América de Cali - naised

Beginning

The origins of América de Cali date to 1918, when students from the Colegio Santa Librada formed a team called América FC, to compete with other schools. That club claimed one of the first championships in the history of Colombian football by winning the Copa Centenario Batalla de Boyacá in 1919. The team broke up not long afterwards.

Over the ensuing years, various clubs in Cali appeared with various names. The most notable was Racing Club, named for the Argentine team of the same name. That club wore light blue jerseys with white vertical stripes, identical to the Argentine club. However, when the club disintegrated in 1925, the uniforms went with them.

On 13 February 1927, a new club was officially formed, with Hernán Zamorano Isaacs as its first president. They took América as their name and scarlet and white as their colors. There are various stories to explain the reason why, but both this name and those colors stuck, and América has been identified with scarlet ever since.

Early years

América won the 1930 Amateur Tournament, and arranged a playoff with local rivals Cali FC to determine who would enter Colombia's top league (then known as the Liga de Fútbol). Cali won 1–0 in controversial style, as two América goals were disallowed. This was part of the beginning of the birth of the fierce rivalry between América and what would become Deportivo Cali.^[]

Unable to compete in the national tournament, América did set out on a long national tour in 1931, playing matches all over the country and establishing a national reputation. They spent the next decade and a half as one of Colombia's strongest national teams. One of their stars was Benjamin Urrea, also known as Garabato (the scribble, or the doodle) for his small size and speed.^[]

Professional Era and the Curse

In 1948, the Colombian league was moving towards professionalism. Garabato, whose career was drawing to an end, was an opponent of such a move. When América elected to join the league anyway, legend has it that Garabato cursed the club, declaring that they would never be champions. As it would happen, América struggled badly in the Colombian tournament, although there were more practical reasons for this than Garabato's curse.

Financially, the club lagged behind their league rivals. This especially showed during the El Dorado period (1949–54), when Colombian clubs aggressively signed foreign players from all over South America. Unable to do the same, América fell towards the bottom of the table. During the 1950s, the club finished no higher than sixth and even sat out of the 1953 tournament due to financial reasons. They almost fail to survive the decade, and only made it because another Cali club, Boca Juniors de Cali, folded instead. In 1960, desperate to make some sort of a splash, the club signed Adolfo Pedernera as manager Pedernera managed the club to a runner-up finish in 1961, the highest place in the history of Los Diablos Rojos.

This season completely changed the dynamic of América. Although they did not contend for another championship for another six years, they were no longer in danger of folding. Towards the end of the decade, they began taking their place as one of the strongest sides in Colombia. In 1967, they enjoyed a twenty-two match unbeaten streak and finished third. In the 1968 Finalización tournament, the club finished second, and did so again in the 1969 Apertura tournament. That last season not only saw Hugo Lóndero set a Colombian record by scoring 24 goals but also qualified América for the Copa Libertadores for the first time (they were eliminated at the first group stage).

For most of the 1970s, the club remained a solidly mid-table side, with two runner-up finishes serving as the exception. The highlight came in 1976, when América won the Copa Simón Bolívar (an international tournament that included clubs from Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay). However, they still had no Colombian championships. América got off to a slow start in the Colombian tournament, not achieving even the runner-up position until 1960 and not playing its first Copa Libertadores until 1969.

1979–1986: Aquel 19 and five consecutive titles

In 1979, two historic changes took place at América. First, the club reconciled with Garabato. He agreed to come to the stadium, where he attended a mass with the club's directors and signed a document "officially" lifting the curse. More practically, they hired Gabriel Ochoa Uribe to manage the club. Ochoa Uribe was one of the most recognizable names in Colombian management; he had won six championships at Millonarios, as well as another at Santa Fe. Over the course of his long stint at América (1979–91), he would transform the club into one of the dominant powers in Colombian football.

Inclined towards defensive football, Ochoa built his club around a solid back line, featuring captain Aurelio Pascuttini and Luis Eduardo Reyes. Juan Manuel Battaglia and Gerardo Gonzalez Aquino played in the midfield, while Jorge Ramón Cáceres and Alfonso Cañón led the attack up front. In the 1979 Apertura, América found itself in a neck and neck race with crosstown rivals Deportivo Cali. At the end of the season, the two clubs each had 34 points. A two-legged playoff followed, but both matches ended scoreless. The Apertura title was thus determined by goal average, being won by Deportivo Cali.

