C.D. Guadalajara

Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A de C.V. (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkluβ ðepoɾˈtiβo ɣwaðalaˈxaɾa];), nicknamed "Chivas" (English: Goats) and simply known as Guadalajara or internationally as Chivas de Guadalajara, is a Mexican professional football club based in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Jalisco. It competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. The club was founded in 1906 as Unión Football Club, then changed its name to Guadalajara Football Club in 1908, and then changed to its current name in 1923. Guadalajara was one of the founding members of the Liga Mayor in 1943 (currently Liga MX), which was the first professional football league created in Mexico, and is one of seven teams that have never been relegated.
Guadalajara have played their home matches at Estadio Akron in Zapopan since 2010, having previously played at Estadio Jalisco. Guadalajara is the only football club in Mexico that does not sign foreign players unless they are of Mexican descent. The team has historically relied on home-grown (cantera) players and has been the launching pad of many internationally successful players, including Javier Hernández, Carlos Vela and Carlos Salcido, among others.
Chivas is one of Mexico's most successful teams with 12 league titles, and holds the league record for the longest winning streak at the beginning of a season, with 8 consecutive wins in the 2010 Torneo Bicentenario. Internationally, Guadalajara has won two CONCACAF Champions Cup/League titles, and is the best Mexican side to compete in Copa Libertadores having reached the semifinals twice (2005 and 2006) and being runner-ups in the 2010 edition.
According to a 2016 study of preferred football clubs Guadalajara is the most popular team in Mexico, with 44.1% of supporters in the country. In 2020, Forbes estimated that the club was the most valuable of the league, ranking sixth overall in the Americas, worth approximately $311.5 million.
The team was founded by Edgar Everaert, who arrived in Mexico in 1906. First named "Unión" because of the camaraderie between the players of different nationalities, most of whom were employees of the Fábricas de Francia store, with founder Everaert as coach. A few Spanish and English also became members of the Unión Football Club. The club's first match was against Gimnasio Atlético Occidental. That match, Unión was coached by member Rafael Orozco, who alongside his brother, Gregorio, were the first Mexicans at Unión. The Orozco family were one of the club's earliest benefactors, with Orozco's grandmother, Nicolasa Sáinz, allowing her home to be used as Unión's first clubhouse. His uncle, Sabino Orozco, who reportedly came up with the name Unión, would also donate land to the club that would become its first ground.
On a tour of Europe, Everaert noticed that European teams named after their respective town or city seemed to generate more support from fans in their communities. Once he returned to Guadalajara, he told his observations to Rafael and Gregorio Orozco. So, in 1908, in a club meeting at Sáinz's house attended by the Orozco brothers, Sabino Orozco, and the remaining Mexican Unión members, Club de Futbol Union was renamed as Club Deportivo Guadalajara to engender a sense of loyalty within the city's population. Notably, this decision was made without Everaert or any European members present. Gregorio Orozco would take credit for the decision to rename the club. At the same meeting, Rafael Orozco would named the first club president. Following the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution, amateur football tournaments throughout the country flourished and Guadalajara was always involved. Between 1906 and 1943 (the amateur era of Mexican football and the Primera Fuerza), Guadalajara won 13 amateur titles, the first in 1908. Also during this period, the oldest rivalry in Mexican football began to form, between Guadalajara and America. In 1943, it was decided that the team would only field Mexican-born players because of the growing sense of oppression Mexican nationals felt towards non-Mexican nationals.
In 1943 the Liga Mayor was founded after the merging of several regional leagues and the era of professional football began. Guadalajara struggled during the early years, with the exception of the 1948–49 season when they finished third. This same year Guadalajara was given the name "Chivas Locas" (Crazy Goats) during a game against Atlas. The name was initially considered an insult, but later adopted as the team's nickname due to the overwhelming popularity of the club. During the 1951–52 and 1954–55 seasons, the team finished as runner-up in the league, leading to the nickname "Ya Merito" ("Almost There!").
