Montevideo City Torque
| Full name | Club Atlético Torque | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Celeste, La T | ||
| Founded | 2007 December 26 | ||
| Ground | Estadio Casto Martínez Laguarda, San José, Uruguay | ||
| Capacity | 4,200 | ||
| Owner | City Football Group | ||
| President | Raúl Aquino | ||
| Manager | Pablo Marini | ||
| League | Primera División | ||
| 2017 | 1st (promoted) | ||
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Club Atlético Torque are a Uruguayan football club based in Montevideo. It was founded in 2007 and in 2018 it will participate in the Uruguayan Primera División for the first time in its history.
On April 6, 2017 the conversion of the club into a Public Limited Company and the purchase by City Football Group was confirmed. In this way, Torque joins Manchester City, New York City, Melbourne City and Yokohama Marinos, clubs that are also owned by that group.
History
Club Atlético Torque were founded on 26 December 2007 by Cancún-based Uruguayan businessman Raúl Aquino Reynoso, building on a vision of achieving glory from scratch.[1] To help him build his dream, Aquino contacted Marcelo Yaurreche, an electromechanic by trade, who had blogged on the concept of sporting ventures. Yaurreche's line of work ultimately went on to inspire the name of the team through the mechanical principle of torque as an indication of strength. The nascent club's first season of competition was played in the local Liga de Punta Carretas.[1]
Segunda División Amateur
Starting from the 2008–09, Torque entered the Uruguayan football league system in the third (and lowest) tier, the Segunda División Amateur. Their first season was very positive, going unbeaten for the 11 games of the Clausura tournament before losing the play-off for the overall league title against Oriental.[2] Oriental opted to turn down their promotion to the Segunda División, prompting Torque to submit an application to take it up in their place, but their application was rejected.
In the following seasons the club continued to place highly, never finishing lower than fifth in either the Apertura or Clausura tournaments. In May 2011 Torque merged with Huracán of the Segunda División to form a new club called Huracán Torque, but by August of the same year the merger was dissolved with the new side having played no games. Torque resumed its place in the Segunda División Amateur and at the fourth time of asking finally finished top of the overall table, winning promotion to the Segunda División for the 2012–13 season.[3]
Segunda División Profesional
Torque's first season in professional football again finished positively with a fifth-place finish, including denying high-flyers Tacuarembó automatic promotion to the Uruguayan top tier and potentially even the league title itself with a 4–0 victory in the final game of the season. Torque themselves qualified for the promotion play-offs, where they again defeated Tacuarembó, but they ultimately lost the play-off final on penalties.[4]
The following season was the club's first season of underachievement with Torque finishing in last place and eight points adrift of their nearest competitor.[5] They were, however, spared the ignominy of relegation as the division expanded to 15 clubs, causing the league's organisers to opt against relegating any clubs. The following seasons offered little improvement, with the club finishing some distance from the promotion places each time.
Takeover by City Football Group
On 20 March 2017, Uruguayan online sports news site Ovacion reported that the City Football Group, owners of Premier League side Manchester City and MLS team New York City FC amongst others, were close to completing negotiations for the purchase of Torque with the aim of using the club to assist in the signing of South American players.[6] Also reported was that CFG had been working with the club for some time in anticipation of the purchase to build it a new sports complex as well as to refurbish the Estadio Juan Antonio Lavalleja in Minas with a view to relocating the side to the city in order to help establish an identity for the club as well as to give it a larger potential fanbase.[6]
Following a series of further rumours of the imminence of the deal, it was publicly announced on 5 April 2017 that the takeover had been completed and ratified by the Uruguayan Football Association.[7]
Promotion and debut in First division
In 2017, led by Paulo Pezzolano, Torque formed a very strong team for the category and achieved the title with ease. Soccer players of the stature of Diego Martiñones, Ernesto Goñi, Hernán Figueredo, Martín Bonjour, Jonathan Cubero, Julian Lalinde and Leonardo Pais, among others; added to quality foreign reinforcements such as the Venezuelan Nahuel Ferraresi, the Colombian Javier Calle and the Argentine Valentin Castellanos. As soon as the promotion was decreed, Pezzolano announced that he would not continue the next season.
In the debut in the Primera División, the team will be directed by the Argentine Pablo Marini.
Uniform
- First uniform: light blue shirt, black pants, black averages.
- Second uniform: white shirt, black pants, black averages.
All Torque title shirts have been light blue, but from 2016 on, the shirt has included a big blue "T" on the chest on a light blue background. The alternative shirts are generally white, although it was gray in 2013. It is currently white with a big blue "T".
       2008-13
|
 2013
|
Alternative
2008-2013 |
Alternative
2013 |
 2016
|
 2016
|
 2017
|
   2018
|
    Alternative
2018 |
Kit manufacturers
| Years | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 2008-2013 |  Mgr sports
|
| 2012-2013 | Mategeor
|
| 2013-2016 | Fit
|
| 2017–present |
Players
First team squad
- As of 9 March 2018
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club information
Updated data for the 2018 season
- Seasons in Uruguayan Primera División: 1 (2018)
- Debut: 2018
- First match: Torque 2x4 Nacional, on February 3, 2018
- First goal in history: Jhoaho Hinestroza (Torque 2x4 Nacional, February 3, 2018)
- Seasons in Uruguayan Segunda División: 6 (2012–13 to 2017).
- Debut: 2012–13
- Seasons in Uruguayan Tercera División: 4 (2008–09 to 2011–12)
- First match: Torque 0x2 Platense, on October 12, 2008.[8]
- First goal in history: Gonzalo Larrosa (Torque 2x3 Uruguay Montevideo, on October 26, 2008).
- First triumph: Torque 2x1 Basáñez, on November 1, 2008.
Trajectory
| Season | Division | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 |  2ªB
|
7º | 38 |
| 2009–10 | 2ªB
|
3º | 43 |
| 2010–11 | 2ªB
|
4º | 50 |
| 2011–12 | 2ªB
|
1º 
|
64 |
| 2012–13 |  2ª
|
5º | 44 |
| 2013–14 | 2ª
|
14º | 15 |
| 2014–15 | 2ª
|
10º | 35 |
| 2015–16 | 2ª
|
7º | 27 |
| 2016 | 2ª
|
6ª | 15 |
| 2017 | 2ª
|
1°
|
53 |
| 2018 |  1ª
|
Honours
- Segunda División
- Winners (1): 2017
- Tercera División
- Winners (1): 2011–12
- Runner-up (1): 2008–09
References
- ^ a b "¡Ándale: en México nació la idea de crear a Torque" [Go! The idea of creating Torque was born in Mexico]. www.ovaciondigital.com.uy (in Spanish). 19 July 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Clausura: ¡Torque campeón!" [Clausura: Torque are champions!]. www.futbol.com.uy (in Spanish). 26 July 2013. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Uruguay 2011/12". rsssf.com. 21 Nov 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Uruguay 2012/13". rsssf.com. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Uruguay 2013/14". rsssf.com. 26 Feb 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ a b "El City pone un pie en Uruguay" [City sets foot in Uruguay] (in Spanish). 20 March 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "CFG Extends South American Footprint". Manchester City Official Website. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ RSSSF - Uruguay Third Level 2008/09
External links
Media related to Montevideo City Torque at Wikimedia Commons- El Ascenso Website