The year's second tournament, the Finalización, saw América top both the first and second phases, earning a place in the final round, a four-team round robin. The round robin came down to its final match; América needed to beat Unión Magdalena to wrap up the national championship. In front of an overflow crowd, Los Escarlatas prevailed 2–0, winning their first ever title on 19 December 1979, in what would become known as "Aquel 19" (That 19th).

1980 and 1981 were years of consolidation as the club finished third in consecutive years (while reaching the semi-finals of the 1980 Copa Libertadores). During that stretch, Ochoa was refreshing the team with new arrivals, like Argentine keeper Julio César Falcioni and strikers Roque Alfaro, Humberto Sierra and Antony de Ávila. Falcioni in particular would become an anchor of América for years to come, lasting with the team until 1991. De Ávila, meanwhile, would play with the club until 1987 and score a club record 201 goals.

1982 saw all these acquisitions come together perfectly. Sierra led the league in scoring with 23 goals, while Alfaro added another 16. América won every Colombian competition that year—the Apertura, their Finalización group, and the octagonal playoff of the year's top eight teams to determine the national champion. They clinched the title on the season's final match by beating Millonarios in Bogotá.

América had won two championships with an impenetrable defense, but in the ensuing offseason, Ochoa completed an acquisition that would drastically change his side's character and strategy. Midfielder Willington Ortiz was one of the biggest stars in Colombian football, having helped Millonarios to two championships in the 1970s. By 1982, he was 30 years old, nicknamed "El Viejo Willy" (Old Willy), and still toiling away for Deportivo Cali. Although older, he had not lost a step, and was still a crafty midfield player capable of generating a sudden attack. Ochoa wanted him for his team, and in the 1982–83 offseason signed him for an unknown transfer fee.

Ortiz's arrival transformed América's style from total defense to rapid attack. They became known as La Mechita (The Fuse), and in 1983 Ortiz and Juan Manuel Battaglia combined for 40 goals. Their efforts paid off; América were able to successfully defend the title and also qualified for the semi-finals of the 1983 Copa Libertadores. And the best was still yet to come.

1984 saw Ochoa strengthen his midfield by signing Peruvian César Cueto, a creative player nicknamed "The Left-Footed Poet" in his native country. Midfielder Álex Escobar also began regularly playing for the club. Originally a youth prospect with the club, Escobar would become a fixture in the club's midfield until 1996. With Cueto, Escobar, and Ortiz in the midfield, La Mechita marched to a third straight championship.

In 1985, as América set its sights on another title, Ochoa strengthened the squad again, this time by adding Paraguayan forward Roberto Cabañas and Argentine striker Ricardo Gareca. The season came down to its penultimate match, but América's late victory over Deportivo Cali clinched a fourth crown in a row. Even more memorable, though, was their thrilling run through the 1985 Copa Libertadores. La Mechita won their first round group with an undefeated record of two wins and four draws, then topped their semi-final group to earn a place in the finals against Argentinos Juniors. The Argentine team won the first leg 1–0, but Willington Ortiz scored in the fourth minute of the second leg to power América to a 1–0 victory. This forced a decisive third match, played in Asunción. After a 1–1 tie, Argentinos won a penalty shootout to hoist the Copa Libertadores.

The 1986 season saw América set a Colombian record with an unprecedented fifth straight championship. It was another hard-fought race, but ultimately the club was able to hold off a late surge by Deportivo Cali and bring home the crown, clinching the title with a win over their crosstown rivals. Simultaneously, they were making another run through the 1986 Copa Libertadores. They topped their preliminary group (eliminating Deportivo Cali as they went) and survived a tough semi-finals group to reach the championship round for a second year in a row. There, they met Argentine powerhouse River Plate with the South American championship on the line. River won the first leg in Cali 2–1, then clinched their first Copa Libertadores title by winning 1–0 back in Buenos Aires.