During the 1956 season, players such as Salvador "Chava" Reyes, Jaime "El Tubo" Gomez, Arturo "Curita" Chaires, Juan Jasso, Isidoro "Chololo" Díaz, Guillermo "Tigre" Sepúlveda, Ignacio "Cuate" Calderón, and José "Jamaicón" Villegas were part of what is considered one of the finest teams in Mexican football history, El Campeonísimo. Guadalajara won its first championship during this season due to a last minute goal scored by Salvador Reyes. Led by coaches such as Donaldo "Pato" Ross and Javier de la Torre in subsequent years, the team won seven league championships, two cups, three CONCACAF titles and seven Champion of Champions titles. It was the only team in Mexico's football history to win four league championships in a row, during the 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, and 1961–62 seasons. El Campeonísimo became internationally recognized and, in 1964 played several matches in Europe against such teams as FC Barcelona, Werder Bremen, and Lille Olympique, resulting in two victories, four draws and four losses for the team.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Guadalajara struggled. In the 1970–71 season, the team finished very close to the relegation zone. The best they could manage to reach was the play-offs twice, with a fifth-place finish in 1971–72 and a sixth-place finish in 1976–77. They began to be nicknamed "Las Chivas Flacas" (The Lean Goats), due to their lean athletic performances. During the 1980–81 season, on 14 February 1981, the bus transporting the team to a match in Puebla was hit by a trailer, taking the life of midfielder Jose "Pepe" Martínez. During 1980–81 season, the team reached a third-place ranking. Eleven years after their near-relegation in 1971, Guadalajara managed to escape it yet again in the 1981–82 season by just one point.
Improvement came soon after the hiring of coach Alberto Guerra, who had been a player for Guadalajara during the mid '60s. During the 1982–83 season, Guadalajara finished seventh in the league and qualified for the playoffs, going on to eliminate Atlante F.C. in quarter-finals and Club América in Semifinals. The team reached the finals for the first time since the playoff format was introduced in the '70s, where they would go on to lose to Puebla F.C. in a penalty shootout. Guadalajara would once again reach the Finals in 1983–84, only to lose to America by an aggregate score of 5–4. The club would continue being competitive the rest of the '80s and early '90s., with their very best performance in the 1986–87 season, where they would finish 1st in the regular season and win the Championship against Cruz Azul in the final. Their best players during this time were Benjamín Galindo, Eduardo de la Torre, José Manuel de la Torre, Fernando Quirarte, and Javier Aguirre among others.
By the end of the 1980s, Guadalajara began to experience financial troubles. Team directors decided to create a special financial sector that would be known as La Promotora Deportiva. The team would be "sold" for 10 years starting in 1992 to a petroleum executive named Salvador Martinez Garza, who would be in charge of the Promotora and of team operations. Before Guadalajara began its new era under the Promotora, the team began the 1990s in average form, reaching the Semifinals in 90–91, reaching the Quarterfinals in 91–92, and finishing in thirteenth place in 92–93.
The new directors decided to bring back Guadalajara's champion coach of the 1986–87 season Alberto Guerra and purchase many players that would become icons for Guadalajara in the early '90s: Missael Espinoza, Alberto "Guamerú" Garcia, and Alberto Coyote. The team also relied on young talent from the youth academy. Such talent included Paulo Cesar "Tilon" Chavez and Joel "Tiburon" Sanchez. At the beginning of the 93–94 season, the press and fans dubbed the new and improved team Las Superchivas. However, despite expectations, the team was eliminated early on in the playoffs. The 94–95 season would bring about more change for the team. The club directors sold all television rights of the team to Mexican giant Televisa, a move that was heavily criticized by fans because of Televisa's ownership of Club América. Guadalajara would end the 1993–1994 regular season as the leader in the league table, but was narrowly defeated by Club Necaxa in the Semifinals. The 96–97 season saw the exit of coach Alberto Guerra, being replaced by the Dutchman Leo Beenhakker. The team failed to make the playoffs that season.
By 1996, the Primera División de México season format would be changed to two short seasons per year. The first of the seasons, Invierno 1996, saw Guadalajara bring in another coach, Brazilian Ricardo Ferretti. During Ferretti's first season, the team managed to reach third place in the league table, but would be eliminated by Club Necaxa in the Quarterfinals. Guadalajara won its 10th championship under Ferretti in the Verano 1997 season against Toros Neza with the aggregate score of 7–2. Guadalajara would once again reach the Finals in the Invierno 1998 season, only to once again lose to Necaxa.
After its tenth year in charge of Guadalajara, La Promotora was still in debt and finally put up for sale. On 31 October 2002, the team was acquired by a Guadalajara native and self-made entrepreneur, Jorge Vergara. Vergara was the founder of a multi level marketing named Grupo Omnilife. Vergara hired directors that would be in charge of handling business affairs. He also removed all sponsorship from Guadalajara's jersey; the jersey has since had limited sponsorship.
