Mons Calpe S.C.

Mons Calpe S.C. is a professional football and sporting club from Gibraltar. Founded in 2013, the club's first team plays in the Gibraltar National League.[1] Mons Calpe also has a U-23 squad, futsal teams and darts.

Mons Calpe
Full nameMons Calpe Sports Club
Nickname(s)The Calpeans
Founded2013
GroundVictoria Stadium, Gibraltar
Capacity2,000
OwnerReygadas Sports Group
Manager Luis Manuel Blanco
LeagueGibraltar National League
2019–20Challenge Group: 1st
Overall: 7th[lower-alpha 1]
WebsiteClub website

History

Mons Calpe S.C. was formed by Kieran Alman, James Read, Phillip Debono, Richard Lavagna and Adrian Ballestero in 2013 after Gibraltar's admittance into UEFA sparked a boom in interest in football on the Rock. After an impressive maiden season in the 2013–14 Gibraltar Second Division, the club finished second in the league. However, the club succumbed to a 2–0 defeat to St Joseph's in the promotion/relegation playoff that year. The following season saw the club struggle to emulate the same form, against much stronger promotion contenders, which saw the club lingering in mid-table for much of the season and eventually finishing 8th.

After a significant rebuild over the summer of 2015, Mons Calpe had a second chance at promotion through the end-of-season playoff against Premier Division side FC Britannia. A victory in that game saw the young club seal their first-ever season in the top-flight of Gibraltarian football.

The summer after gaining promotion, Mons Calpe's football structure went through a total reconstruction to further professionalise the club, highlighted by a majority-share investment by a US-based group led by Jose Alfredo Reygadas. The Calpeans then appointed Brazilian/Portuguese coach William Amaral de Andrade as first team head coach and former Gibraltar U19 Manager Terrence Jolley as his assistant manager for the 2016–17 season. After a bad run of form in winter saw them slip from 3rd to 5th, William was sacked on 16 January and replaced by Jolley on an interim basis. On 17 March, Italian manager Mauro Ardizzone was appointed head coach, with Jolley returning to his role as assistant. Ardizzone eventually saw the Calpeans to a 5th place finish in their maiden Premier Division season, including a notable 2–2 draw with Lincoln Red Imps in the penultimate round.

At the start of the 2017–18 season, the Calpeans named Albert Ferri as their new manager. However, poor results led to his dismissal in December 2017, and renowned Argentinean manager Luis Manuel Blanco replaced him as first team head coach. After Blanco's arrival, the club won 14 of their next 22 matches in all competitions, finishing with a club-high 44 points in the top-flight and reaching the Rock Cup final, losing 2–1 to Europa.

The 2018-19 season started slowly, but Mons Calpe put together a serious challenge for a European spot, putting together the best season in its short history in the Premier Division. The club ended with its highest point total (49) and best position in the league table (4th), only 6 points behind St. Joe's for the last UEFA Europa League berth, despite beating the Saints twice and drawing once in their 3 regular season match-ups. The Calpeans also made a deep run in the Rock Cup, beating St. Joseph's again 4-1 in the quarterfinal, but falling short of a second consecutive Cup final after losing 1-0 to Gibraltar United in the semifinal. Manager Blanco left his role at the club on 28 May 2019.[2]

On 31 June, the club appointed Lorenzo Morón-Vizcaíno as the new Calpean Head Coach. [3]

Seasons

Season Division League record Rock Cup
P W D L GF GA Pts Pos
2013–14 Second 2213365029422nd[lower-alpha 2] First round
2014–15 Second 26103136263338th First round
2015–16 Second 2217238212532nd[lower-alpha 3] Second round
2016–17 Premier 27133114435425th Second round
2017–18 Premier 27142114835445th Runners-up
2018–19 Premier 2715486329494th Semi-final
  1. Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  2. Lost in the Promotion/Relegation play-off 2–0 to St Joseph's.
  3. Promoted via the Promotion/Relegation play-off beating Britannia XI 2–1.

Current squad

First Team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Christian Fraiz
2 DF André Dos Santos
3 DF Karim Piñero
4 DF Ethan Santos
5 MF Ashley Rodriguez
6 DF Renan Bernardes
7 FW Kivan Castle (captain)
8 MF Walid Ben Abdel Hanin
10 MF Juan Mattea
11 DF Diego Martín Caballero
12 FW Ernest Tomsett
14 MF Anthony Celecia
16 MF Matias Etchegoyen
18 FW Lee Muscat
19 DF David Gallardo
No. Position Player
20 DF Antonio González
21 MF Naoufal El Andaloussi
22 MF Kaylan Muscat
23 DF Maximilano Continente
24 FW Diego Díaz
25 DF Daniel Segui
28 FW Ayoub El Hmidi
29 MF Nahuel Sendin
30 GK Ezequiel Muth
31 MF Ilyas El Ouahabi
32 FW Santiago Pastorini
33 MF Diego Sabatel
46 GK Jamie Carlin
88 DF Craig Olivera

Intermediate League squad

The following players are registered for the Gibraltar Intermediate League. Players from the first team may also appear for this team.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
3 DF Walid Halhoul
10 MF Jayce Asquez
11 FW Nathan Watson
14 MF Tomas Francis
21 MF Henry Lane
No. Position Player
25 DF Sean Robba
29 MF Walid Rahmouni
33 MF Justin Poggio
DF Richard Silva

Club staff

Position Name
Club Management
Manager Luis Manuel Blanco
Assistant Coach Antonio Sánchez

References

  1. http://gibraltarfa.com/domestic-football/cup/rock-cup
  2. Statement re: Luis Blanco Mons Calpe on Twitter. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. Mons Calpe on Twitter. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
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