Atlético Morelia

Atlético Morelia
Full name	Club Atlético Morelia
Nickname(s)	Los Canarios (The Canaries)
Founded	June 4, 1950; 74 years ago
Ground	Estadio Morelos; Morelia, Michoacán
Capacity	35,000
Owner	List José Luis Higuera, Alberto Gabriel Guzmán, Arturo Rojas Díaz, Camelia Lizbeth Callejas, Carlos Antonio Díaz, Carlos Eduardo Garza, Domingo Ruiz, Gabriel Villaseñor, Gerardo Salvador Bustos, Gibrán González, Gonzalo Espinosa, José Félix, Roberto Santillán, Juan Martín Rivera, Martín Padilla, Zaid Gutiérrez, Raymundo López, Saúl Cerda, Víctor Manuel Mora, Jesús Antonio Contreras, Antonio Abraham;
Chairman	José Luis Higuera
Manager	Nacho Castro
League	Liga de Expansión MX
Apertura 2024	11th
Website	https://www.camorelia.com/

Club Atlético Morelia is a Mexican football club based in Morelia, Michoacán. Founded on 4 June 1950, the club competes in Liga de Expansión MX, the second tier of Mexican football.^[2] The club plays their home matches at the Estadio Morelos.

From 1981 to 2020, the club played in Mexico top-flight football league, winning the Invierno 2000 championship. On 2 June 2020, Monarcas Morelia relocated to Mazatlan and rebranded as Mazatlán F.C..^[3] A few weeks later, on 26 June, Atlético Zacatepec relocated to Morelia and rebranded as Atlético Morelia at the Liga de Expansión MX.^[4] On 11 June 2024, Atlético Morelia announced the acquisition of Monarcas Morelia brand, badge and history, thus becoming the lineal club founded in 1950.^[5]

Morelia has won the Liga de Expansión championship, in the Clasura 2022 season. It was the clubs second title, in a second division league.

History

Beginnings

In 1950 "Oro Morelia" changed the name to Club Deportivo Morelia. Morelia was among the teams that founded the Segunda División. After the 1956–1957 season, in which they ended up in second place, they were officially promoted into the Primera División to replace Puebla. After an unsuccessful season, in 1968 Atlético Morelia was relegated back to the Segunda División. During mixed 1968–1971 seasons, C.A. Morelia appointed Nicandro Ortiz as chairman. Ortiz acquired the team and strengthened its position in the league.

The July 1974 changes name in Club Atlético Morelia

The 1978–1979 season thrust Morelia into contention for promotion; Ortiz acquired the team and strengthened its position in the league, Nicandro Ortiz as chairman in 1980, Atlético Morelia played under manager Diego Malta who helped his team towards the Mexico Championship and finally promotion to the Primera División in 1981.

In 1986 before the World Cup in Mexico Atletico Morelia played friendlies against Germany Losing 2-1 and against the URSS again losing 4-1.

In 1996 the major broadcast company TV Azteca bought the team. In 1999 the club started playing under the name Club Monarcas Morelia.

Although the team had played Mexican professional football for 70 years, it had never won a first division tournament until winter 2000, when the club raised the cup after beating Toluca on penalties. The team was crowned champions away in the Bombonera Stadium. On the day after the victory, a crowd that some^[who?] estimate at 100 thousand people welcomed the team as it paraded along Morelia's main avenue, Avenida Madero on their way to the stadium where the crowd congregated as the team raised the cup and the fans congratulated the team for its first ever first division trophy.

After missing the playoffs for three consecutive tournaments, Morelia finished in third place in the general table in the Apertura 2009. Morelia defeated Santos Laguna in the first round, 4–2 on aggregate. Morelia was then defeated by Cruz Azul in a semi-final that was filled with controversy due to Cruz Azul player Joel Huiqui intentionally using his hand to hit the ball away and prevent Morelia midfielder Wilson Tíago from scoring. (Huiqui later played for Morelia.) With a 2–1 aggregate score, Morelia was eliminated. Morelia qualified for the 2010 Copa Libertadores by ending in third place in the classification phase. It was the second time that Morelia participated in the Copa Libertadores, the first being in 2002. Morelia was the Runner-up of the Clausura 2011, after a hard-fought final against Pumas. Pumas won the tie 3–2 on aggregate, taking the trophy home.

In 2010, Morelia became the SuperLiga champion, with a 2–1 victory in the finals over the New England Revolution in which Miguel Sabah scored both Morelia goals.

On November 5, 2013 Monarcas Morelia won their first Copa MX title in a 3–3 match that went to penalties, where they would take the victory. This title also allowed them to participate in the inaugural edition Supercopa MX, which they won against Tigres UANL with a global score of 5–4.