In order to establish funding for the team, Vergara sought to market the Las Chivas name and capitalize on it, placing the name on anything from its own magazine to toothbrushes and its own brand of cola.
For the Clausura 2003 season, Guadalajara hired Eduardo de la Torre, who had played for the team in the 1980s. The Apertura 2003 season would see poor results in the first half of the tournament, putting an end to de la Torre's tenure as coach. Coaching responsibilities would be temporarily assumed by Dutchman Hans Westerhof and the team would qualify for a wild card showdown against Club Deportivo Toluca, only to be subsequently eliminated.
In February 2004, it was announced that the club would construct a new stadium.
In the Apertura 2004, Guadalajara would display an offensive style of football and managed to place third in the league standings, qualifying for the playoffs. Players such as goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez, Ramon Morales, Omar Bravo, and newly acquired Adolfo Bautista, became instant fan favorites. They defeated Atlante F.C. in the quarterfinals and Toluca in the semifinals, but would lose in the Finals against UNAM in a penalty shootout. Nevertheless, the team had shown, since Vergara's arrival, that it was highly competitive, including in the 2005 Copa Libertadores, where it defeated favorites Boca Juniors 4–0 aggregate to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, they lost to Athletico Paranaense 5–2. Under coach José Manuel de la Torre, who was a player for Guadalajara in the 1980s, the team won its 11th championship. In the Apertura 2006 season, Las Chivas placed eighth in the league table and qualified for the playoffs by defeating Veracruz 2–1 in Veracruz and 4–0 in the Estadio Jalisco in a wild card series. Guadalajara advanced to the quarterfinals where they defeated Cruz Azul 2–0 in the first leg and tied 2–2 in the second leg (4–2 aggregate), moving on to the semi-finals against rivals Club América.
The club advanced to the final of the Primera División against Toluca. The first match was played at Estadio Jalisco, in which Toluca and Las Chivas tied 1–1 with goals from Omar Bravo for Las Chivas and Bruno Marioni for Toluca. On 10 December 2006, Las Chivas played at Toluca's home stadium Estadio Nemesio Díez and won 2–1 (3–2 aggregate), thus becoming the Mexican League champions by holding 11 titles, the most titles of any team in the league at the time. The first goal was scored by Francisco Javier Rodriguez, and the second was by Adolfo Bautista.
Bautista dedicated his goal and his team's victory to his mother, who had died shortly before. This championship was goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez's first in his career. After the Apertura 2006 championship the team had gone through a series of changes with the departures of Oswaldo Sánchez, Adolfo Bautista, and Omar Bravo who left to play in Spain. José Manuel de la Torre was fired in the Apertura 2007 tournament and replaced by Efrain Flores. After Flores's stint at the club Omar Arellano Nuño was appointed, but he only coached one league game and two Copa Libertadores matches. Arellano was replaced by Francisco Ramirez who had an unsuccessful period as coach by having the lowest percentage of effectiveness of all the coaches hired in the last seven years. Ramirez was fired and replaced by Raul Arias, who also had a terrible run at the club. On 4 November 2009, Raul Arias was fired and replaced by José Luis Real. Real lead the team to an explosive start of the 2010 Bicentenario tournament, winning the first 8 games in a row. Nevertheless, their winning streak was broken against the low table team, Chiapas F.C., losing by a score of 4–0. Under José Luis Real, Chivas saw many young and promising players blossoming even more rapidly than expected, including Javier Hernández, who was signed by English club Manchester United on 8 April; Hernandez additionally finished the tournament as joint-top scorer with 10 goals and named best forward. Chivas qualified to the championship stage after a second place general table finish but lost to Monarcas Morelia in the first round with an aggregate score of 5–2.
On 30 July, Chivas played their inaugural match in their newly constructed stadium against Manchester United, as part of a deal where Javier Hernández was headed to the English club. Hernández played for Guadalajara in the first half, scoring within the first 8 minutes and switched sides in the second, unable to prevent a 3–2 defeat for Manchester United.
In August, Chivas played that year's Copa Libertadores finals against Brazilian club Sport Club Internacional but lost following an aggregate score of 5–3, becoming the second Mexican club to reach the tournament's final.
