Atlético Balboa

Atlético Balboa

Full name	Club Deportivo Atlético Balboa
Nickname(s)	Los Porteños, La Ciclón
Founded	1950
Ground	Estadio Marcelino Imbers, La Unión, El Salvador
Capacity	4,000
Chairman	Kevin Rubio
Manager	David Paz
League	Segunda División
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Club Deportivo Atlético Balboa, commonly known as Atlético Balboa or simply Balboa, is a Salvadoran football club. The team play in La Unión, La Unión department.

History

Foundation

The foundation of Atletico Balboa occurred in 1950 in La Union. Mauro "El Turco" Granados, Simón Reyes, Paulino Cáceres, Pablo Rubio, Rodolfo Guzmán, Carlos Villalta, Carlos Juárez, René Pantoja, Luis Ávila, Chico Osorio, Juan Guevara, Chico Ruíz and Timoteo Hernández were the original members of the team. The team was intended to be a baseball team, but it was changed to a football team. The club was named "Balboa" after the Panamanian balboa and its first match was played against the Honduran team América de Choluteca. The team's first colours were white with green diagonal stripes which were soon changed by the team's president Ricardo Flores to black and red.

Primera División

After becoming champions of the Segunda División in 1998, Atlético Balboa ascended to the Salvadoran Primera División where in their first season they finished runner-up while being coached by Mario Martínez and Óscar Benítez. The team's player lineup that season included Franklin Webster and Elvis Perreira.

Irregular way

The team's results and goal count declined between 1999 and 2001. During this time the team was coached by Óscar Benítez, Saúl Molina and Juan Quarterone. Luciano Suárez, Manuel Díaz, Camilo Bonilla and Carlos Edgar Villareal played for Balboa in this period.

Days of crisis

The team had just started the 2002–2003 season when the team ran into economic and performance problems. Juan Quarterone was replaced by the Paraguayan Nelson Brizuela. Under Brizuela, the team was only able to achieve 3 draws from 6 games. Brizuela was soon replaced by Argentine-Italian Carlos Barone whose team's last four games almost got them relegated but in the end Dragón had a poorer record. Atlético Balboa purchased many foreign players during the season but the only successful one was the Colombian Carlos Asprilla. Webster, the highest scoring player from the team was sold to San Salvador F.C. The club then changed its coach several times during the 2003-2004 season, with Costa Rican Manuel Solano, Gabriel Avedissian and Paulo Roberto de Oliveira serving as coach at various points in time. These coaches, except for assistant coach Jesús Fuentes, all failed to produce a high number of wins.

Almost glory

After the events of 2002-2004 season, Balboa advanced in the rankings of the Primera División. The team finished in second place in the 2006-2007 while being coached by Juan Quarterone and Jorge Alberto García. Then, the tension between the board and the two coaches divided the club. The team, including Colombian player Henry Vargas did not participate in the UNCAF tournament due to losing a playoff to C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo. However the next season Atlético Balboa was relegated from the Primera División when they lost to C.D. Vista Hermosa.

Current history

The club was promoted to the Salvadoran Primera División again after defeating Juventud Independiente in the 2008 season.^[1] Two years of moderate success followed under Guatemalan coach Carlos Alberto Mijangos and Argentine coach Roberto Gamarra, during which the team came close to entering the finals series in both seasons. However, financial problems appeared again and after two subsequent years of debt, the club was demoted to the Second Division in the 2011 season. It then disbanded and played its last game in 2011.^[2]

After 10 years, It was announced the club would be returning to the third division and in return back to professional football.^[3]

Honours

League

• Primera División Salvadorean and predecessors
  • Runners-up (1): 2004
• Segunda División Salvadorean and predecessors
  • Champions (2) : 2000, 2008
• Tercera División Salvadorean and predecessors
  • Champions (1) : N/A

Cups

• Copa Presidente and predecessors
  • Champions (1) : 2006

Current squad

Updated February 2024. 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  SLV Julian Chicas 4  SLV Javier Fuentes 5  SLV Juan Hernandez 7  SLV Floretin Alvarez 9  SLV Edgar Cruz 14  SLV Eldin Aparicio 15  SLV Heriberto Velasquez 17  SLV Gabriel Alvarez 20  SLV Francisco Valladarez 21  SLV Wanner Hernandez