Relegation struggles

After 15 years, a dismal 2014–15 campaign left Monarcas as one of the last teams in the relegation table, an aggregate of a club's most recent points totals that decides which teams will be relegated. As a result, Enrique Meza was chosen to be the coach for the Apertura 2015 season. Meza had already saved Morelia before, in the 1995–96 season. After no notable improvement in team performance, Meza was let go from the position of head coach in 2016, with Roberto Hernandez taking over as interim manager. Hernandez's tenure would coincide with the signing of Peruvian forward Raul Ruidiaz on loan from Universitario. The signing of Ruidiaz would prove to be crucial to the club's fortunes, as he would go on to score 20 goals throughout the 2016-2017 Liga MX season, finishing as top scorer with 11 goals in the Apertura and 9 goals in the Clausura. In the following season, Morelia was in danger of being relegated on the final match day of the Apertura, residing in last place in the relegation table and needing a victory over Monterrey to avoid the drop. Tied 1-1 in injury time, Raul Rudiaz scored a crucial winner that moved them out of the relegation zone, with Jaguares de Chiapas being relegated in their stead. Ruidiaz's goal additionally qualified them for that season's liguilla, its first since the 2016 Clausura.

Relocation

On May 23, 2020, various news outlets in Mexico reported the club would be relocating from Morelia to Mazatlán, Sinaloa and would be called Mazatlán F.C.^[6]^[7]^[8] The club's owner, Grupo Salinas, reportedly were asking for $400 million MXN per year from the Government of Michoacán to keep the team in the city.^[9] The move was very unpopular among supporters, former players, and the sports media across Mexico.^[10] Despite stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 7,000 fans took to the streets of Morelia to protest the team's move.^[11]

On June 2, 2020, the club and Liga MX announced the club's relocation to Mazatlán, just two days before the club's 70th anniversary.^[12]

Rebirth of Atlético Morelia

On June 26, 2020, Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla announced Atlético Zacatepec would be relocating to Morelia due to financial problems.^[13] The next day in a press conference at Estadio Morelos, it was announced the club would be called Club Atlético Morelia, the club's name for over 25 years before Grupo Salinas changed it in 1999.^[14] It was announced the ownership group would consist of former Guadalajara President José Luis Higuera as well as various businessmen from the state of Michoacán.^[15] The ownership group acquired the rights to the club's name and logo, both which were owned by Grupo Salinas.^[16]

Badges

First badge (1950–1972)
Second badge (1981–1984)
Third badge (1985–1999)
Fourth badge (1999–2020)
Fifth badge (2020–present)

Names Changes

Oro Morelia (1924–1950): Name of the club at its foundation, used in the period before entering professional football.
Club Deportivo Morelia (1950–1972): Official name of the club after reaching the Segunda División.
Club Atlético Morelia (1972–1999): Name assumed after returning from suspension in 1971.
Club Monarcas Morelia (1999–2020): Name assumed two years after acquisition by broadcaster TV Azteca.
Club Atlético Morelia (2020–present): Name assumed after acquisition of the Zacatepec franchise.

Kit

The flag of Morelia.

The club's colors are generated from the city's flag which are yellow and red, which are the same colors in the Spanish flag, because the city is a novohispana city.

In the club's beginnings the club went under the name of Oro and were known as the canarios (canary) until 1999 when the club changed its name to Monarcas, due to the 3 monarchs found in the city's flag, which has been used from its foundation.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Period	Kit supplier	Main shirt sponsor(s)
1985–1989	Adidas	Martí
1989–1992	Adidas	Helados Holanda
1992–1993	Vicmar	Peñafiel
1993–1994	Vicmar	Coca-Cola
1994–1995	Aba Sport	Coca-Cola
1995–1996	Vicmar	Cerveza Superior
1996–1997	Umbro	Coca-Cola
1997–1998	Atletica	Coca-Cola
1998–2000		3 Hermanos
2000–2001		OrderExpress
2001–2009		LG
2009–2012		Roshfrans
2012–2013	Nike	Bridgestone
2013–2015	Joma	Bridgestone
2015	Pirma	Totalplay
2016–2020	Pirma	Caliente.mx
2020–2022	Keuka	Akron Avocados from Mexico
2022–2024		Akron Axen Capital
2024–		Akron ArcelorMittal

Stadium

Monarcas Morelia Stadium, Estadio Morelos

Towards the end of the 1980s it was decided that their stadium (Estadio Venustiano Carranza) was lacking capacity and that a new stadium with a greater number of seats needed to be constructed. On April 9, 1989, after several construction delays, Stadium Jose Maria Morelos and Pavón (located on the outskirts of the Quinceo mountain) was opened, and the inaugural game was between Atlético Morelia and Club América. The stadium has an official capacity of 45,000, although on inauguration in 1989 it is estimated that more than 50,000 were in attendance. Morelia won the match with the score 2–1. In 2011, the stadium was given a new look, seeing as the FIFA U-17 World Cup was taking place in Mexico.