Starting with the release of Jose Luis Real as coach in October 2011, Chivas struggled to maintain form finding themselves with 9 coaches being hired and released in the past 3 years. The club was in danger of being relegated to the second division for the first time in their history. In February 2012, Johan Cruyff was hired as the team's advisor. Nine months later the club sacked him, mainly due to the fact that the team was not improving. On 22 November 2013 Guadalajara placed multiple important players on the transfer list: Marco Fabián, Miguel Ponce, and veterans Luis Michel and Héctor Reynoso. On 25 November 2013, it was confirmed that Jose Luis Real would return to C.D. Guadalajara as head coach. Real showed improvement in the squad but was soon released after the team lost 4–0 at home to rivals Club América. On 2 April 2014, veteran manager Ricardo La Volpe was appointed as head coach. He was immediately released on 30 April 2014 supposedly due to having inappropriate conduct with a female staff member who later took legal action against him. On 12 May 2014, Carlos Bustos was appointed as head coach. On 2 October 2014, Bustos resigned after a 3–1 loss to Club Toluca. He left the team with two wins, four draws, and four losses. On 7 October 2014, former Mexico national team manager José Manuel de la Torre was appointed as head coach. The club started the 2015 season with a 2–1 loss against Chiapas, and this result caused them to become tied in the last position of the Liga MX relegation table with Puebla. The very next week the club showed better character after a 2–1 win at home against Pumas UNAM in front of a very supportive, and completely sold-out crowd of fans. By game 12 of the 2015 Clausura season, Guadalajara managed to earn 21 points after winning crucial matches against teams such as Monterrey and relegation rivals Puebla. José Manuel de la Torre's strategic 4–2–3–1 formation proved effect during matches despite the fans' constant requests to use two strikers in the starting line-up. In game 13 of the season, Guadalajara defeated Club León in the Estadio Akron's 100th official match and went up to 1st place with 24 points. José Manuel de la Torre's effectiveness rose to 62.1%, the highest rate in the Clausura 2015 season. The club finished the 2015 Clausura in fifth place with the third best defense of the season, thus, qualifying to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. The team started the 2015 Apertura season with 4 points in 6 games and a squad plagued with injuries. On 14 September 2015, the club announced they had released De la Torre.
On 18 September 2015, the club officially presented Matías Almeyda as new manager, proclaiming he wanted to "awaken the giant." Almeyda immediately made his style of attacking football known by consecutively winning his first four matches, including the match against rivals Club América on 26 September 2015 by a score of 2–1 at the Estadio Azteca. On 4 November, Guadalajara won its third Copa MX after defeating Club León by a score of 1–0 via a 75th-minute header scored by defender Oswaldo Alanís. On 8 May, the club qualified for the Clausura 2016 Liguilla, earning 28 points and finishing 5th. After seasons of struggles and disappointing results, the club earned ninth place in the official relegation table for the 2016–2017 season due to their good performances throughout the 2015–2016 season, thus, starting their end of relegation troubles and surpassing clubs such as Cruz Azul and Club Tijuana.
On 21 May 2016, club owner Jorge Vergara announced in an official press conference that the club was not renewing contract with Mexican television giants Televisa, thus, ending a 22-year run with the broadcasting company. Vergara then announced the establishment of Chivas TV, the club's own channel for live games, interviews, and more. Chivas TV would have a rough start with many complaints from customers about a difficulty watching the live games, but the service would get better as the season progressed and allies such as Cinepolis Klic, Claro Video, and TDN joined the project and also broadcast the live games.
On 10 July 2016, Chivas played their first ever Supercopa MX and won the title by defeating Veracruz 2–0, with goals from Orbelin Pineda and Omar Bravo, and qualifying to the Copa Libertadores for the first time since 2012, however, they would ultimately not participate due to the Copa Libertadores had a new format which Mexican teams could not adapt to, thus withdrawing from the competition.
On 19 April 2017, Chivas won their fourth Copa MX title, defeating Monarcas Morelia in a penalty shoot-out by a score of 3–1 after a goalless draw, with Guadalajara goalkeeper Miguel Jiménez stopping three consecutive penalties during the series. The following month, they played Atlas, Toluca and in the Clausura championship final was played against Tigres UANL, with Guadalajara winning their twelfth league title following an aggregate victory of 4–3 after two legs. With the capture of the Liga MX title, Chivas became the first team in Mexican history to win a Double in a single season on two different occasions and their first since the 1969–70 season.
