 | ||||
| Full name | Club Atlético Morelia | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Los Canarios (The Canaries)[1] Los Rojiamarillos (The Red-and-Yellow) Purépechas Ates | |||
| Short name | MOR | |||
| Founded | November 21, 1924; 101 years ago (1924-11-21) (as Oro Morelia) June 26, 2020; 5 years ago (2020-06-26) (refounded as Club Atlético Morelia) | |||
| Ground | Estadio Morelos Morelia,Michoacán | |||
| Capacity | 35,000 | |||
| Owner(s) | Club Atlético Morelia, S.A. de C.V. | |||
| Chairman | Rubens Sambueza | |||
| Manager | Mario Ortiz | |||
| League | Liga de Expansión MX | |||
| Apertura 2025 | Regular phase: 7th Final phase: Semifinals | |||
| Website | www | |||
Club Atlético Morelia is a Mexican professionalfootball club based inMorelia,Michoacán, that competes inLiga de Expansión MX, the second level division ofMexican football.[2] The club plays their home matches at theEstadio Morelos.Founded in 1924 asOro Morelia, the club changed its name toClub Deportivo Morelia in 1950, becoming one of the founding members of theSegunda División de México. It adopted its current name in 1974, before rebranding asMonarcas Morelia in 1999.
From 1981 to 2020, the club competed in Mexico’s top division, winning onePrimera División title, oneCopa MX title and oneSupercopa MX. Internationally, it finished as runners-up twice in theCONCACAF Champions Cup, regionally, it also won theNorth American SuperLiga in2010.
In June 2020, Atlético Morelia was reestablished in the Liga de Expansión MX following the relocation of Monarcas Morelia toMazatlán,Sinaloa, where it was rebranded asMazatlán F.C.[3][4] Four years later, in June 2024, Atlético Morelia announced that it had acquired the Monarcas Morelia brand, crest, and historical legacy, thereby reaffirming its identity as the original club founded in 1950.[5] Morelia finished as champions of Clausura 2022 in the Liga de Expansión MX, which was its second title in a second level division.
In 1950 "Oro Morelia" changed the name toClub Deportivo Morelia. Morelia was among the teams that founded theSegunda División. After the 1956–1957 season, in which they ended up in second place, they were officially promoted into thePrimera División to replacePuebla. After an unsuccessful season, in 1968 Atlético Morelia was relegated back to the Segunda División. During mixed 1968–1971 seasons, C.A. Morelia appointed Nicandro Ortiz as chairman. Ortiz acquired the team and strengthened its position in the league.
The July 1974 changes name inClub Atlético Morelia
The 1978–1979 season thrust Morelia into contention for promotion; Ortiz acquired the team and strengthened its position in the league, Nicandro Ortiz as chairman in 1980, Atlético Morelia played under manager Diego Malta who helped his team towards the Mexico Championship and finally promotion to the Primera División in 1981.
In 1986 before the World Cup in Mexico Atletico Morelia played friendlies against Germany Losing 2-1 and against the URSS again losing 4-1.
In 1996 the major broadcast companyTV Azteca bought the team.In 1999 the club started playing under the nameClub Monarcas Morelia.
Although the team had played Mexican professional football for 70 years, it had never won a first division tournament until winter 2000, when the club raised the cup after beatingToluca on penalties. The team was crowned champions away in theBombonera Stadium. On the day after the victory, a crowd that some[who?] estimate at 100 thousand people welcomed the team as it paraded along Morelia's main avenue, Avenida Madero on their way to the stadium where the crowd congregated as the team raised the cup and the fans congratulated the team for its first ever first division trophy.
After missing the playoffs for three consecutive tournaments, Morelia finished in third place in the general table in the Apertura 2009. Morelia defeatedSantos Laguna in the first round, 4–2 on aggregate. Morelia was then defeated byCruz Azul in a semi-final that was filled with controversy due to Cruz Azul playerJoel Huiqui intentionally using his hand to hit the ball away and prevent Morelia midfielderWilson Tíago from scoring. (Huiqui later played for Morelia.) With a 2–1 aggregate score, Morelia was eliminated. Morelia qualified for the2010 Copa Libertadores by ending in third place in the classification phase. It was the second time that Morelia participated in the Copa Libertadores, the first being in 2002. Morelia was the Runner-up of the Clausura 2011, after a hard-fought final against Pumas. Pumas won the tie 3–2 on aggregate, taking the trophy home.
In 2010, Morelia became theSuperLiga champion, with a 2–1 victory in the finals over theNew England Revolution in whichMiguel Sabah scored both Morelia goals.
On November 5, 2013 Monarcas Morelia won their first Copa MX title in a 3–3 match that went to penalties, where they would take the victory. This title also allowed them to participate in the inaugural editionSupercopa MX, which they won againstTigres UANL with a global score of 5–4.
