any professional Interandino-era club, accumulating a total of 6 regional titles.
In 1957 and from 1960 onwards, winning the Interandino title qualified a team to participate in a tournament which crowned a national champion of Ecuadorian professional football. Liga first participated in 1960, after winning the Interandino cup that year. The team's three subsequent Interandino victories did not lead to a national title; the club's best performance was a third place finish in 1964.
Foreign players became integral to the squad during the 1960s. International players included Paulista José Gomes Nogueira in 1960, Chilean Román Soto in 1961, and Paraguayan José María Ocampo in 1966.
National success, relegation, and comeback (1967-1989)
In 1967, all regional tournaments were discontinued in favor of a single national tournament. Liga won its first national championship in 1969, one year after joining the new league, under the leadership of Brazilian José Gomes Nogueira. Liga's ranks at the time included Francisco "El Tano" Bertocchi, Jorge Tapia, Armando "Tito" Larrea, Carlos Ríos, Santiago Alé, Enrique Portilla, and Ramiro Tobar. Liga's victory granted the club its first Copa Libertadores participation in 1970, where it reached the second phase of the tournament, with '"El Tano" Bertocchi tying for the title of top goalscorer of the tournament.
LDU Quito's success was short-lived; in 1972, the club finished seventh of the eight teams participating in the Serie A. At the time, only four teams from the province of Pichincha could play in the top flight. As the worst-performing Pichincha team, Liga took part in a playoff match against the best-performing Pichincha team in Serie B, Universidad Católica, for a berth in the next season's Serie A tournament. Liga lost the match, relegating it to Serie B for the 1973 season, at the end of which the club faced a second relegation, down to the Segunda Categoria of Ecuadorian football. The club was able to gain promotion back to the Serie B in time for the 1974 season. After winning the first stage of the 1974 Serie B, Liga returned to the Serie A after two years in the lower flights. Liga's rise continued as the team won their second national title after defeating El Nacional. The success was followed by another title win in 1975, marking Liga's first back-to-back national championships. Liga's 1975 and 1976 Copa Libertadores participations saw the squad twice reach the semifinals of the continental tournament. Key to Liga's success were players Polo Carrera, Oscar Zubia, Jorge Tapia, Gustavo Tapia, Walter Maesso, Juan Carlos Gómez, Ramiro Tobar, Juan José Pérez, and Roberto Sussman, along with Colombian coach Leonel Montoya. Liga would round out the decade with a runners-up finish in 1977, allowing for another Copa Libertadores participation in 1978.
In contrast to the team's good performances after coming back from relegation, the 1980s were a dismal decade for the club. Liga's best performance during that period was a runners-up finish in 1981, and a subsequent Copa Libertadores participation in 1982. Player Paulo Cesar was the top Serie A goalscorer in 1981.
Rise to powerhouse status (1990-present)
In the two decades since 1990, LDU Quito enjoyed a period of domestic success. They started the 1990s with a national title, edging established powerhouse Barcelona. Before the end of the decade, Liga won two more national titles in 1998 and 1999. The 1998 title was won the year Liga inaugurated their new stadium, La Casa Blanca, and ended with an impressive 7–0 win over Emelec.
In 2000, the club experienced a period of crisis. This crisis resulted in a poor performance in the national league and Liga was relegated to the Serie B that season. The club mananged to bounce back from relegation and won the Serie B in 2001 to gain promotion back to the Serie A. Two years later in 2003, Liga won their 7th national title. Liga added another two national titles in 2005 (Apertura) and 2007 to bring their current count to nine, placing them fourth all-time domestically. Their six titles since 1990 is the most of any team in that period.
International success (2008-present)
Prior to 2008, Liga had participated in sixteen international/continental tournaments. Their best success in South American football at the beginning of 2008 was reaching the semifinals of the 1975 Copa Libertadores, the 1976 Copa Libertadores, and the 2004 Copa Sudamericana.
On July 2, 2008, Liga became the first-ever Ecuadorian team to win the Copa Libertadores, after defeating Fluminense by 3-1 in a penalty shootout, after tying on points after extra time. LDU Quito's Libertadores title gained the club an automatic berth in the semi-finals of the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first non-Argentine or Brazilian CONMEBOL squad to participate in the tournament. Liga defeated Pachuca by 2-0 in their semifinal match, advancing to the final against 2007-08 UEFA Champions League winners Manchester United. Liga lost the final, which was played on December 21 at Yokohama, Japan, by a score of 1-0.
In June 2009, Liga, as the 2008 Copa Libertadores champion, participated in the 2009 Recopa Sudamericana against the 2008 Copa Sudamericana champion Internacional of Porto Alegre, Brazil. LDU Quito won the first leg, played at Beira Rio stadium in Porto Alegre, by a score of 1-0, with a goal from Claudio Bieler. In the second leg, played at La Casa Blanca, Liga won 3-0 with goals from Carlos Espínola, Claudio Bieler, and Enrique Vera. The 2009 Recopa title was Liga's second international title, as well as being the second international title ever achieved by any Ecuadorian club.