Personnel

Management

Position	Staff
Chairman	José Luis Higuera
Vice-chairman	Raymundo López Olvera
Director of football	Christian Barrientos

Source: Liga MX

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Nacho Castro
Assistan manager	Vacant
Goalkeeper coach	Oscar Resano
Fitness coach	Darío Gutiérrez
Physiotherapist	Francisco Arias
Team doctors	Vicente Villalva
Team doctors	Julio Cambrón

Players

2012 squad.

Morelia has had some notable players in their history. Marco Antonio Figueroa is the club's all-time leading scorer with 130 goals. Adolfo Bautista, Rafael Márquez Lugo, Moisés Muñoz, Miguel Sabah, Joel Huiqui, Adrián Aldrete, Enrique Pérez, Édgar Lugo and Elias Hernandez, are some of the players that were called up to the Mexico national team while playing with the team. Raul Ruidiaz was the first Morelia player to achieve a Liga MX top scoring title.

First-team squad

As of 27 November 2024^[17]

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	MEX	Antonio Torres
7	MF	MEX	Omar Islas
8	FW	MEX	Joao Maleck
9	FW	MEX	Christopher Trejo (on loan from Atlas)
10	MF	MEX	Fernando Illescas
11	FW	MEX	Patricio Zerecero
13	DF	MEX	René López (on loan from Pachuca)
17	MF	MEX	Josué Gómez


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
18	MF	MEX	Jaziel Martínez (on loan from Monterrey)
19	MF	MEX	Diego Gallegos
21	FW	BRA	Laerte Polydoro
22	MF	MEX	Raúl Torres
24	DF	PAR	Rolando Ortíz
30	FW	MEX	Paolo Yrizar
32	DF	MEX	Walter Ortega
34	GK	MEX	Leonardo González

Reserve teams

Aguacateros CDU: Reserve team that plays in the Liga Premier, the third level of the Mexican league system.^[18]

Atlético Morelia-Universidad Michoacana: Reserve team that plays in the Liga TDP, the fourth level of the Mexican league system.^[19]

World Cup players

The following players were called to represent their country at the World Cup whilst playing for Morelia:

Olympic players

The following players were called to represent their country at the Summer Olympic Games whilst playing for Morelia:

Pablo López (1964)
Rafael Márquez Lugo (2004)

Top Goalscorers

Atletico Morelia
Rank	Player	Goals
1	Marco Antonio Figueroa	130 Goals
2	Alex Fernandes	71 Goals
3	Miguel Sabah	64 Goals
4	Carlos Miloc	59 Goals
5	Rafael Márquez Lugo^[20]	58 Goals

Includes top scorers from both Atletico Morelia & Monarcas Morelia
Does not include international competition goals

Honours

International record

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1988	CONCACAF Champions' Cup	Preliminary round	Coke Milpross	9–0	2–0	11–0
		First Round	Washington Diplomats	2–1	2–1	4–2
		Fourth Round	Alajuelense	Walkover¹
2002	Copa Libertadores	Pre-Libertadores	América	1–3	0–2	2nd
			Trujillanos	1–0	2–0
			Caracas	3–0	1–3
		Group 5	Vélez Sarsfield	0–0	3–2	1st
			Nacional	4–2	3–3
			Sporting Cristal	4–0	1–0
		Round of 16	Olmedo	3–2	5–0	8–2
		Quarter-finals	América	1–2	1–2	2–4
	CONCACAF Champions' Cup	First Round	Saprissa	2–0	1–1	3–1
		Quarter-finals	Chicago Fire	2–0	1–2	3–2
		Semi-finals	Kansas City Wizards	6–1	1–1	7–2
		Final	Pachuca	0–1
2003	CONCACAF Champions' Cup	Round of 16	Comunicaciones	4–0	0–1	4–1
		Quarter-finals	Columbus Crew	6–0	0–2	6–2
		Semi-finals	Necaxa	6–0	0–0	6–0
		Final	Toluca	3–3	1–2	4–5
2007	SuperLiga	Group B	D.C. United	1–1		4th
			Houston Dynamo	1–1
			América	2–3
2010	Copa Libertadores	Group 6	Banfield	1–1	1–2	3rd
			Nacional	0–0	0–2
			Deportivo Cuenca	2–1	0–2
	SuperLiga	Group B	Chicago Fire	5–1		2nd
			Pumas UNAM	2–2
			New England Revolution	0–1
		Semi-finals	Houston Dynamo	1–0
		Final	New England Revolution	2–1
2011	CONCACAF Champions League	Preliminary round	Tempête	5–0	2–0	7–0
		Group A	Alajuelense	2–1	0–1	2nd
			Motagua	4–0	2–0
			LA Galaxy	2–1	1–2
		Quarter-finals	Monterrey	1–3	1–4	2–7
2014	Copa Libertadores	First Stage	Santa Fe	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
2015	Copa Libertadores	First Stage	The Strongest	1–1	0–2	1–3