After 15 years, a dismal 2014–15 campaign left Monarcas as one of the last teams in the relegation table, an aggregate of a club's most recent points totals that decides which teams will be relegated. As a result, Enrique Meza was chosen to be the coach for theApertura 2015 season. Meza had already saved Morelia before, in the 1995–96 season. After no notable improvement in team performance, Meza was let go from the position of head coach in 2016, withRoberto Hernandez taking over as interim manager. Hernandez's tenure would coincide with the signing of Peruvian forwardRaul Ruidiaz on loan fromUniversitario. The signing of Ruidiaz would prove to be crucial to the club's fortunes, as he would go on to score 20 goals throughout the2016-2017 Liga MX season, finishing as top scorer with 11 goals in the Apertura and 9 goals in the Clausura. In the following season, Morelia was in danger of being relegated on the final match day of the Apertura, residing in last place in the relegation table and needing a victory over Monterrey to avoid the drop. Tied 1-1 in injury time, Raul Rudiaz scored a crucial winner that moved them out of the relegation zone, with Jaguares de Chiapas being relegated in their stead. Ruidiaz's goal additionally qualified them for that season's liguilla, its first since the 2016 Clausura.
On May 23, 2020, various news outlets in Mexico reported the club would be relocating from Morelia toMazatlán,Sinaloa and would be calledMazatlán F.C.[6][7][8] The club's owner,Grupo Salinas, reportedly were asking for $400 millionMXN per year from the Government ofMichoacán to keep the team in the city.[9] The move was very unpopular among supporters, former players, and the sports media across Mexico.[10] Despite stay-at-home orders due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, over 7,000 fans took to the streets of Morelia to protest the team's move.[11]
On June 2, 2020, the club and Liga MX announced the club's relocation to Mazatlán, just two days before the club's 70th anniversary.[12]
On June 26, 2020,Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla announcedAtlético Zacatepec would be relocating to Morelia due to financial problems.[13] The next day in a press conference at Estadio Morelos, it was announced the club would be called Club Atlético Morelia, the club's name for over 25 years beforeGrupo Salinas changed it in 1999.[14] It was announced the ownership group would consist of formerGuadalajara President José Luis Higuera as well as various businessmen from the state of Michoacán.[15] The ownership group acquired the rights to the club's name and logo, both which were owned by Grupo Salinas.[16]
The club's colors are generated from the city's flag which are yellow and red, which are the same colors in the Spanish flag, because the city is a novohispana city.
In the club's beginnings the club went under the name of Oro and were known as thecanarios (canary) until 1999 when the club changed its name to Monarcas, due to the 3 monarchs found in the city's flag, which has been used from its foundation.
| Period | Kit supplier | Main shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1985–1989 |  Adidas |  Martí |
| 1989–1992 |  Helados Holanda | |
| 1992–1993 | Vicmar | Peñafiel |
| 1993–1994 |  Coca-Cola | |
| 1994–1995 | Aba Sport | |
| 1995–1996 | Vicmar | Cerveza Superior |
| 1996–1997 | Umbro | Coca-Cola |
| 1997–1998 | Atletica | |
| 1998–2000 | 3 Hermanos | |
| 2000–2001 | OrderExpress | |
| 2001–2009 |  LG | |
| 2009–2012 | Roshfrans | |
| 2012–2013 | Nike |  Bridgestone |
| 2013–2015 |  Joma | |
| 2015 | Pirma | Totalplay |
| 2016–2020 | Caliente.mx | |
| 2020–2022 | Keuka | Lubricantes AkronAvocados from Mexico |
| 2022–2024 | Lubricantes AkronAxen Capital | |
| 2024– | Lubricantes Akron ArcelorMittal |
Towards the end of the 1980s it was decided that their stadium (Estadio Venustiano Carranza) was lacking capacity and that a new stadium with a greater number of seats needed to be constructed. On April 9, 1989, after several construction delays, Stadium Jose Maria Morelos and Pavón (located on the outskirts of the Quinceo mountain) was opened, and the inaugural game was between Atlético Morelia andClub América. The stadium has an official capacity of 45,000, although on inauguration in 1989 it is estimated that more than 50,000 were in attendance. Morelia won the match with the score 2–1. In 2011, the stadium was given a new look, seeing as theFIFA U-17 World Cup was taking place inMexico.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Sporting chairman |  Rubens Sambueza |