Soon after the Recopa victory, Liga earned their third international trophy in their history, the 2009 Copa Sudamericana. In a rematch of the 2008 Copa Libertadores Final, Liga edged Fluminense with a better goal difference over two legs by winning impressively at home 5-1 and losing 3-0 in Rio de Janeiro. On their way to the finals, they disposed of important clubs from all over South America, such as Libertad of Paraguay, Argentine clubs Lanús and Vélez Sársfield, and Uruguayan club River Plate.
With the Copa Sudamericana title, Liga is one of three teams to have won CONMEBOL's treble. Liga achieved this feat in exactly 17 months, less than the other clubs to have done that. Additionally, the qualified to play in the 2010 Recopa Sudamericana against Argentine club Estudiantes de La Plata. They won the first leg 2–1 with both goals coming from Hernán Barcos. The win at home in the first leg was enough to secure the title after both team drew the second leg 0–0. Liga became the third team to win back-to-back Recopa Sudamericanas.
LDU Quito and the national team
LDU Quito contributed many players to Ecuador's 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup-qualifying squads. Liga was the South American squad that contributed the most players to national teams, a total of seven Ecuadorian players: Patricio Urrutia, Edison Méndez, Agustín Delgado, Cristian Mora, Paúl Ambrosi, Giovanny Espinoza, and Néicer Reasco. Liga also contributed four players to Ecuador's first title-winning Under-17 squad, which won Ecuador's first official international football trophy at the 2007 Pan American Games. The four players were Deison Méndez, Pablo Ochoa, Carlos Delgado, and Israel Chango.
Colors and badge
Historically, Liga's badge consisted of a large red block-letter "U". In the 1990s, the team adopted the current badge, a white "U" superimposed on an inverted triangle. The colors of the triangle were the deep red and blue of the flag of the city of Quito. Throughout most of the decade and into the 2000s, the crest carried several blue stars above it representing Liga's league championships. After being removed from the jersey for a period of time, the blue stars were replaced by a single yellow star atop the badge following the Copa Libertadores win in 2008. Two more stars were added to commemorate the 2009 Recopa Sudamericana and Copa Sudamericana titles.
As indicated by their nickname, los Albos (The Whites), Liga's kit is historically all-white, with the team's crest over the left breast. The current alternate kit is red in color. Previous alternate kits were grey with orange detailing, gold with grey detailing (both domestic alternates), and black with red detailing (for the Copa Libertadores). During 2008, special kits were worn for the Copa Sudamericana (gold kit) and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup (black kit). Umbro is the team's kit provider, and Swiss cement company Holcim is the team's current shirt sponsor since 2008. Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, and Diner's Club International are also sponsors.
      2008 principal kit
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 2008 domestic alternate kit
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 2008 Copa Libertadores alternate kit
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2008 Copa Sudamericana alternate kit
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   2009 principal kit
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 2009 domestic alternate kit
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 2009 Copa Libertadores and 2009 Copa Sudamericana alternate kit
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 2009 Recopa Sudamericana alternate kit
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Stadium
Liga has used four stadiums for their home stadium. Their first stadium was Estadio Universitario César Aníbal Espinoza, on the grounds of the Universidad Central del Ecuador. In 1932, Liga moved to Estadio El Ejido, where a number of other teams in Quito used as a home ground. In 1962, Liga moved to Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, along with a number of other teams from the city. They would use that stadium as a home ground until 1996.
In 1997, LDU Quito inaugurated their own stadium, Estadio Casa Blanca, in the northern part of the city. It is the largest stadium in Quito in terms of capacity, and the second largest in Ecuador after the Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha in Guayaquil. The stadium officially opened on March 5, 1997 in a match against Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro. Liga won the match 3–1.
Supporters
LDU Quito is one of the most supported clubs in Ecuador. According to a recent study, Liga has the largest fanbase of any team in Quito and the Sierra region of Ecuador, commanding 46% and 38% of the fanbase, respectively. Nationally, Liga is the country's second most popular team with 23% of the total fanbase.[3] While historically not the second most popular team in the country, the team's recent domestic and international success has increased their fanbase nationwide.
The club's fans and supporters are known as liguistas (singular: liguista). The team's most diehard liguistas are known as La Muerte Blanca (English: The White Death). During home games, these fans situate themselves in the southern general stands of the Casa Blanca where they fervently cheer for Liga using large banners, flares, and drums.
Rivalries
LDU Quito has formed a number of footballing rivalries throughout its history. Their longest-standing rivalry is with Aucas, a southern Quito squad founded in 1945, making the two clubs the oldest in the city. Liga-Aucas matches are referred to as El Superclásico de Quito (English: The Quito Super Derby), and the rivalry traces its history back to the first match on February 1, 1945, which ended in a 1-1 tie. A second match, played on February 18, 1945, ended in a 2-2 draw. At the end of the 90 minutes, the game was 2-1; the timekeeper ended the match, but the referee did not notice, allowing the game to continue into extra time, where Aucas equalized the score. The Superclásico has not been played since 2006, when Aucas was relegated to the Serie B.
