Estudiantes de Mérida

Estudiantes de Mérida Fútbol Club is a Venezuelan football club from the Venezuelan Mérida. The club was founded in 1971 and plays its home games at the Estadio Metropolitano de Mérida, which seats 42,200 spectators. Estudiantes de Mérida, the Venezuelan football champion twice, currently plays in La Liga, the top division in Venezuela.

History

Estudiantes de Mérida was founded on 4 April 1971. The club was placed in the second Venezuelan football league and was already in the first season, so in 1971 the Copa Venezuela, the national cup in the country win. In the final Anzoategui FC could be defeated. Two years later was the club which played now top notch, again in the cup final, but they lost this time Portuguesa FC. After the Cup was not played in 1974, is Estudiantes de Mérida in 1975 secured the second Cup victory by a playoff win against Deportivo San Cristobal. Overall, the club's Copa Venezuela won three times, a third success came in 1985.

In the season 1980 Estudiantes de Mérida was the first Venezuelan to win the football championship. A first priority before Portuguesa FC was in the Primera División achieved. In the following season was one for the fourth time after 1975, 1976 and 1977 runner-up, was this time champion Deportivo Táchira FC. His second and so far last championship triumph won Estudiantes de Mérida in 1985, when it was first before Deportivo Táchira FC. Thereafter, the association has not yet been re- master, with three other runner-up were recorded. Currently, Estudiantes de Mérida plays in the Venezuelan Football League, one is currently found mostly in mid-table.

Estudiantes de Mérida took a total of seven times in the Copa Libertadores, the most important football tournament for club teams in South America, in part. The first appearance dates back to 1977, where Estudiantes de Mérida already eliminated in the group stage in a group with league rival Portuguesa FC and the Peruvian Teams Unión Huaral and Sport Boys. Even with four other participations would retire already out in the first round of the tournament. In the Copa Libertadores 1999 Estudiantes de Mérida caused a surprise when you first prevailed in the qualifying round and qualified for the tournament and then finished even the group stage second behind Nacional Montevideo and in CA Bella Vista and CF Monterrey. In the second round then they met on the Ecuadorian side Emelec Guayaquil and was able to turn off, surprisingly, by a 3:1 and 0:1. In the quarterfinals, the club continues to attract a bang as the previous year's semifinalist Club Cerro Porteño from Paraguay in Mérida was defeated 3-0. By a 0-4 defeat in the return leg in Asunción but moved Cerro Porteño the semi-finals, where the Paraguayan club ultimately failed to Deportivo Cali. Four years later, in 2003, Estudiantes de Mérida participated so far for the last time at the Copa Libertadores, but you can not even survive the qualification.

Achievements

• La Liga: 2x (1980, 1985)
• Copa Venezuela: 3x (1971, 1975, 1985)
• Participation in the Copa Libertadores: 7x