Levante UD

The Levante Unión Deportiva ( Valencian: Llevant Unio Esportiva ) is a football club based in the Spanish city of Valencia. Levante plays its home matches at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.

History

Levante UD was founded in 1909 as FC Levante, making it the oldest existing football club based in Valencia, but stood since the founding of the city rivals Valencia in 1919, always in the shadows. In 1939, after the end of the Spanish Civil War, merged the Levante FC, ​​the stadium had been destroyed at the Camino Hondo del Grao, with Real gimnástico CF. The name of the resulting association was Levante Unión Deportiva, to German Levant Sports Union. The red and blue club colors were taken from gimnástico CF, the black and white jerseys of FC Levante used since then as an away clothes.

Originally played in the stadium simple Campo de Vallejo. In the early 1970s, the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia was built with 25 354 seats and they changed the home.

The biggest success of the club during the Civil War, 1937, the Copa de España Libre (Cup of outdoor Spain) was held in controlled by republican troops of Spain, the Levante UD won against his city rivals Valencia CF with a 1-0 victory. This round of the cup was not recognized as official by the Spanish Football Federation until 26 September 2007 and was therefore not included in statistics. On 26 September 2007, the Spanish Senate has officially awarded the title after 70 years at UD Levante.

Throughout the club history, the Valencian may only seven seasons in the Spanish top flight, the Primera División look back ( 1963/64 1964 /65 2004/05 2006/07 2007/08 2010/11, 2011/12 ). In recent years, a significant upswing was recorded. 2002/2003 you failed just short of promotion to the first division, then succeeded the next year the rise, but despite consistently good achievement, the team finished the championship only on the 18th place and thus increased again in the Segunda División, where succeeded in the 2005/06 season the direct re- ascent. One year we stayed while in the Upper House, but in 2007/ 08 were followed by the transition to the second highest Spanish league. Two years the club played in the Segunda División, 2010/11 was the date last promotion to the top Spanish league.

The three most famous players who played at Levante UD, were Johan Cruyff, Carlos Caszely Predrag Mijatovic and. Vicente Rodriguez and Jose Enrique also played in their youth for Levante. The fans are affectionately referred to as Granotes ( Val for frogs). Reason is that the former stadium was when it rains often flooded by the river from nearby and the place is full of little frogs have been then. In the official club logo is, as the city rivals, mapped the heraldic animal of Valencia, a bat.

On October 8, 2007 Coach Abel Resino was dismissed and replaced by the Italian Gianni De Biasi by verpatztem start to the season. On 16 April 2008 De Biasi resigned and was replaced by José Ángel Moreno. This, however, was barely three months in office before he was replaced by Luis García Plaza, after the club was taken over by a group of investors.

Under Juan Ignacio Martínez, who served as head coach since 1 July 2011, the club managed on October 23, 2011, the initial acquisition of the table top of La Liga after a 3-0 win at Villarreal. At the end of the 2011/12 season Levante was able to secure the sixth place and qualified for the UEFA Europa League 2012/13. Thanks to two playoff victories over the Scottish side FC Motherwell the catchment was achieved in the group stage. In a group with Hannover 96, Helsingborgs IF and FC Twente Enschede, the team reached the second round as group runners. There Levante met on the Greek representatives Olympiakos Piraeus, who was off with two wins in return game. Terminus in the second round was the team of Rubin Kazan, the one after a 0-0 draw at Levante 2-0 aet lost the return match in Kazan. At the end of the 2012/13 season, the club parted by Martínez.

Statistics

  • Seasons in La Liga: 7
  • Seasons in the Segunda División: 37
  • Seasons in the Segunda División B: 12
  • Seasons in the Tercera División: 16
  • Best position in Primera División of 6 (2011 /12)

Achievements

  • Spanish Cup: 1937 (Finale: UD Levante - Valencia 1:0)

Squad 2013/14

Stand January 4, 2014

Former Players

  • Chile Carlos Caszely
  • Switzerland Fabio Celestini
  • Netherlands Johan Cruyff
  • Portugal Duda
  • Spain José Enrique
  • Ireland Ian Harte
  • Cameroon Lauren

Former coach

Women's Soccer

Levante UD has since 1998 on a women's soccer team, which is represented in the Superliga Femenina, the Spanish top flight. The biggest success was celebrated in the 2000 /01 season, when the triple was taken out of Cup, Cup and Supercup. Overall, the club holds at three championships and six cup wins.

2001/ 02 and 2002/ 03 we participated as Spanish champions at the UEFA Women 's Cup, but different in each case from a second group of the first round. 2008/ 09 it was again qualified for the highest European competition, reaching the first team in the history of Spanish women's football, the second main round.

Achievements

  • Spanish Championship (3): 2000/ 01, 2001/ 02, 2007/ 08
  • Spanish Cup (6): 1999/ 00, 2000/ 01, 2001/ 02, 2003 /04, 2004 /05, 2006/07
Estadi Ciutat de València September 26 Vicente Rodríguez Microbat Villarreal CF Motherwell F.C. Copa del Rey Keylor Navas Defender (association football) David Navarro (footballer) Andreas Ivanschitz Primera División (women) Athletic Bilbao CA Osasuna Rayo Vallecano Real Valladolid Real Betis Sevilla FC
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