C.D. Suchitepéquez

Suchitepéquez
Full name	Club Deportivo Suchitepéquez
Nickname(s)	Venados (Deers); Suchi
Founded	1960; 63 years ago
Ground	Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo
Capacity	10,500
Chairman	Amilcar Alvarado
Manager	Pablo Melgar
League	Primera División
Clausura 2024	Group A 2nd (Semifinals)
Home colours	Away colours

Club Deportivo Suchitepéquez is a Guatemalan football club that competes in the Primera División de Ascenso, the second division in the nation. They are based in Mazatenango, Department of Suchitepéquez, and their home stadium is the Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo. The team was founded in 1960, and won two Liga Nacional championships in 1983 and 2016.

History

1980s

In 1981, they defeated Spanish league champions Atlético Madrid 1–0 on a friendly match to re-open the Carlos Salazar stadium.

The team's most successful era took place in the mid-1980s. Having been runner-up in the 1982 domestic league, Suchitepéquez won the national league title in 1983, with a record of 16 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses in 22 matches. The team was managed by the Uruguayan Julio César Cortés, a former Uruguayan international who played in three World Cups. The stars of this team were Uruguayan strikers César Eduardo Méndez and José Luis "Chopo" González.

Suchitepéquez went on to play in the 1983 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, beating Deportivo Saprissa in the first round. In the second round, they drew with Tigres UANL 1–1 in the first leg, and then beat them 3–0 at home, becoming the first Guatemalan football team to defeat a Mexican team in an official tournament.^[1] After that they faced Atlante, drawing the first match but losing 0–6 in the second leg to the eventual champions.

They finished second in the local league again in 1984, repeating that in the 1989–90 tournament.

1990s

In 1992, Suchitepéquez won the summer (cup) tournament, and then defeated the 1992 league champions Municipal in the Champion of champions ("Super Cup") match. They won further domestic cup (Copa de Guatemala) titles in 1993 and 1997.

Relegation

The club struggled to remain in the top division during the 1998–99 season, finishing next to last overall, and avoiding relegation in the last instance by winning a relegation play-off. The following year, they finished in last place overall, and were directly relegated.

2000s

After four years in Primera División, the club returned to the top division for the 2004–05 season, finishing fourth in the Torneo Apertura.

2010-2015

The club has been a constant top finisher in the Guatemalan top division but has fallen one game short of reaching the final twice. Currently the club has had solid seasons finishing in the top 3 and finished the Clausura 2015 season in 3rd place behind CSD Municipal and champions Comunicaciones. In the summer of 2014, the club signed Emiliano Lopez, an Argentine prospect who finished his first season as the second top scorer in the first division behind Guatemalan star and Municipal forward, Carlos Ruiz. He was the top scorer in the 2015 clausura tournament, with 12 goals.

2015-2016

The club played "La Final" against the champion of the last Clausura Tournament Comunicaciones FC, which in the Estadio Mateo Flores, Comunicaciones FC won the first leg of the Guatemalan championship, winning 2–1, but in the second leg, Suchitepequez came out victorious in their own stadium, Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo. They won 3–0, making after waiting for 33 years, Suchitepequez champions for the 2nd time in their history.

Performance in CONCACAF competitions

CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances

1993 - 4th Place

1995 - Qualifying Stage (Central Zone)

CONCACAF Champions League: 2 appearances

1983 - Semifinals

2016-17 - Group stage

Honours

Domestic honours

Leagues

Liga Nacional de Guatemala and predecessors
- Champions (2): 1982–83, Clausura 2016

Current squad

As of 2022: 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
3	DF	GUA	Manuel Ochoa
4	DF	GUA	Rafael González
5	DF	GUA	Luis Rodríguez
6	MF	GUA	Miguel González
9	FW	ARG	Alexis Ramos
10	MF	GUA	Kevin Arriola
11	MF	GUA	Edward Santeliz
16	MF	GUA	Selvin Barlovento
17	DF	GUA	Jose Ramos
18	MF	GUA	Kenneth Mérida
19	MF	GUA	Paolo Ortiz


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
20	FW	PAN	Luis Jaramillo
23	DF	GUA	Víctor Armas
25	GK	GUA	Johnny Navarro
26	MF	GUA	German Esquivel
30	MF	GUA	Oscar Santana
31	DF	GUA	Wilson Morales
32	DF	GUA	Erwin Morales (captain)
52	GK	GUA	Manuel Sosa
77	DF	GUA	Dilan Cifuentes
99	FW	GUA	Erick Rivera
-	FW	PLE	Matías Jadue