Tauro F.C.

Tauro
Full nameAsociacion Deportiva Tauro Fútbol Club
Nickname(s)Los Toros de Pedregal (The Bulls of Pedregal)
El Club de Panamá (Panama's Club)
Founded1984; 40 years ago (1984)
GroundEstadio Rommel Fernández
Capacity32,000
ChairmanAlvaro Vargas
ManagerFelipe Baloy
LeagueLiga Panameña de Fútbol

The Tauro Fútbol Club is a professional soccer club based in the district of Pedregal east of Panama City, Panama. It was founded on 22 September 1984 and has participated in the Panamanian Football League (LPF) since 1988. Its founder, Giancarlo Gronchi, was a fan of Juventus and for that reason the colours of the club and uniform are black and white. They have won thirteen championships between 1989 and 2017, making them the most successful club in the league.

Their traditional rival has been Plaza Amador, ever since the founding of the LPF, originally as the Asociación Nacional Pro Fútbol (ANAPROF), in 1988. Their meetings are known as the "El Clásico" in Panama.[1]

History

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Tauro FC's origins date to 1984, when tannery owner Giancarlo Gronchi, an immigrant from Italy, decided to create an internal football league for his company. From that came the idea of forming a company team. At that time, there were leagues formed of teams representing various Panamanian companies, as well as leagues formed of teams from the various immigrant colonies in Panama. Tauro competed in those leagues, as well as the Panamanian District League, from its founding on 22 September 1984 to 1988.[citation needed]

In 1988, Tauro joined six other teams in forming ANAPROF, Panama's first national professional league. This was a significant turning point in Panamanian football, which at the time was a smaller soccer presence in the region.[citation needed]

Gronchi's favorite Italian team was Juventus, and in the honor of that Italian power, Tauro also competed in black and white striped jerseys. They club won its first title in 1989, and during the 1990s was the dominant team in Panamanian football.[citation needed]

What followed was the glory days of Tauro, which won championships in 1989, 1991, 1996–97, 1997–98, and 1999–2000. Closely identified with the club's success in those years was Uruguayan Miguel Angel Mansilla, who managed the team on five occasions, interspersed with three stints managing Panama's national team.[citation needed]

Perhaps the most memorable title of that run came in 1996–97, when Patricio Guevara's 9th-minute goal lifted Tauro to a championship victory over the AFC Euro Kickers. That strike ended a five-year championship drought, and was followed by a repeat win over Deportivo Árabe Unido in 1997–98. The club won a fifth crown in 1999–2000, upsetting archrivals C.D. Plaza Amador. Plaza Amador was favored because they had signed striker Víctor René Mendieta, widely considered one of the best players in Panamanian history.[citation needed]

Tauro has continued to win championships in the Apertura/Clausura era. In 2003, they swept the season under the direction of Colombian manager Gonzalo Soto. In Clausura 2006, they followed the leadership of ex-player Ruben Guevara to another crown. In Apertura 2007, Mansilla returned to lead the club to a tenth championship (the fifth under his direction).[citation needed]

The club's tenth title came in Apertura 2010, under the leadership of Juan Carlos Cubillas. The club has also won titles in Clausura 2012 and Apertura 2013, with titles coming under ex-players Sergio "Checho" Angulo and Rolando Palma. In all, four former Bullfighters have won titles as both managers and players.[citation needed]

Club facts

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  • Achievements at local level
  • 13 championships in first category of Panamanian football.
    • Seasons in first division: 41
    • Best position in the league: 1° (12 times)
    • Sub-Championships: 8
    • First gol: Carlos Maldonado (26/2/1988 vs Plaza Amador)
    • First player ejected: José Alfredo Poyatos (26/2/1988)
  • Achievements in international tournaments:

Rivalries

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Tauro and Plaza Amador have been continuous rivals since ANAPROF started in 1988. Both teams are from Panama City itself, but do not play in the same stadium. The rivalry is referred to as "El Clásico" in Panama.