1987 saw the club's ultimate heartbreak in the Copa Libertadores. Los Diablos Rojos advanced to the final for the third time in a row, earning a shot at Uruguayan giants Peñarol. América won the first leg 2–0, and then took a 1–0 lead early in the second leg. It looked like the Copa Libertadores was at last coming to Cali. However, Peñarol rallied to win 2–1, then defeated América 1–0 in extra time in the ensuing playoff match in Santiago. It had been yet another near miss.

Back at home, América's grip on the domestic league finally slipped. Millonarios broke their string of five consecutive titles by winning the title in 1987, then repeating as champions in 1988. Early on, 1989 looked to be a titanic battle between the new champions and a revitalized América, but instead the season was interrupted by tragedy.

1989

The 1989 season of the Colombian football league was cancelled halfway due to the murder of referee Álvaro Ortega. The Apertura tournament had been won by América and the team was standing in third place during the second tournament. In a key match against Independiente Medellín in Medellín, they battled to a scoreless draw. Rumors that referee Álvaro Ortega had unfairly favored América swirled. That night, Ortega was gunned down in the streets. After the match, a journalist received a call from a man claiming to be one of the murderers and blaming Ortega for the result of the game, saying "we and our patrons lost a lot of money (because of this)".

1990s

The new decade began with América in transition. The heart of the club that had won five straight championships was now gone. Aurelio Pascuttini had left in 1982, Cesar Cueto in 1985, Luis Eduardo Reyes in 1986, Roberto Cabañas in 1987, and Willington Ortiz, Ricardo Gareca, Roque Alfaro, and Humberto Sierra in 1988. After the 1989 season, Juan Manuel Battaglia retired and Julio Falcioni returned to Argentina. La Mechita was seemingly finished.

But they still had Ochoa as their manager and Alex Escobar in midfield and Antony de Ávila at the front. In 1990, De Ávila was joined up front by Sergio Angulo, who had previously starred with Deportivo Cali and Santa Fe, and Escobar was joined in the midfield by new acquisition Freddy Rincón, a starring midfielder on the national side. Spurred on by their near miss in the cancelled season of 1989, the club marched to the championship in 1990, winning the Apertura, the Finalización, and the playoff tournament in grand style. They were champions for the seventh time in club history.

1991 was a year of near misses. Atlético Nacional knocked América out in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores, then beat them to the title in the Colombian league. After the season, Gabriel Ochoa Uribe retired as manager, ending a career that had spanned fifteen years and seven league championships. América hired an equally high-profile manager to replace him: Francisco Maturana. Maturana had won the 1989 Copa Libertadores with Atlético Nacional and guided Colombia to the knockout stages of the 1990 World Cup, then managed Real Valladolid in Spain during the 1990–91 season. He was widely expected to continue his string of successes with América.

The club won the 1992 Finalización and dominated the playoff stages, hoisting their eight championship and second in three years. But the agony continued in the Copa Libertadores. The 1992 edition saw them reach the semi-finals again, and earn a meeting with Newell's Old Boys of Argentina. Both legs ended in a 1–1 draw, and so the match went into penalties. After a marathon round of penalties, Newell's prevailed 11–10.

In 1993, Maturana's final year with the club, the side slipped to fourth place domestically but still managed an impressive campaign in the Copa Libertadores. They became the first Colombian side to ever win at Brazil's legendary Maracanã Stadium, beating Flamengo, and advanced all the way to the semi-finals. Once again they were denied, losing to a last minute goal from Chile's Universidad Católica.

After the season, Maturana left to focus on managing the Colombia national team. Nonetheless, the club's era of success continued. They remained near the top of the Colombian league in 1994, 1995, and 1996, and qualified for the 1996 Copa Libertadores. That year, America mounted another legendary run through the tournament, charging all the way to the Copa Libertadores finals, where they once again faced River Plate. Antony de Ávila scored the winning goal in the first leg, poking the ball into the net from a seemingly impossible angle. In Argentina, however, River Plate prevailed 2–1, thanks to two goals from Hernán Crespo. Crespo's second goal came when keeper Óscar Córdoba left his area to try and clear a ball, only to have it return right to the possession of River Plate.

