La Paz Fútbol Club, also known as La Paz F.C., was a professional
football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
team from La Paz, that played in the
La Paz Regional League. Formerly known as Atlético González, the team gained promotion to the
Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano in 2003 and competed in first division until relegation in 2013.
History
La Paz F.C. is the "Cinderella" sensation of Bolivian football. In Actuality it is the third most important professional football/soccer team in the city of
La Paz, Bolivia behind
The Strongest and
Club Bolívar, both of which have much longer histories, more numerous followings, and larger payrolls than La Paz F.C.
The team's motto is 'Plus Altus', meaning "something higher" a reference both to the team's aspirations as well as to the team's
high altitude home. (The City of La Paz is located at an elevation of 3,600 meters above sea level and is the highest capital in the world.) The team colors are blue, red and white. Blue symbolizes the perennial cobalt skies over the City of La Paz and the loyalty of its fans; red symbolizes the passion and love of football; and white symbolizes the snow cap of Mt.
Illimani (the symbol of the City of La Paz) and the purity of
Our Lady of Peace, patroness of the team. The uniform design is similar to that of
Barcelona F.C. (Spain). La Paz F.C. plays its home matches at
Estadio Hernando Siles
Estadio Hernando Siles (), also known as Estadio Olímpico La Paz, is a multi-purpose stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the country's largest stadium, with a capacity of 41,143 seats. It is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the 31st President o ...
.
The founder, owner and president of La Paz F.C. is
Mauricio González . The original name of the team is in honor of Mr. González's late father Ing. Walter González (see external link below to "
Premio Academico Ing. Walter González"), a past president of the Bolivian Society of
Engineers
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while consider ...
. Mauricio González has had a lifelong involvement and is a charismatic promoter of Bolivian football/soccer, including youth and women's programs. Moreover, he is an articulate advocate for the proposition that Bolivia has the right—based on history, medical science, and fairness—to play international matches in its
high altitude cities of La Paz,
Potosi and
Oruro. He is a leading member of an ''ad hoc'' committee of prominent Bolivians formed to design a strategy to campaign against the
FIFA altitude ban.
Manager
The current manager (''"Director Técnico"'') of La Paz F.C. is Felix Berdeja. He was also the first manager of the team, having returned "home" to La Paz F.C. at the beginning of the 2009 Apertura season.
Players
La Paz F.C. fields mostly Bolivian players; however, it has also benefited from the services of Argentine, Brazilian, Colombian, Peruvian, and American players. In addition, several La Paz F.C. players have played in Europe and China. The team captain for the past several years has been Romulo Alaca, a veteran who has been with the team since its days in the lower divisions. La Paz F.C. players that have been "capped" for the Bolivia national team include
Ronald Gutierrez,
Augusto Andaveris,
Helmuth Gutierrez, and
Didí Torrico.
Honours
National
*
Bolivian Second Division
** Winners (1): 2003
Regional
* Campeonato Paceño
** Winners (5): 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003
Performance in CONMEBOL competitions
*
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
: 1 appearance
::Best: Preliminary Round in 2008 (lost to
FC Atlas, 2–1)
::2008 – Preliminary Round
*
Copa Sudamericana: 1 appearance
::Best: First Stage in 2009
::2009 – First Stage
*
Recopa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana (), also known as Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club Association football, football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1988. It ...
: 0 appearances
:: :
External links
*League Standings
*Team Website: https://web.archive.org/web/20050125131922/http://lapazfutbolclub.com/
*Numerous articles regarding Mr. Gonzalez's advocacy in defense of Bolivian high-altitude football/socce
{{Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano
Football clubs in Bolivia
Football clubs in La Paz
Association football clubs established in 1989
1989 establishments in Bolivia
Association football clubs disestablished in 2013
2013 disestablishments in Bolivia
Defunct football clubs in Bolivia