Club Social y Deportivo Xelajú Mario Camposeco, commonly known as Xelajú MC or just Xela and nicknamed Superchivos is a Guatemalan professional football club competing in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. They are located in Quetzaltenango, Department of Quetzaltenango, and play their home matches in the Estadio Mario Camposeco. They are the most successful team (in terms of national titles won) not based in the capital city in the history of the league.
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| Full name | Club Social y Deportivo Xelajú Mario Camposeco | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Chivos (Goats) Los Superchivos (The Super Goats) Altenses (Highlanders) Rebaño Sagrado (Sacred Flock) | |||
| Short name | Xela | |||
| Founded | 24 February 1942 | |||
| Ground | Estadio Mario Camposeco | |||
| Capacity | 11,220 | |||
| Chairman | Francisco Santos | |||
| Manager | Amarini Villatoro | |||
| League | Liga Nacional | |||
| Clausura 2024 | 9th | |||
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History
editThe club was founded in 1928 as Germania; after ten years of existence, their name would be changed to ADIX (Asociación Deportiva Independiente de Xelajú), and during that time the uniform colors were established as red jersey and blue shorts,[1] a combination that remains to date. The team was renamed Xelajú Mario Camposeco in honor of local footballer Mario Camposeco who was the captain of the club in the 1940s, helped them win 10 consecutive Quetzaltenango department titles, and who was still an active player when he died in a plane crash in 1951.[2]
The Superchivos have been Guatemalan champions six times, first in 1961–62, again in 1980, a third time in 1995–96, a fourth time in the 2006–07 season, a fifth in 2011–12, and a sixth in 2022-23. Xelajú has won the Copa Centenario once, in 1972–73. In the 2007 Clausura tournament, they eliminated five-time defending champion Municipal in semi-finals, to reach their first final since the inception of the Apertura/Clausura format. They faced Marquense, losing the first match 0–1 and winning the second match 4–1, for an aggregate score of 4–2 which gave them their fourth championship. It was the first time since 1980 that two teams from outside of Guatemala City finished first and runner-up. The club currently has a kit deal with Spanish-based company Kelme. Past kit sponsors include Joma, Lotto, Vicnar, Puma, MR, Reto Sports, and Do More.
They have a fierce rivalry with Suchitepéquez, which is known as the Clásico del Suroccidente, one with Marquense known as the Clasico de Occidente, and inner department rivals Coatepeque known as the Derbi de Quetzaltenango. Their other known rivalry also consist of Antigua and a fierce rival with Comunicaciones which is known as El Clasico del Oeste.
Crest
editThe club's shield is circular in shape, it has written in white letters the name of the team around the circumference, in the center it has a goat and the background is a yellow soccer ball. For each title the club gets, a Moon is added to the shield.
Supporters
editXelajú has the largest fan base outside of the capital department and have great tradition within Guatemalan football. They are considered as one of the biggest fanbases in all of Central American football. One of the most typical characteristics of the supporters is the way they sing Luna de Xelajú, a theme considered as the anthem of Quetzaltenango.
Honours
editDomestic honours
editLeagues
edit- Liga Nacional de Guatemala and predecessors
- Champions (6): 1962, 1980, 1996, Clausura 2007, Clausura 2012, Clausura 2023
Cups
edit- Copa de Guatemala and predecessors
- Champions (3): 1963, 1973, 2010
Performance in international competitions
edit- 1997 - Second Round
- 2007 - Quarterfinals
- 2012-13 - Quarterfinals
- 2023 - Group Stage
Current squad
editAs of: August 18, 2024
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
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
editSergio Anaya (FW) (1959–1966)
Mariano Crisanto Meléndez (FW) (1995-1996)
Mario Camposeco (FW) (1942–1951)
Jhonny Cubero (FW) (2005–2010)
Jorge Suárez (GK) (1981–1982)
Israel Silva (FW) (2004–2021)
Managerial history
editAsisclo Sáenz (1963–1964)
Ferenc Meszaros (1966)
Javier Mascaró (1980)
Orlando de León (1981)
Alberto Jorge (2009–2010)
References
edit- ^ History Archived 2012-06-21 at the Wayback Machine - Official website (in Spanish)
- ^ (in Spanish) Source: "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-07-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)