On 25 April 2018, Guadalajara won the CONCACAF Champions League final against Major League Soccer side Toronto FC, defeating them 4–2 via penalty shoot-out, with all four players scoring, after a 3–3 aggregate draw. As a result of winning the title, Guadalajara qualified for the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. On 11 June 2018, however, he left, citing differences with an executive. The following day, José Cardozo was appointed manager.
In December, at the FIFA Club World Cup, they concluded their first participation in the tournament with a sixth-place finish after losing in a penalty shoot-out against Tunisian club Esperance Sportive de Tunis. In March 2019, Cardozo was let go following a losing streak of 4 matches and on 10 April, Tomás Boy was named as his successor.
On 15 November 2019, Grupo Omnilife and club owner Jorge Vergara died at the age of 64 of cardiac arrest. His son, Amaury Vergara, inherited the presidency of the club.
On 26 November, Amaury Vergara officially presented Ricardo Peláez as the club's new sporting director and Luis Fernando Tena as the new manager.
Tena was let go on 9 August after going the first three matches of the Guardianes 2020 tournament scoreless, losing twice. Four days later, Victor Manuel Vucetich was appointed as the new manager. Following a seventh place general table finish, they made it to the Guardianes 2020 semi-finals, losing 2–1 to eventual league winners Club León. In the Guardianes 2021 Chivas would end up getting knocked out in the reclassification round 4–2 to Pachuca
In the Torneo Apertura 2021 Chivas had their lowest finish in the league since the reclassification phase was re-added, Placing 10th in the general standings. This led to the sacking of Victor Manuel Vucetich and the appointment of caretaker manager Marcelo Michel Leaño. The club would end up getting knocked out to Puebla 6–5 on penalties in the reclassification phase.
Leaño was appointed as the permanent manager for the Clausura 2022 tournament. After only getting 11 points from a possible 39, Leaño was sacked. With 4 games left to go in the tournament, Ricardo Pelaez announced the arrival of Ricardo Cadena to be caretaker manager for the rest of the tournament. Cadena would go on to end the regular season with a 4-game winning streak putting Chivas in 6th place. Chivas would end up beating rivals Pumas UNAM 4–1 in the reclassification phase but then fall in the quarter finals to local rivals and eventual champions Atlas 2–1 (3–2 on aggregate)
For the Apertura 2022, Cadena was appointed as permanent manager. Guadalajara would struggle, as they only got their first win in the 10th matchday. It would be later revealed that Sporting Director Ricardo Peláez had consistently been trying to leave the club but president Amaury Vergara declined his resignation. Chivas would end up getting knocked by Puebla on penalties 5–4, yet again in the reclassification phase.
On 21 October 2022, Fernando Hierro was announced as the sporting director for the team. 10 days later, he announced the appointment of former Chicago Fire coach Veljko Paunović. This announcement was heavily criticized as he had little to no knowledge of Mexican football and had left his previous team (Reading) fighting in a relegation battle.
Despite this, he led Chivas to a top 3 finish in the Clausura 2023, qualifying them for the Liguilla directly for the first time since the Clausura 2017. In the quarter-finals, they would face and tie with city rivals Atlas 1–1 on aggregate, with Chivas advancing due to having the better position on the regular season table. Chivas would be matched against historical rivals Club América in the semi-finals, where despite losing 1–0 at home, Chivas would win 3–1 at the Estadio Azteca to advance to their first league final since the Clausura 2017. On 28 May 2023, despite leading 2–0 after the first half, Chivas lost the final of the Clausura 2023 2–3 after Extra Time to Tigres UANL, the same team they had beat in the Clausura 2017 final.
After a disappointing quarter-final exit in the Apertura 2023, Veljko Paunović officially left the club on 15 December 2023. Fernando Gago would soon be announced as his replacement 5 days later. Gago would lead Chivas to the qualification zone in the Clausura 2024 as the 6th seed with 31 points and bring them back to the semifinals where they would soon be eliminated by rivals Club America.
On 29 May 2024, Fernando Hierro announced his departure as the sporting director of the team.
On 10 October 2024, Chivas announced the departure of Fernando Gago, after his termination clause was activated, allowing him to join Boca Juniors. This was after weeks of speculation, especially during and after their derby loss to Atlas 2–3 on 5 October 2024.
On 2 December 2024, Óscar García Junyent was appointed as the head coach for the Clausura 2025 season. In the pre-season, the squad was reinforced by the likes of Mexican international Luis Romo, as well as the return of Alan Pulido.
