Club Deportivo Universitario

Club Deportivo Universitario
Full nameClub Deportivo Universitario
Nickname(s)La "U"
Universitarios
Founded1974 as Chorrillo FC
GroundEstadio Universitario
Penonomé, Panama
Capacity1,000
ChairmanManuel E. Arias
ManagerJose Anthony Torres
LeagueLiga Panameña de Fútbol
2023 (A)Champions (4th after regular season)

Club Deportivo Universitario (formerly Chorrillo F.C.) is a Panamanian football team playing in the Liga Panameña de Fútbol, the highest level of football in Panama.

It is based in Penonomé, Coclé Province, and is the first Panamanian team to play on a privately owned stadium facility.

History

Chorrillo FC was founded in 1974 to prevent youngsters from becoming involved in criminal activities.[1] They won promotion to the top fight for the first time in 2001 by beating Pan de Azúcar 2–1 in a promotion playoff. This was their second serious attempt at promotion, the first ending in a loss on penalties to Municipal de Colón.[2]

The club won its first title in Apertura 2011, beating Plaza Amador 4–1.[3] In May 2014 they won the 2014 Clausura title.[4] They won another title in Clausura 2014, and later in Apertura 2017, as well as twice finishing runners-up.

In 2018, financial problems forced Chorrillo FC to merge with CD Centenario and Panama City's Universidad Latina, the new name agreed is Club Deportivo Universitario. Parts of the agreement included that the team will be relocated to Penonomé on the Province of Coclé from Panama City´s El Chorrillo neighborhood, a construction of the new stadium that would be completed on late March 2019 and relocate/lease CD Centenario team from Penonomé to Colón Province as New York FC/Centenario.

Crest

The El Chorrillo district was heavily bombard by the United States Army during Operation Just Cause. The club adopted the phoenix emblem to symbolize the district's recovery.[5]

Honours

Players

Current squad

  • As of June 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  COL Esteban Giraldo
2 DF  PAN Samuel Batchelor
3 DF  PAN Samuel Batchelor
4 MF  PAN Luis Dean
6 MF  PAN Rolando Botello
7 MF  PAN Ricardo Castillo
8 MF  PAN Joel Guevara
10 MF  PAN Luis Canate
11 FW  COL Juan Vasquez
12 GK  PAN Ariel De la Cruz
14 MF  PAN Enrique Machacen
15 MF  PAN Nicolas Wood
16 DF  PAN Alejandro Yearwood
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW  PAN Andrick Edwards
19 DF  PAN Felix General
21 DF  PAN Osvaldo Valencia
22 FW  PAN Julian Rodriguez
24 FW  PAN Randy Rangel
26 DF  PAN Luis Gonzalez
27 MF  PAN Eric Moreno
39 FW  PAN Dilan Herbert
40 MF  PAN Eduardo Jiménez
43 MF  PAN Pablo Penalba
50 FW  PAN Roberto Reina
89 GK  PAN Joseph Esquina

Notable players

Historical list of coaches

  • Óscar Upegui (June 2018 - September 2018)
  • Julio Medina III (September 2018 - December 2018)
  • Gustavo Onaindia (December 2018 - March 2019)
  • Donaldo González (March 2019 - June 2019)
  • Leonardo Pipino (June 2019 - October 2019)
  • Richard Parra (October 2019 - December 2019)
  • Gary Stempel (January 2020 - February 2022)
  • Julio Infante (June 2022 - November 2023)
  • José Mario Anthony Torres (January 2024- May 2024)
  • Javier Miller (May 2024)
  • Ángel Sánchez (May 2024-Present)

References