Despite the Copa Libertadores disappointment, the 1996–97 season still brought some glory to América. Due to a fomat change for the Colombian league midway into the season, this was a marathon tournament, lasting sixteen months (the longest in Colombian history). Despite the length and complexity of the season, Los Diablos Rojos were nonetheless able to win their ninth championship, beating Atlético Bucaramanga in the finals.

Homegrown manager Jaime de la Pava took charge in 1998, and continued the club's dominance. His first title was the 1999 Copa Merconorte, America's second international title. The following year, de la Pava led the club to its tenth title in 2000, repeating this feat in 2001 and in the 2002 Apertura against rivals Nacional, a title which was seen as unexpected as América had finished eighth in the regular season and Nacional finished one point off the top spot, as well as being undefeated in the semi-finals. However, it was not long afterwards that the tide began to turn against them, and de la Pava left by mutual consent after missing out on the 2002 Finalización finals by one point.

The new millennium and the "Clinton List"

Although the 1990s had seen América win three more championships, it also saw a new development that would drastically undermine the foundation of the club's success. The new problem was a direct result of América's long rumored connections to drug cartel leader Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. The cartels had been laundering their money in the United States, and in 1995 President Bill Clinton became engaged in a new effort to stop it. He signed Executive Order 12978, which compiled a list of suspected drug cartel fronts. Under the new law, it was illegal for any American business to engage in financial transactions with these fronts. In all, over 1,000 Colombian individuals and businesses were placed on the list.

One such business was América de Cali and its board members. Their lives were suddenly changed; Transfer fees now needed to be paid in cash, visas for tours in the United States were denied, and any assets that the club held in American banks were frozen. Sponsorship deals collapsed, and prize money from international tournaments could not be delivered to the club, which was now entirely dependent on ticket sales for revenue.

Unable to pay competitive salaries or acquire the top talent that they had during the 1980s and 1990s, América was forced to sell many of its stars and began fading as a force in Colombian football. By 2004, the players acquired back in the club's glory days were mostly gone, and the caliber of their replacements was nowhere near the same. Although the club managed to reach the semi-finals of the 2003 Copa Libertadores, qualification to the 2005 Copa Libertadores, the finals of the 2008 Apertura tournament, and win a championship in the 2008 Finalización tournament, these were merely a blip in a long, painful decline. Just a year after winning the league title, America found itself bottom of the aggregate table for the 2009 season, and finished second-to-last in the Finalizacion tournament. Things didn't improve in the Copa Libertadores either; the team finished bottom of its group and exited the tournament without winning a single game. The 2010 season was just as bad; America failed to qualify for the playoffs in both tournaments.

Relegation and second tier (2011–2016)

The club's problems finally bottomed out at the end of the 2011 season when América finished second-to-last in the relegation table and was forced to play a relegation play-off against Patriotas, which they lost on penalties after a 2–2 aggregate score and were relegated to the Categoría Primera B for the first time on 17 December 2011, after a string of 57 seasons in the top flight.

América was expected to achieve immediate promotion back to the top flight, and they dominated the 2012 Primera B season. They were undefeated at home and beat Unión Magdalena on penalties to win the Apertura tournament. However, they performed poorly in the Torneo Finalización and failed to reach the final, and then went on to lose the season finals to Alianza Petrolera on penalties. They were then defeated 5–3 on aggregate, including a 4–1 loss at home, in a promotion play-off against Cúcuta Deportivo.

In 2013, after years of battling, the club was finally removed from the Clinton List, having been on it since 1996. 2013 was nevertheless a disappointing year for the club on the sporting front: in both tournaments América topped the table as the first seed but failed to make the finals. In 2014, they made it to the final of the Apertura tournament, but lost to Jaguares 5–2 on aggregate. The Finalización tournament was even more disappointing, as the club finished eighth in the league table, barely making the semi-finals and finishing last in their group.

In 2016, under the direction of Hernán Torres, América placed second in the first stage and qualified for the semi-finals, where they ended up in first place of their group and advanced to the finals. On 27 November, La Mechita achieved promotion to the Categoría Primera A after five seasons in the second division with a 2–1 victory against Deportes Quindío on the last matchday of the semifinal stage, thanks to goals from Ernesto Farías and Cristian Martinez Borja. In the tournament's final series, they defeated Tigres 5–1 on aggregate and won their first Primera B title.