During the beginning of Clausura 2025, Chivas struggled to win games, only winning 11 points from their first 9 games, including a 3–1 loss to 17th placed San Luis on 26 February 2025. On 30 January 2024, García Junyent received a 3-match ban after kicking James Rodriguez in a match against León.
On 28 February 2025, Chivas announced the departure of the remaining Spanish sporting directors from Fernando Hierro's tenure. They were succeeded by Javier Mier. The following day, the new sporting directive announced the imminent departure of García Junyent.
The club sports three colors (red, white, and blue) on their kit. Originally sporting an entirely white kit, in 1908, their kit was redesigned and modeled on that of the founder's favorite team, the Belgian Club Brugge K.V., borrowing the vertical stripes and color scheme of the Brugge strip in that era. (Club Brugge has since changed their colors). Some historians assert that the colors came from the French Tricolor because some of the club's first players were French, and as an homage to the factory where most of the players worked, Fábricas de Francia. Although the club philosophy soon changed to a Mexican-centric one, including renaming the club and adopting a Mexican-nationals only policy, the club retained the Bruges colors and pattern, in honor of the European founders' legacy at Chivas.
Once the team was renamed in 1908 as Club Guadalajara, they used initials, C.G., in the centre of the jersey. After a few years of the team's existence, the first proper crest was designed, still using the team's initials. They were eventually placed around a circle.
After two years of using the original crest, in 1910, a second crest was created using the same C.G. club initials. The "C" was replaced with a silhouette of a snake, wrapped around a "G" shaped horseshoe. Similarly to the original crest, the initials were placed around a red circle. This design would be used in the team's limited edition Centennial jerseys in 2006.
Starting in 1917, the club used a crest which is more similar to its modern contemporary. The crest was composed of a vertical rectangle with a blue border, which inside included the five red and six white stripes of the club jersey. The center of the crest included a blue border of a diamond, alongside a "G" of the same color.
Guadalajara's modern crest was designed in 1923 and uses as its base, the coat of arms of the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. The crest was then complemented with a blue circle and the words Guadalajara, alongside the red stripes and white stripes from the 1917 crest. However, unlike the 1917 crest, there were only four red and five white stripes. In 1984, the crest would be changed to include the words Club Deportivo alongside Guadalajara, and one red and one white stripe were added to the crest, mirroring the 1917 crest. Over the years, stars representing each championship the team have won would be added to the crest, totaling twelve. The modern crest design is credited to brothers Everardo and Jose Espinosa, Angel Bolumar, and Antonio Villalvazo, all of whom were players or directors of the team during that time.
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From the 1930s to 1960, Guadalajara played in a small, stadium known as "Parque Oblatos". Originally build for Oro, the inaugural match was a friendly between Oro and Chivas. Soon after the friendly, Chivas would move into the stadium, as would Atlas. In the 1950-51 season, Atlas won the Primera División title by one point, often accredited to their 1–0 win over Chivas at Parque Oblatos in the final match day. In the 1954-55 season, Chivas would draw 3–3 against Zacatepec at Parque Oblatos in the fourth match day. Chivas would finish runner-up that season, losing the title to Zacatepec by two points. In the 1956–57 Mexican Primera División season, Chivas would win their ever first title after defeating Irapuato 1–0 at Parque Oblatos, with a stoppage time winner from Salvador Reyes. In both the 1958-59 and 1959-60 seasons, Chivas would win consecutive division titles in the final match day at Parque Oblatos. As a result, the stadium held significant importance to both Chivas and Jaliscan football heritage. However, by the 1950s, the stadium's official seating capacity of 10,000 failed to meet demand for match day tickets, with derby matches often having total actual attendances of over 15,000. By 1954, this had motivated Chivas, Atlas, and Oro to form Clubes Unidos de Jalisco, with the goal of building and maintaining a new state-of-the-art stadium that would more adequately meet the demand for Tapatío football.
Guadalajara next shared the Estadio Jalisco with their town rivals Atlas. Estadio Jalisco was inaugurated on 31 January 1960. It was host for eight games in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, six group-stage matches, and one each in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The stadium was host for nine games in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, six group-stage matches, one round-of-16 match, one quarterfinal, and one semifinal. Chivas played in the Jalisco Stadium from 1960 to 2010. Due to the aging structure of the stadium and the desire of Chivas to have their own stadium to call home, owner Jorge Vergara decided to construct a stadium (Jalisco Stadium was always shared with various teams from the city such as Atlas, Club Universidad de Guadalajara, and Club Oro, among others). Chivas administration used an investment of 130 million dollars to build a new home.