In the absence of intense rivalry with Aucas, Liga and its fans have developed a strong rivalry with Deportivo Quito.[4]The Clásico Capitalino (English: Capital Derby) is now the most important game in Quito and is considered a "must win" game of the season. In 2008 and 2009, the match had national championship implications that exacerbated the rivalry to a greater degree.
The small number of teams in the Ecuadorian first division means that matches between any two teams are played several times during the year, allowing important rivalries to develop between most of the teams. LDU Quito has rivalries with a number of teams in Quito: El Nacional, the Clásico Universitario against Universidad Católica and now-defunct club Politécnico; and also with teams from around the country, including Guayaquilean club Barcelona. Barcelona has been unable to defeat Liga at La Casa Blanca in more than twelve years of play there.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan[5]
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Noted squads
2008 Copa Libertadores winners squad
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2009 Recopa sudamericana winners squad
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2009 Copa Sudamericana winners squad
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Notable players
Listed according to debut.
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Top scorers
LDU Quito has had six players become the season top-scorer in the Serie A, five players become the top-scorer in the Campeaonato Profesional Interandino, three players as the top-scorer in the Copa Libertadores, one player become the top-scorer in the Copa Sudamericana, and one player become the top-scorer in the Copa CONMEBOL. The team's all-time top scorer is José Vicente Charro Moreno, with 68 goals.
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Serie A[6]
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Interandino[7]
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Copa Libertadores[8]
Copa Sudamericana
Copa CONMEBOL[9]
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World Cup players
The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted to LDU Quito.
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Noted managers
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Achievements
LDU Quito is one of the most successful clubs in the history of Ecuadorian football, with nine regional titles, nine national titles, and four international titles. Liga won three amateur titles in the Interandino amateur era, tying them for third overall with Gimnástico. In the Interandino's professional era, Liga won six titles, which makes them the most successful team. Nationally, the club has won nine national titles, the last one in 2007. Their national title count places them fourth overall behind Barcelona, El Nacional (both with thirteen titles), and Emelec (ten titles). Liga is the only Ecuadorian club have won international titles, of which they have won four.
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Statistics
| Competition | Part | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Eff | Champion | Runner-up | Other info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serie A | 49 | 1643 | 695 | 443 | 505 | 2518 | 1928 | +590 | 2528 | 51.29% | 9 | 3 | 4th all-time |
| Copa Libertadores | 14 | 121 | 46 | 29 | 46 | 171 | 167 | +4 | 167 | 46.01% | 1 | 0 | Best: Champion (2008) |
| Copa Sudamericana | 6 | 32 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 55 | 46 | +9 | 45 | 46.88% | 1 | 0 | Defending champion |
| Copa CONMEBOL | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 58.33% | 0 | 0 | Best: Quarterfinals (1998) |
| Club World Cup | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 50.00% | 0 | 1 | Best: Runner-up (2008) |
| Recopa Sudamericana | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 10 | 83.33% | 2 | 0 | Two-time defending champion |
| Note: Updated as of the end of the 2009 season (except the Recopa Sudamericana). | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ "El Estadio - Distribución" (in Spanish). LDU Quito. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Classic Club: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito". FIFA. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "Barcelona y Liga, los dos más grandes" (in Spanish). futbolecuador.com. March 31, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Ribadeneira, Alejandro (April 5, 2010). ""Más que un clásico"". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite news}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Liga (Q) es una matriz de jugadores". El Comercio (in Spanish). March 15, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Andrés, Juan Pablo; Espinoza Añazco, Fernando (January 29, 2010). "Ecuador - List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author1=and|last1=specified (help); More than one of|author2=and|last2=specified (help) - ^ Ávila Villagómez, Esteban (March 8, 2007). "Ecuador - Champions and Runners-up Interandinos". RSSSF. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help) - ^ Andrés, Juan Pablo; Pierrend, José Luis (July 10, 2004). "Copa Libertadores - Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author1=and|last1=specified (help); More than one of|author2=and|last2=specified (help) - ^ Andrés, Juan Pablo; Pierrend, José Luis (February 8, 2000). "Copa Conmebol Topscorers 1992-1999". RSSSF. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author1=and|last1=specified (help); More than one of|author2=and|last2=specified (help) - ^ "Época Amateur de Pichincha" (in Spanish). LDU Quito. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Fútbol Profesional" (in Spanish). LDU Quito. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Estadísticas Primera Categoría Serie "A"" (in Spanish). Ecuadorian Football Federation. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Estadísticas Primera Categoría Serie "B"" (in Spanish). Ecuadorian Football Federation. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Clubes de Primera Categoría "A"" (in Spanish). Ecuadorian Football Federation. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)