Return to domestic glory

In its first season back to the Primera A after being promoted, and despite being in danger of relegation for most of the season, América achieved a good performance that qualified them for the Copa Sudamericana, after several seasons without international participation. The team placed seventh in the Torneo Apertura, advancing to the knockout phase, where they were eliminated by crosstown rivals Deportivo Cali in the semi-finals. In the Torneo Finalización, the team placed sixth and were eliminated again in the semi-finals, this time by Millonarios, who would eventually win the tournament against Santa Fe. In their return to international competition, they were knocked out of the 2018 Copa Sudamericana in its first round by Argentine side Defensa y Justicia after winning 1–0 in Argentina and losing the second leg in Cali by a 3–0 score.

In both tournaments of the 2019 season, América displayed a solid performance. In the Apertura tournament, the team placed fourth in the first stage and third in their semi-final group, behind eventual runners-up Deportivo Pasto and tournament favourites Millonarios, whom they beat on the last matchday thus preventing them from advancing to the final. They eventually won their fourteenth domestic league title and first in 11 years in the Finalización tournament. Under the guidance of manager Alexandre Guimarães and led by strikers Michael Rangel and Duván Vergara, with the former becoming one of the tournament's top scorers, the team placed second in the first stage and topped their semi-final group ahead of crosstown rivals Deportivo Cali, Santa Fe, and Alianza Petrolera. In the final, Los Diablos Rojos faced Junior, whom they beat 2–0 on aggregate score over two legs to win the championship and secure a return to the Copa Libertadores for its 2020 edition after an 11-year absence.

The 2020 season began with the return to the club of veteran legend Adrián Ramos, as well as América's return to the Copa Libertadores, in which their campaign began with a loss to Grêmio at home and a 2–1 win in Santiago de Chile against Universidad Católica, when both the domestic league and international competition were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The club was unable to reach an agreement with Alexandre Guimarães and the manager left the club in June upon the expiration of his contract, being replaced by Juan Cruz Real for the remainder of the season. Activity resumed in September with América losing the 2020 Superliga Colombiana to Junior. The team would eventually also fail to advance from the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, tying 1–1 with Grêmio in Porto Alegre on the last matchday due to a last-minute penalty which also prevented them from dropping to the Copa Sudamericana as they ended in last place of their group. Even with the Copa Libertadores disappointment, América would make another great domestic league run, as they went on win their 15th league title and second in a row by beating Santa Fe in the finals with a 3–2 aggregate score over two legs.

In 2021, América de Cali were able to advance to the knockout stages of the Apertura tournament, losing to Millonarios in the quarter-finals over two legs, but failed to qualify for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores after ending in third place of a group with Cerro Porteño from Paraguay, Brazilian side Atlético Mineiro and Venezuelan champions Deportivo La Guaira as rivals, which cost Juan Cruz Real his post as Escarlata manager. Juan Carlos Osorio was hired as new manager for the Finalización tournament as well as the knockout stages of the Copa Sudamericana, where they were beaten by the eventual champions Athletico Paranaense in the round of 16. Domestic performance was uneven, as the team lost another Superliga, this time against Santa Fe, but qualified for the semi-finals of the Finalización tournament with a 5–1 away thrashing of Deportivo Pereira on the last day of the first stage which allowed them to advance in eighth place, and were eliminated from title contention in their semi-final group with one match to spare following a home loss to Deportes Tolima. However, the team's performance throughout the season was rewarded with qualification for the 2022 Copa Sudamericana thanks to their fifth place in the aggregate table. Osorio continued as manager for 2022, but he was eventually sacked after a few games in the 2022 Apertura tournament due to a combination of poor on-field performances, as well as personal rifts with the club's controlling shareholder and elimination from the Copa Sudamericana at the hands of Independiente Medellín in the first round. Alexandre Guimarães returned to América following Osorio's dismissal, but the team failed to advance to the Apertura semi-finals and was also knocked out of the Copa Colombia by Unión Magdalena in the round of 16.