America Football Club (Rio de Janeiro)

America Football Club, usually abbreviated to America-RJ or simply America, is a Brazilian football team based in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in the northern neighborhood of Tijuca. The team compete in Campeonato Carioca, the top tier of the Rio de Janeiro state football league.

For other uses, see América Football Club (disambiguation).

America-RJ
logo
Full nameAmerica Football Club
Nickname(s)AFC
Mecão
Diabo (Devil)
Rubro Carioca (Rio's Reds)
Sangue (Blood)
Founded18 September 1904 (1904-09-18)
GroundEstádio Giulite Coutinho
Capacity13,544
PresidentSidney Santana
Head coachJosué Teixeira
LeagueCampeonato Carioca
2021Carioca
WebsiteClub website
America F.C. team in 1929.
Estádio Giulite Coutinho
Former club headquarters
Team photo from the 2009 season
Team photo from the 2008 season

Founded on 18 September 1904, the club competed in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A several times, winning the state championship seven times. The club's home stadium is the Estádio Giulite Coutinho, which has a capacity of 16,000. They play in red shirts, white shorts and red socks.

The football anthem composer Lamartine Babo was a supporter of America.[1] America's mascot is a devil. America also sponsors a beach American football team, the America Red Lions.[2]

History

On 18 September 1904, Alberto Koltzbucher, Alfredo Guilherme Koehler, Alfredo Mohrsted, Gustavo Bruno Mohrsted, Henrique Mohrsted, Jayme Faria Machado and Oswaldo Mohrsted founded America Football Club.[3] In 1905, America, together with Bangu, Botafogo, Petrópolis, Fluminense and Futebol Atlético Clube founded Liga de Football do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro Football League), which was the first football federation of Rio de Janeiro.[3] In 1913, the club won the state championship for the first time.[4]

For the 1971 season, the club competed in the national Championship's first edition, finishing in 11th place.[5]

The yellow star just above their emblem represents their win in the Tournament of the Champions (Torneio dos Campeões) in 1982, which was a tournament organized by CBF to serve as a preview to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A tournament. Flamengo declined the invitation so America, the team with the best record after the selected teams, was invited to fill the spot. America won the tournament by beating Guarani in overtime at Maracanã stadium.[6]

In 2006, America was the runner-up of Taça Guanabara. America played the final against Botafogo.[7]

In 2008, America suffered a major blow by being relegated to the Second Division of the Campeonato Carioca. However, they won the Second Division in 2009, thus being promoted to the first level in 2010.[8] However, the club were relegated again in 2011 and continues playing the Second Division in 2015, returns to the elite of the Campeonato Carioca after five years vying for the Serie B, after beating the Americano.[9]

Honors
National
Campetition Titles Seasons
Torneio dos Campeões 1 1982
Inter-state
Campetition Titles Seasons
Taça Ioduran 1 1917
Taça dos Campeões Estaduais Rio – São Paulo 1 1935
State
Campetition Titles Seasons
Campeonato Carioca 7 1913, 1916, 1922, 1928, 1931, 1935, 1960
Campeonato Carioca Série A2 3 2009, 2015, 2018
Taça Guanabara 1 1974
Taça Rio 1 1982

Other state titles
  • Third Stage of the Campeonato Carioca: 1955
  • Taça Jayme de Carvalho: 1976
  • Rio de Janeiro Extra Tournament: 1938, 1952
  • Torneio Relâmpago: 1945
  • Torneio Início: 1949
  • Troféu João Ellis Filho: 2010
  • Taça Eficiência: 1936
  • Taça Disciplina: 1947, 1949, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1983
  • Taça Fernando Loretti Jr. de Aspirantes: 1944
  • Torneio Ary Barroso (mixed teams): 1965*.

International friendly
  • Imprensa Peruana:
(1955)
  • Quadrangular Sultana Del Valle:
(1961)
  • Quadrangular de Medellín:
(1961)
(1962)
  • Torneio Internacional Negrão de Lima:
(1967)
  • Taça TAP:
(1973)
  • Torneio Costa Dourada – Terragona:
(1983)

National tournaments
  • Torneio Quadrangular Presidente Costa e Silva: 1
(1968)
  • Torneio Luís Viana Filho: 1
(1968)

Youth team
*Undefeated.
**Torneio Extra Carlos Martins da Rocha.
Women's team

Current squad

According to the CBF register.