| Corporate chairman | José Luis Higuera |
| Vice-chairman | Raymundo López Olvera |
| Director of football | Jose Luis Cendejas |
Source:Liga MX
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Mario Ortiz |
| Assistan managers | Juan Pablo Alfaro Francisco Javier Gómez |
| Goalkeeper coach | Miguel Fraga |
| Fitness coach | Ricardo Gómez |
| Physiotherapist | Carlos Alpizar |
| Team doctor | Erick Aguilar |
Morelia has had some notable players in their history.Marco Antonio Figueroa is the club's all-time leading scorer with 130 goals.Adolfo Bautista,Rafael Márquez Lugo,Moisés Muñoz,Miguel Sabah,Joel Huiqui,Adrián Aldrete,Enrique Pérez,Édgar Lugo andElias Hernandez, are some of the players that were called up to theMexico national team while playing with the team.Raul Ruidiaz was the first Morelia player to achieve a Liga MX top scoring title.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The following players were called to represent their country at theWorld Cup whilst playing for Morelia:
The following players were called to represent their country at theSummer Olympic Games whilst playing for Morelia:
Pablo López (1964)Rafael Márquez Lugo (2004)| Atletico Morelia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Goals | ||
| 1 |  Marco Antonio Figueroa | 130 Goals | ||
| 2 |  Alex Fernandes | 71 Goals | ||
| 3 | Miguel Sabah | 64 Goals | ||
| 4 |  Carlos Miloc | 59 Goals | ||
| 5 | Rafael Márquez Lugo[20] | 58 Goals | ||
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning editions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Top division | Primera División | 1 | Invierno 2000 | Apertura 2002,Clausura 2003,Clausura 2011 |
| Copa Presidente/Copa MX | 1 | Apertura 2013 | 1964–65,Clausura 2017 | |
| Supercopa MX | 1s | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Promotion divisions | Liga de Expansión MX | 1 | Clausura 2022 | Guardianes 2021,Clausura 2023 |
| Campeón de Campeones de Liga de Expansión MX | 0 | – | 2022 | |
| Segunda División | 1 | 1980–81 | 1956–57 | |
| Copa México de Segunda División | 1 | 1955–56 | 1950–51 | |
| Campeón de Campeones de Segunda División | 1 | 1956 | – |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning editions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ContinentalCONCACAF | CONCACAF Champions Cup | 0 | – | 2002,2003 |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning editions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  North AmericaMLS Liga MX | North American SuperLiga | 1s | 2010 | – |
s shared record
Carlos Miloc (1979–80)
Árpád Fekete (1982)Antonio "Tota" Carbajal (1984–94)Jesus Bracamontes (1989–90), (1991–93)Carlos Miloc (1995–96)Enrique Meza (Feb 24, 1996 – June 30, 1996)Tomás Boy (Sept 6, 1996 – June 30, 1997) Eduardo Solari (1997–98)Tomás Boy (July 1, 1998 – June 30, 2000)Luis Fernando Tena (July 1, 2000 – Oct 22, 2001)Miguel Ángel Russo (Oct 27, 2001 – Feb 16, 2002)Rubén Omar Romano (Feb 24, 2002 – Feb 22, 2004)Antonio Mohamed (Feb 24, 2004 – June 30, 2004)Eduardo Acevedo (2004–05)Ricardo Ferretti (Jan 1, 2005 – Dec 31, 2005)Sergio Bueno (Jan 1, 2006 – Feb 6, 2006)Darío Franco (Feb 10, 2006 – June 30, 2006)Hugo Hernández (July 1, 2006 – Sept 18, 2006)Marco Antonio Figueroa (Sept 22, 2006 – June 30, 2007)José Luis Trejo (July 1, 2007 – Oct 22, 2007)David Patiño (Oct 22, 2007 – March 16, 2008)Luis Fernando Tena (March 17, 2008 – Feb 19, 2009)Tomás Boy (Feb 20, 2009 – June 30, 2012)Rubén Omar Romano (July 1, 2012 – Feb 18, 2013)Carlos Bustos (Feb 18, 2013 – Jan 26, 2014)Eduardo de la Torre (Jan 27, 2014 – March 1, 2014)R. Hernández(interim) (March 2, 2014 – March 10, 2014)Ángel David Comizzo (March 10, 2014 – Sept 3, 2014)José Guadalupe Cruz (Sept 3, 2014 – Dec 1, 2014)Alfredo Tena (Dec 4, 2014 – Feb 15, 2015)R. Hernández(interim) (feb 15, 2015 – May 8, 2015)Enrique Meza (May 17, 2015– October 23, 2016)Pablo Marini (Dec 2, 2016- Feb 6, 2017)R. Hernández (Feb 07, 2017– Feb 24, 2019)Javier Torrente (Feb 28, 2019 - August 18, 2019)Pablo Guede (August 18, 2019 - June 1st 2020) Ricardo Valiño (June 26, 2020 - May 28, 2022)Gabriel Pereyra (May 29, 2022 – February 27, 2023)Carlos Adrián Morales (February 27, 2023 – October 20, 2023)José Roberto Muñoz(interim) (October 20, 2023 – December 5, 2023)Israel Hernández Pat (December 5, 2023 – February 21, 2024)Norberto Scoponi (February 22, 2024 – April 16, 2024)Mario García Covalles (April 17, 2024 – November 12, 2024)Nacho Castro (November 18, 2024 – June 2, 2025)Gilberto Adame (June 9, 2025 – October 5, 2025)Mario Ortiz (October 7, 2025 – )