No. Pos. Nation Player 23  SLV Cristian Reyes 25 GK  SLV Carlos Aleman 28  SLV Cristopher Portillo 29  SLV Leonel Alberto 30  SLV Leonel Alberto 33  SLV Angel Echeverria 34  SLV William Molina

Players with dual citizenship

• TBD

In

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

No. Pos. Nation Player —  SLV Josue Ronaldo Cabrera (From Atletico Balboa Jr) —  SLV Jefferson Diaz Molina (From Atletico Balboa Jr) —  SLV Hector Luis Guzman (From CD Peces Voladores) —  SLV Dilber Leonel Hernandez (From Atletico La Union)

No. Pos. Nation Player —  SLV Marcos Antonio Velasquez (From Ancla de Oro) —  SLV Jose Roberto Martinez (From Perlas FC)

Out

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

No. Pos. Nation Player —  SLV Yuvini Salamanca (To Platense) —  SLV Erick Orellana (To TBD) —  COL Walter Gomez (To TBD) —  SLV Oscar Coreas (To TBD) —  SLV Levis Romero (To TBD)

No. Pos. Nation Player —  SLV Levis Romero (To TBD) —  SLV Luis Alvarenga (To TBD) —  SLV Jonathan Salgado (To TBD)

Coaching staff

As of November, 2023

Position	Staff
Manager	David Paz
Assistant Manager	Roberto Chavez
Reserve Manager	TBD
Ladies's Manager	TBD
Physical coach	Marvin Vasquez (Nimbo)
Assistant Physical coach	TBD
Goalkeeper Coach	TBD
Kineslogic	TBD
Utility Equipment	TBD
Football director	TBD
Team Doctor	TBD

Notable players

Team captains

Name	Years
Mario Marconi Burro	TBD
Carlos Rivas	1979
TBD	2000
Daniel Sagastizado	2001
Armando Mercado	2004
Jefrey Francisco Cruz	2022
Francisco Valladarez	2023-Present

List of presidents

• Ricardo Flores
• Juan Pablo Robles (2003)
• Noel Benítez (2004, 2006–2007)
• Mario Sorto (2005)
• Andrés Alonso Gómez (2007–2008)
• Juan Pablo Robles (2009–2011) [1]

List of coaches

Name	From	To
Salvador Churrillo Rivas	1979	1979
Juan Evangelista Zelaya	1981	1981
Francisco Jovel	1985	1985
Jose Mario Martínez	1990	1990
Jose Mario Martínez	1998	February 2001
Óscar Benítez	February 2001	October 2001
Saul Molina [4]	November 2001	December 2001
Juan Quarterone	January 2002	December 2002
Nelson Brizuela	January 2003	April 2003
Carlos Barone	April 2003	April 2003
Carlos Garabet Avedissian	June 2003	August 2003
Manuel Alberto Solano Madrigal	September 2003	December 2003
Paulo Roberto de Oliveira	December 2003	December 2003
Jesus Fuentes	December 2003	January 2004
Óscar Benítez	January 2004	June 2004
Jorge García	June 2004	October 2004
Juan Quarterone	October 2004	January 2005
Henry Vanegas	February 2005	September 2005
Jorge García	September 2005	December 2005
Nelson Ancheta	January 2006	2006
Fausto Omar Vásquez	2008	June 2008
Gustavo de Simone	25 July 2008	30 Aug 2008
Roberto Gamarra	2007	Jan 2009
Carlos de Toro	21 Jan 2009	Feb 2009
Luis Zapata	Feb 2009	June 2009
Eduardo Santana	June 2009	Aug 2009
Angel Orellana	Aug 2009	Sep 2009
Jorge García	Sep 2009	Sep 2009
Luis Zapata	Sep 2009	Dec 2009
Carlos Mijangos	Jan 2010	June 2010
Roberto Gamarra	June 2010	December 2010
Mario Martínez	December 2010	June 2011
Hiatus	July 2011	June 2021
Luis Carlos Asprilla	July 2021	February 2022
William Cheves	February 2022	February 2022
Roberto Gamarra	February 2022	May 2022
Omar Sevilla	May 2022	November 2022
Luis Carlos Asprilla	November 2022	December 12, 2022
Misael Alfaro	December 13, 2022	October 11, 2023
David Paz	October, 2023	Present

References