America 2020 shirt.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Brazil BRA Luis Henrique
— GK Brazil BRA Felipe Eduardo
— DF Brazil BRA Matheus Menezes (on loan from Botafogo)
— DF Brazil BRA Erick (on loan from Botafogo)
— DF Brazil BRA Marcão
— DF Brazil BRA Enric
— DF Brazil BRA Fábio Braz
— DF Brazil BRA Wagner Diniz
— MF Brazil BRA PH
— MF Brazil BRA Muniz
— MF Argentina ARG Matías Sosa
— MF Brazil BRA Darlan
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Brazil BRA Victor Pucinelli
— MF Brazil BRA Leandro Aguiar
— MF Brazil BRA Thiago Accioli
— MF Brazil BRA Ramon Fraga
— MF Brazil BRA Richarlyson
— FW Brazil BRA Russo
— FW Brazil BRA Renato
— FW Brazil BRA Marcelinho Quarterole
— FW Brazil BRA Igor
— FW Brazil BRA Daniel
— FW Brazil BRA Jean

Top goalscorers
  1. Luisinho Lemos : 311
  2. Edu : 212
  3. Maneco : 187
  4. Plácido: 167
  5. Carola : 158
  6. Chiquinho : 102

Highest attendances
  1. America 1–4 Flamengo, 147.661(139,599 people seated), April 4, 1956
  2. America 0–2 Fluminense, 141,689 (120,178 people seated), June 9, 1968
  3. America 1–2 Vasco, 121,765 (104,775 people seated), January 28, 1951
  4. America 1–0 Flamengo, 104,532, April 25, 1976
  5. America 5–1 Flamengo, 102,002 (94,516 people seated), April 1, 1956
  6. America 2–1 Bonsucesso, 101.363, July 25, 1973
  7. America 2–0 Fluminense, 100,635 (92,516 people seated), March 17, 1956
  8. America 2–1 Fluminense, 98,099, December 18, 1960
  9. America 1–0 Fluminense, 97,681, September 22, 1974
  10. America 0–1 Fluminense, 96,035, April 27, 1975
  11. America 4–2 Benfica (POR), 94,642 (87,686 people seated), July 3, 1955
  12. America 1–1 Flamengo, 93,393, May 19, 1969

Mascot

One controversial aspect of the club is the official mascot: the Diabo (devil), depicted as a red demon complete with horns, pointy beard, curled moustache, a long fat arrow-pointed tail, hooved feet and a black cape. The club's old stadium was nicknamed Caldeirão do Diabo ("Devil's Cauldron"). In 2006 some of the club's fans, supported by then-manager Jorginho who is an Evangelical Christian, attempted to replace the diabo with a bald eagle, claiming that the devil was "unlucky". However, as the "diabo" is a traditional part of the club's story and with the original mascot the club conquered its greatest achievements and there was no change in the club's fortunes with the new mascot, the replacement was abandoned and it was considered that Jorginho's opinion was motivated by "religious fanaticism".[10]

Clubs named after America

America is the Brazilian club with the largest number of other clubs named after it. It has homonyms in Natal, São José do Rio Preto, Três Rios, Manaus, Teófilo Otoni and Fortaleza.[11]

References
  1. "Lamartine Babo" (in Portuguese). E-Biografias. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  2. "Histórico Red Lions" (in Portuguese). América Red Lions. Archived from the original on December 5, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  3. "America Football Club" (in Portuguese). Campeões do Futebol. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  4. "Rio de Janeiro Championship 1913" (in Portuguese). RSSSF Brasil. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  5. "Brazil 1971 Championship – Primeiro Campeonato Nacional de Clubes" (in Portuguese). RSSSF Brasil. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  6. "Campeonatos" (in Portuguese). America Football Club. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  7. "Rio de Janeiro State League 2006" (in Portuguese). RSSSF Brasil. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  8. Luiz Maurício Monteiro (November 25, 2009). "Com Romário em campo, America bate Artsul e é campeão da Série B do Rio" (in Portuguese). Sidney Rezende. Archived from the original on November 29, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  9. "Emoção e alegria: América vence e volta à Primeira Divisão do Rio depois de quatro anos". ESPN. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  10. "Técnico do America veta palavrões e diabo como mascote" (in Portuguese). Planeta Gol. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  11. Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro Lance Volume 1. Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A. 2001. p. 120. ISBN 85-88651-01-7.
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