Montevideo Wanderers F.C.
Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. Beside football, the club also has teams playing basketball, volleyball, athletics, futsal, pool and pelota.
History
Origins (1898–1931)
The Montevideo Wanderers was founded in the end of the 19th century, made up of a group of idealistic young people who wanted to express their sporting principles in a club where they were truly the protagonists of their own decisions.Led by the Sardeson brothers, the community quickly became a well-known group in their neighborhood of origin, El Prado. Its name was born as a result of a trip by Enrique Sardeson and Juan Sardeson to England.
file:Wanderers uruguay equipo 1923.jpg|thumb|Team of Wanderers of 1923, when the team won the FUF championship
In England at that time The Wanderers were a prominent team, although it was not the only Club with that name playing in the English tournament, since it coexisted with Wolverhampton Wanderers, an institution that currently plays in the Premier League, and Bolton Wanderers F.C. as well.
The local League did not yet exist, so the team's competition was summed up to simple friendly matches. Most of the members of Wanderers played at the same time for the Albión Football Club, an entity that was the founder of the current Uruguayan Football Association, participating since the first Uruguayan tournament organized by it.
Differences fundamentally in the sports field led this group of young people led by the Sardeson brothers to found the Montevideo Wanderers Football Club with all the legal and administrative requirements on the afternoon of August 15, 1902 in the Almacén y Bar de la calle 19 de Abril. at the current intersection of the same street and Adolfo Berro.
The representative emblems of the wanderista team were a blue and white shirt with thin vertical stripes, white pants, and black socks.
Its first president was Mr Juan Sardeson.
Birth of the professional era (1932–1951)
With the advent of professionalism, a new stage was born in Uruguayan football. In 1932 the Uruguayan Championship was disputed by ten institutions, one of which was Montevideo Wanderers. In that year Wanderers obtained the fifth position losing vanguard positions in the last dates.A year later, they inaugurated the Wanderers Park, on October 15, with a victory over Bella Vista by 2–0, a match corresponding to the Uruguayan Championship, a scenario where the bohemians are currently tenants.
In 1934 Wanderers is the first non-traditional club to play a final for an official tournament. They play against Nacional the final of the tournament falling defeated by 3–0. In those years the Uruguayan tournaments were played in three stages.
Wanderers was a true protagonist at the dawn of professionalism in those first years of the rented era of our football, Wanderers almost always topped the table with Nacional and Peñarol in the official tournaments.
They were third in the Uruguayan championships of 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940 and 1942.
In 1937 Montevideo Wanderers is notable Champion of the Uruguayan Honor Tournament by defeating Nacional by 3–0, the bohemians were the third team behind albos and mirasoles to obtain an official First Division tournament.
The great Obdulio Varela in Wanderers debuted in 1938 and played for five seasons with the albinegro where he demonstrated his category for the great events. He exhibited his great vigor in the midfield and was a specialist in the execution of penalty shots.
In 1939 the Bohemians are vice champions of the Uruguayan Honor Championship. In 1942, three dates from the end of the Uruguayan Championship, disputing the title inch by inch with the two classic banners. The wanderista team finished third in the tournament. By 1943, already distant, the great captain obtained fourth place in the local tournament, an event that would be repeated a year later.
In the middle of that decade, for the first time, the bohemians are located at the bottom of the table of the Uruguayan tournament. As much as the Albinegros leaders hire experienced figures from Argentina, they cannot bring the team back to the top positions of other years.
In 1950 the Bohemians finished in the last positions in the table with Club Atlético Bella Vista.
The Association set tiebreakers to see which team remained in the top division and who was relegated. The first final marked the papal victory by 2–1, the second resulted in a victory for Wanderers by 1-0 and the third tied at two. For the time being, and since the institutions did not agree on the setting of a fourth game, it was decided that who should determine the relegation of that season was a draw. So it was. Luck accompanied the bohemian team and Bella Vista had to descend to Second Division.
The bohemians must play for the first time in the promotion division
After the meager results of the Competition and the first round of the Uruguayan championship, the wanderista board decided to hire a large number of Argentine players, including their top scorer of those years, Eduardo Ricagni.