New shield

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As current champions of the LPF in 2017, Tauro FC redesigned its club shield.[2]

Honors

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National League Finals

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Season Champion Runner-up
1989 Tauro FC Deportivo La Previsora
1991 Tauro FC AFC Euro Kickers
1996-97 Tauro FC AFC Euro Kickers
1997-98 Tauro FC Árabe Unido
1999-00 Tauro FC CD Plaza Amador
2003 (a) Tauro FC Árabe Unido
2003 (c) Tauro FC Alianza FC
2006 (c) Tauro FC Árabe Unido
2007 (a) Tauro FC San Francisco FC
2010 (a) Tauro FC San Francisco FC
2012 (c) Tauro FC Chepo FC
2013 (a) Tauro FC San Francisco FC
2017 (c) Tauro FC Árabe Unido

Players

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Current squad

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As of 8 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
2 DF Colombia COL Camilo Villegas
3 DF Panama PAN Rodolfo Rodríguez
4 DF Panama PAN Érick Díaz
5 DF Panama PAN Luis Asprilla
6 MF Panama PAN Irving Gudiño
8 MF Colombia COL Juan Diego Ospina
10 FW Panama PAN Cristian Quintero
12 GK Panama PAN Álex Rodríguez
14 FW Colombia COL Yilton Díaz
15 MF Panama PAN Nicholas Anderson
16 MF Panama PAN Rudy Yearwood
21 FW Panama PAN Ramsés de León
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 FW Panama PAN Hilberto Peralta
23 MF Panama PAN Moisés Véliz
24 DF Panama PAN Roberto Chen
25 DF Panama PAN Jan Carlos Vargas
28 DF Panama PAN Ángel Díaz
30 GK Panama PAN Celino Hinojosa
40 MF Panama PAN Kevin Bernal
47 FW Panama PAN Ricardo French
50 GK Panama PAN Alberto Ruiz
52 MF Panama PAN Zinedine Herrera
77 MF Panama PAN Yair Jaén
99 MF Panama PAN Omar Browne

Non-playing staff

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Board of directors

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Position Name
President Alvaro Vargas
Vice-president Moises Zebede
Secretary Carlos Martans
Treasurer Alejandro Pino
Fiscal Luis Moreno

Management hierarchy

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Position Name
Manager Uruguay Saul Maldonado
Assistant manager Venezuela Rafael Mea Vitali
Physical trainer -
Goalkeeping coach -
Physiotherapist -
Physiotherapist -
Head doctor -
Utility Management -
Utility Assistant -
Reserve Manager 1 Venezuela Ricardo Mammarella
Reserve Manager 2 Argentina Hector D. Chianelli

Historical list of coaches

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International participations

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2008-09 : Group stage
2010-11 : Preliminary round
2011-12 : Group stage
2012-13 : Group stage
2014-15 : Group stage
2018 : Quarter-finals
1990 : First round
1991 : Second round
1992 : Third round
1997 : First round

References

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  1. ^ "El Clásico de Panamá: cómo surgió la rivalidad entre CD Plaza Amador y Tauro FC". Fútbol Centroamérica (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Tauro rediseña su imagen". 5 July 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  3. ^ Soto quiere triunfar con Tauro F.C Archived 12 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine – Panamá América (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Alfredo Poyatos dirigirá al Tauro en lo que resta del torneo Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – La Prensa (in Spanish)
  5. ^ ANAPROF: THOMAS KEMPE ES EL NUEVO ENTRENADOR Un Tauro con estilo alemán Archived 8 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine – Crítica (in Spanish)
  6. ^ Técnico del Tauro se marchó Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – Panamá América (in Spanish)
  7. ^ No hay fracaso, según Cubillas Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – La Prensa (in Spanish)
  8. ^ Tauro presenta a Sergio Angulo como nuevo técnico Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – PanamaFutbol (in Spanish)
  9. ^ Colombiano Gonzalo Soto vuelve al banquillo del Tauro Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – Telemetro (in Spanish)
  10. ^ "Palma resigns, Jorge Dely Valdes new Tauro coach". 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  11. ^ Alfredo Poyatos debutó con victoria en pretemporada del Tauro Archived 2015-08-23 at the Wayback Machine – Somos Lasele (in Spanish)
  12. ^ Mike Stump nuevo técnico del Tauro Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – RPC (in Spanish)
  13. ^ Tauro FC se encomienda a Jorge Dely Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine – Crítica (in Spanish)
  14. ^ Jorge Dely Valdés sale del Tauro, Rolando Palma regresa Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – RPC (in Spanish)
  15. ^ [1] Archived 20 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine – Metro Libre(in Spanish)
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