Atlético Morelia
Association football club in Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Club Atlético Morelia is a Mexican professional football club based in Morelia, Michoacán. It competes in Liga de Expansión MX, the second level division of Mexican football,[2] and plays its home matches at the Estadio Morelos. Founded in 1924 as Oro Morelia, the club changed its name to Club Deportivo Morelia in 1950, becoming a founding member of the Segunda División de México. It adopted its current name in 1974, before rebranding as Monarcas Morelia in 1999.
Los Rojiamarillos (The Red-and-Yellow)
Purépechas
Ates
(as Oro Morelia)
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| Full name | Club Atlético Morelia | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Los Canarios (The Canaries)[1] Los Rojiamarillos (The Red-and-Yellow) Purépechas Ates | |||
| Short name | MOR | |||
| Founded | 21 November 1924 (as Oro 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 | |||
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Domestically, Atlético Morelia competed in top division from 1981 to 2020, winning one Liga MX title, one Copa MX and one Supercopa MX. Internationally, it finished as runners-up twice in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Subregionally, the club has won one North American SuperLiga.
In June 2020, Atlético Morelia was reestablished in the Liga de Expansión MX after the relocation of Monarcas Morelia to Mazatlán, Sinaloa was made official, where it was rebranded as Mazatlán 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 after the relocation of Atlético Zacatepec to Morelia, Michoacán was made official, 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.
History
Beginnings
In 1950, "Oro Morelia" changed its name to Club Deportivo Morelia. Morelia was among the teams that founded the Segunda División de México. After the 1956–1957 season, in which they ended up in second place, they were officially promoted into the Primera División de México to replace Puebla which was relegated to the Segunda División. After an unsuccessful season, in 1968 Atlético Morelia was relegated back to the Segunda División. During mixed 1968–1971 seasons, Deportivo Morelia appointed Nicandro Ortiz as chairman. Ortiz acquired the team and strengthened its position in the league.
The club later changed its name to Club Atlético Morelia in July 1974.
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, Atlético Morelia played friendlies against Germany losing 2-1 and against the USSR again losing 4-1.
In 1996, the major broadcast company TV Azteca bought the team. Later, in 1999 the club started playing under the name of Monarcas Morelia.
Although the team had played Mexican professional football for 70 years, it had not won a Primera División tournament until the winter of 2000, when the club raised the cup after beating Toluca on penalties. The team was crowned champions away in the Estadio La Bombonera. 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 Primera División trophy ever.
After missing the playoffs for three consecutive tournaments, Monarcas Morelia finished in third place in the general table in the Apertura 2009. Monarcas Morelia defeated Santos Laguna in the first round, 4–2 on aggregate. Monarcas Morelia was then defeated by Cruz Azul in a semi-final that was filled with controversy due to Cruz Azul player Joel Huiqui intentionally using his hand to hit the ball away and prevent Morelia midfielder Wilson Tíago from scoring. (Huiqui later played for Monarcas Morelia.) With a 2–1 aggregate score, Monarcas Morelia was eliminated. Monarcas Morelia qualified for the 2010 Copa Libertadores by ending in third place in the classification phase. It was the second time that Monarcas Morelia participated in the Copa Libertadores, the first being in 2002. Monarcas 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, Monarcas Morelia became the SuperLiga champion, with a 2–1 victory in the finals over the New England Revolution, in which Miguel 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 edition Supercopa MX, which they won against Tigres UANL with a global score of 5–4.
Relegation struggles
After 15 years, a dismal 2014–15 campaign left Monarcas Morelia as one of the last teams in the relegation table, an aggregate of a club's most recent points totals that decides which teams would be relegated. As a result, Enrique Meza was chosen to be the coach for the Apertura 2015 season. Meza had already saved Monarcas 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, with Roberto Hernández taking over as interim manager. Hernández's tenure would coincide with the signing of Peruvian forward Raúl Ruidíaz on loan from Club Universitario. The signing of Ruidíaz would prove to be crucial to the club's fortunes, as he would go on to score 20 goals throughout the 2016-2017 Liga MX season, finishing as top scorer with 11 goals in the Apertura and 9 goals in the Clausura. In the following season, Monarcas Morelia was in big 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, Raúl Ruidíaz scored a crucial winner that moved them out of the relegation zone, with Jaguares de Chiapas being relegated in their stead. Ruidíaz's goal additionally qualified them for that season's liguilla, its first since the Clausura 2016.