In 2010, Las Chivas's new home field was completed. Estadio Omnilife (then named after the nutrition company owned by Vergara) was designed to look like a volcano with a cloud on top. The idea of the design is to integrate the stadium with nature because of its proximity to La Primavera Biosphere Reserve. It is also used for conventions and as a Business JVC Center. Construction of the stadium began in May 2007 and concluded in July 2010. The stadium seats are red, except for the loge seats that are white. It has a large main entrance and 18 exits. Total seating capacity is 49,850, which includes 330 suites with capacities of nine to 13 guests. An underground parking lot is available for suite renters, which holds up to 850 cars, and parking outside the stadium has capacity for 8,000 cars. The new stadium also has a store, a museum, and various food and beverage concessions. The stadium's opening date was 30 July 2010. The inaugural match was a friendly between Chivas and Manchester United that Chivas won 3–2, with the first goal scored by Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who had just been transferred from the former to the latter. In March 2016, the stadium was renamed Estadio Chivas. On 10 November 2017, it was announced that Mexican automotive oil firm Grupo Akron would buy the naming rights of Estadio Chivas. On 15 December 2017, the stadium was officially renamed Estadio Akron.
Chivas has developed two important rivalries over the years. Perhaps its most intense rivalry is with Mexico City-based Club América. Their meetings, which have become known as El Súper Clásico, are played at least twice a year and signal a national derby. Both are the most successful and most popular teams in Mexico. The first confrontation between them ended with a victory for Guadalajara with a score of 3–0.The rivalry began to flourish after the second match when Club América defeated Guadalajara with a score of 7–2. Although the huge defeat sparked embarrassment within Chivas, it was almost two decades before the rivalry became The Clásico. One of the very reasons why these two teams are archrivals is because in 1983 and 1986 they brawled with each other, raising excitement among the fans. Thus, every time they play it is considered a match that everyone will remember. To this day, El Clásico de Clásicos continues to raise huge excitement in the whole country as well as in other parts of the world where there are fans of either team. The intensity of the game is lived so passionately that every time these two teams play a game, regardless of what position they are in on the charts or what level they show throughout the league, it is always considered the most important game of the season. El Súper Clásico was ranked 12th on FourFourTwo's 50 biggest derbies list.
The Clásico Tapatío, as it is known, is the oldest derby in Mexican football since its inception in 1916, being a game that is lived with great passion on the part of supporters of both Chivas and Club Atlas. In the early stages of the rivalry Guadalajara supporters started to dub players of Atlas by calling them "Margaritas". In reaction to the name, a group of Atlas supporters reacted by claiming that their rivals ran like "Chivas Locas" (Crazy Goats) and to the Chivas players it was considered an insult. Over time the meaning of "Chivas" changed due to the popularity of the club and it became a term of endearment upon the Chivas fans. They used to share Estadio Jalisco, which caused controversies with the fans until, in 2010 Chivas moved to the Estadio Akron.
The fans of what some surveys say is the most popular football team in the country remain loyal to a club that has only won four championship titles (in a period of more than 50 years) since its heyday in 1970.
In addition to the general enthusiasm that still lingers over the era of the Campeonísimo – the most successful club team in the history of Mexican professional football – the affection also stems from the fact that Chivas is the only first division club in Mexico to only sign local players. Chivas also rarely bought Mexican players from other major clubs and did not import its players equally from all parts of Mexico. The focus of its personnel policy is mainly in its own region in western Mexico, and mainly in the state of Jalisco, and traditionally even most in the utilization of its own young talent.
Chivas Guadalajara has 3 supporters' group (barra bravas), La Irreverente, Barra Insurgencia and Legión 1908.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
All players are Mexican unless otherwise noted.
Players in bold are still active with the team.
Guadalajara were forced to withdraw as they were on a tour in Europe during the finals' schedule. Jacksonville withdrew, Guadalajara advances. Both clubs were disqualified after failing to agree on match dates. Third place was shared. After refusing to play their match against the MetroStars in New York, Guadalajara was expelled from the competition by CONMEBOL. They lost their 4 remaining matches with a score of 0–2. As São Paulo refused to travel following concerns over the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico, Guadalajara withdrew from the tournament. CONMEBOL later secured Guadalajara a place in the round of 16 of the 2010 edition instead.