Although the performance clearly improved, it could not avoid relegation by one point to the Second Division.
Promotions and Relegations (1952–1972)
In 1952, when the Montevideo Wanderers had their 50th anniversary, it had to be a member of the Second Division for the first time due to the state of the economy.Some players from the previous season's squad remained, others joined and certain players who had announced their retirement reconsidered their decision. The most important example was that of José María Medina, a great scorer who stayed for another year so that the team he loved would return to the top division. In addition, the return of the great goalkeeper Juan Bautista Besuzzo who had also made the decision to retire was highlighted. After a great campaign, the Bohemians obtained the title of Uruguayan Champion, immediately returning to the First Division.
In 1953 the Bohemians fulfilled a commendable performance in the Uruguayan Tournament fulfilling the objective of remaining in the category, a fact that was repeated in the following campaign. In both seasons, center forward Oscar Chelle stood out, who with his goals made it possible to win points for the Albinegro team. When the middle of the decade was reached, the albinegros returned to the top positions in national football.
In 1956 the club obtained the fourth place in the competition tournament and fifth in the Uruguayan tournament. The 1957 Championship Competition marked the Wanderers' return to the definition of an official tournament. In the absence of a date, the Bohemians were even with Peñarol. On the last date the wanderers faced Racing in Parque Viera. The Bohemians displayed their best football but could not break the great albiverde defense ending the match tied 0-0.
Meanwhile, Peñarol easily defeated his rival obtaining the title. Months later, the Bohemians took their revenge by beating Racing by 4–0 away from home, condemning them to relegation to the second category.
In 1958, one of the most colorful players in all of Bohemian history, Julio Toja, began to form part of the team. In those years he was part of a great wandering front line made up of Rumbo, Nario, Guaglianone, him and De León. That year Wanderers finished in fifth place in the Uruguayan table, the same position it held in the 1959 and 1960 seasons.
In 1961 there were several changes in the albinegra institution. He even completely modifies his uniform. Leaving the classic dress for years of thick black and white vertical stripes, black pants and gray socks for a uniform with thin black and white vertical stripes, white pants and white socks. It was an irregular year for the bohemian. They finished at the bottom of the table, defining relegation with Centro Atlético Fénix who won the finals by 4-0 and 3–2.
Triumphant return to First Division, 1962. He immediately returned Wanderers to the circle of privilege. It obtained the Championship of the Second Division in a broad and deserved way. A team with experience and youth was formed. The international Walter Taibo on goal, the Brazilian Beico and Nelson Diaz at the back, Hermin, Poy Moreira in the midfield, Castelnoble, the intercontinental champion Ledesma, Guaglianone, Ferreri and De León up front. It was a great team.
Returning to division A, the performance of the first team was brilliant. Third in the 1963 and 1964 seasons, having memorable afternoons at the Centenario Stadium against the greats. The team in those two campaigns does not suffer major changes. He lined up Taibo, Beico, Diaz, Hermin, Poy, Cámera, Castelnoble, Ledesma or Bertochi, Guaglianone or Flores, Toja and Ferreri.
In addition, Wandererses was the club that brought the most public to the fields after Nacional and Peñarol in those years.
In 1965 the campaign in the local tournament was very poor. He finished penultimate. For 1966 a new descent system was created. For the first time the score was accumulated of the Uruguayan Tournament of the previous year.
Good campaigns but without promotion 1967–1968.
He fights for promotion in both Tournaments. In 1968, they remained first until the last date, but lost 1–0 with Bella Vista in a very controversial match, relegating the Bohemian team to third place.
In 1969 the Albinegro team experienced its worst crisis. With great economic and therefore sports limitations, he faced the season culminating in sixth place. In 1970 he improves the position finishing fourth. In that season, one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Wanderers made his debut, Miguel Ortiz, who joined from Argentina.
During those years, Mateo Giri became president of the club. With him, Wanderers recovered, local prominence and international prestige. In 1971 and 1972 Wanderers formed a strong team that made it return to the first division.
The Bohemians settled in Las Piedras and in that city after beating Racing by 1–0 with a goal by Aníbal Alves, they returned to the First Division at the end of the last named season.