Relocation and dissappearance
On May 23, 2020, various news outlets in Mexico reported that Ricardo Salinas Pliego, president of Grupo Salinas, stated that he would be relocating the club from Morelia to Mazatlán, Sinaloa and rebranding it as Mazatlán F.C.[6][7][8] The club's owner, Grupo Salinas, reportedly were asking for $400 million MXN per year from the Government of Michoacán to keep the team in the city.[9] The relocation was very unpopular among supporters, former players, and the sports media across Mexico.[10] Despite stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 7,000 fans took to the streets of Morelia to protest the team's relocation from the city.[11]
On June 2, 2020, Grupo Salinas and the Liga MX announced the club's relocation to Mazatlán, Sinaloa, just two days before the club's 70th anniversary. After that point, the Monarcas Morelia franchise was dissolved.[12]
Rebirth of Atlético Morelia
On June 26, 2020, Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla announced that Atlético Zacatepec would be relocated from Zacatepec, Morelos to Morelia, Michoacán due to financial problems.[13] The next day in a press conference at the Estadio Morelos, it was announced the club would be called Club Atlético Morelia, the club's name for over 25 years before Grupo Salinas changed it in 1999.[14] It was announced the ownership group would consist of former Guadalajara 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]
Badges
- Names Changes
- Oro Morelia (1924–1950): Name of the club at its foundation, used in the period before entering professional football.
- Club Deportivo Morelia (1950–1972): Official name of the club after reaching the Segunda División.
- Club Atlético Morelia (1972–1999): Name assumed after returning from suspension in 1971.
- Club Monarcas Morelia (1999–2020): Name assumed two years after acquisition by broadcaster TV Azteca.
- Club Atlético Morelia (2020–present): Name assumed after acquisition of the Zacatepec franchise.
Kit
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 the canarios (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.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
| 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 Akron Avocados from Mexico |
| 2022–2024 | Lubricantes Akron Axen Capital | |
| 2024– | Lubricantes Akron ArcelorMittal |
Stadium
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 and Club 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 the FIFA U-17 World Cup was taking place in Mexico.
Personnel
Management
| 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
Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Mario Ortiz |
| Assistan managers | Gabino Velasco Víctor Herrejón |
| Goalkeeper coach | Miguel Fraga |
| Fitness coach | Jonathan Rodríguez |
| Physiotherapist | Carlos Alpizar |
| Team doctor | Erick Aguilar |
Players
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 and Elias Hernandez, are some of the players that were called up to the Mexico national team while playing with the team. Raul Ruidiaz was the first Morelia player to achieve a Liga MX top scoring title.
First-team squad
- As of 1 August 2025[17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve teams
- Aguacateros CDU
- Reserve team that plays in the Liga Premier, the third level of the Mexican league system.[18]
World Cup players
The following players were called to represent their country at the World Cup whilst playing for Morelia:
Olympic players
The following players were called to represent their country at the Summer Olympic Games whilst playing for Morelia:
Pablo López (1964)- Rafael Márquez Lugo (2004)
Top Goalscorers
| 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 | ||
- Includes top scorers from both Atletico Morelia & Monarcas Morelia
- Does not include international competition goals
Honours
Domestic
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning years | 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 la Liga de Expansión MX | 0 | — | 2022 | |
| Segunda División | 1 | 1980–81 | 1956–57 | |
| Copa México de la Segunda División | 1 | 1955–56 | 1950–51 | |
| Campeón de Campeones de la Segunda División | 1 | 1956 | — |
International
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning years | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Continental CONCACAF |
CONCACAF Champions Cup | 0 | — | 2002, 2003 |
Subregional
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning years | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  North America MLS Liga MX |
North American SuperLiga | 1s | 2010 | — |
- Notes
- record
- s shared record
Managers
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 – )
