América de Cali
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| Full name | Sociedad Anónima Deportiva América S. A. |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Los Diablos Rojos (The Red Devils) Los Escarlatas (The Scarlets) La Mechita (The Fuse/The Rag) La Pasión de un Pueblo (The People's Passion) |
| Founded | 21 December 1918 (as América Football Club) 13 February 1927 (officially) |
| Ground |
Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero Cali, Colombia |
| Capacity | 42,200 |
| Chairman | Tulio Gómez |
| Manager | Hernán Torres |
| League | Categoría Primera A |
| 2016 | Categoría Primera B, 2nd (Champion and promoted) |
| Website | Club home page |
Sociedad Anónima Deportiva América S. A., best known as América de Cali, is a Colombian football team based in Cali. In 2017, the team will play in the Categoría Primera A after having been promoted. They play their home games at the Olímpico Pascual Guerrero stadium.
América de Cali has successed at both domestic and international level. With thirteen national championships, they are the third most successful team in Colombia. They also have won a second division title (in 2016). Internationally, they were the runner-up of the Copa Libertadores for three consecutive years, from 1985 to 1987, and also in 1996. They lost twice with River Plate, once with Argentinos Juniors (both from Argentina) and once with Peñarol of Uruguay. They have won two international tournaments: the 1999 Copa Merconorte and the 1975 Copa Simón Bolívar.
Despite a lack of international accolades, in 1996 the IFFHS ranked América de Cali as the second best club side in the world, only beaten by Italian champions Juventus. In 2011, América was relegated to the local second division.
The club was officially founded in 1927, but traces it origins to the América Football Club founded in 1918. América has rivalries with a number of teams in Colombia, most notably with crosstown rivals Deportivo Cali. Matches between them are known as the "Clásico vallecaucano". Other rival clubs include Atlético Nacional and Millonarios.
The team's roots trace to 1918, when some students from the Colegio Santa Librada formed their own team, called América FC, to compete with other schools. The team won the Copa Centenario Batalla de Boyacá in 1919, one of the first official tournaments of the Colombian football. In 1923 the team was refounded as Racing Club, based on the Argentine team of the same name. The team's uniform was light blue with white vertical stripes, light blue shorts and socks with horizontal stripes in white and light blue. On 13 February 1927, the club was formed officially, with Hernán Zamorano Isaacs as the first president of the club.
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