Curicó Unido

Chilean football club

Football club
Curicó Unido
Full nameClub de Deportes Provincial Curicó Unido
NicknamesCuri
Albirrojos (The red & white)
Torteros (The Cake-makers)
La Banda Sangre (The Blood Stripe)
Founded26 February 1973; 52 years ago (1973-02-26)
GroundEstadio La Granja
Capacity8,016
ChairmanPatricio Romero
CoachHéctor Almandoz
LeaguePrimera B
2025Primera B, 13th of 16
Websiteweb.cdpcuricounido.cl

Curicó Unido is a football club based in Curicó, Maule Region, Chile. They currently play in the Primera B de Chile, the second level of the Chilean football system. They are currently managed by Héctor Almandoz.

History

Curicó Unido was founded on 26 February 1973, with Edmundo Rojas as the first President of the club. They became the fourth football team from the Curicó city to play at the professional level, after Alianza de Curicó, Luis Cruz Martínez and Bádminton de Curicó.

Curicó Unido played since the season 1974 at the Primera B, but after seven poor seasons they gained relegation to the third level to the season 1981, returning to Primera B two years later, in 1983.

1984 and 1985 were the best seasons of Curicó Unido history, disputing the promotion until the last week, but with bad luck at the final matches.

The next campaigns were average, with the exception of the season 1990, when they lose the category after the final match with Deportes Valdivia, when they won 4–1, two goals short what they needed to stay at Primera B.

Since then, they stayed at the Tercera División without real chances to return to the Primera B, until the 2003 season. But at the next year that changed.

In 2004 the albirrojos were really close to return to the Primera B. At the last week of the season, in Chillán, they arrived as leaders, to face Ñublense who was three points behind at the table; however the Chillanejos won that game 2–1, forcing a tie breaker match in Linares, where Ñublense won 2–0, taking the title and the promotion.

However, the year 2005 Curicó Unido had his revenge. They disputed the title with Trasandino until the last week. While Trasandino tied with Municipal Iquique, Curicó crushed Iberia 4–0, and in this way, after 15 years of suffering, Provincial Curicó Unido returned to the Chilean professional football.

In 2006, in their return to the Primera B, Curicó Unido finished in fifth place.

The next year, Curico avoided relegation only at the end of the season; Deportes Temuco finished last and fell down to the third level of national football for the upcoming season.

Curicó won promotion to the Primera Division after a 1–0 win over Deportes Puerto Montt on the last home game of the 2008 season, which was enough to securing 1st place of the Primera B and automatic promotion. Only to return to Primera B the next season, after losing a promotion play-off against San Luis.

They returned to the top-tier in 2017, after winning the 2016–17 Primera B tournament.

Honours

2008, 2016–17
2005

Others

  • Copa Confraternidad (Tercera Div.): 1
1991

Records

South American cups history

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
2023 Copa Libertadores Second stage Paraguay Cerro Porteño 0–1 0–1 0–2

Team colours

Curicó Unido's official kit is a white shirt with a diagonal red stripe that crosses the chest from the right shoulder to the left side of the hip. The shorts are black and socks are white.

Kit evolution

Sponsorship

The club are currently sponsored by Multihogar and their technical sponsors are Dalponte.

Shirt Sponsors

  • 1976: Buses Galgo Azul
  • 1977–78: Cecinas Soler
  • 1981–82: Multifrut
  • 1983–95: Fideos Suazo
  • 1996–: Multihogar

Stadiums

Curicó Unido's traditional home-ground is the Estadio La Granja, located in Curicó city; an 8,000 football stadium with an athletic track around the pitch, located in the "La Granja sports complex", leased from Curicó city hall.

Curicó Unido have also used other grounds during their history.

The Estadio Carabineros de Curicó, was Curicó Unido's home in 1976 and 1977.

They also played their Tercera Division league home games of the season 1992, at the Estadio ANFA Luis H. Alvarez.

And recently, during the 2010 season, the Estadio Municipal Jorge Silva de San Fernando, was their temporary home ground due to the reconstruction of the Estadio La Granja.

Supporters

Curicó Unido fans traditionally come from Curicó itself; and from the rest of the Curicó Province, but in smaller numbers.

The largest supporters' group is the Marginales, created in 1997.

Curicó Unido supporters' current main rivals are Rangers de Talca, and Ñublense.

Current squad

Current squad of Curicó Unido as of 31 August 2025 (edit)
Sources: ANFP Official Web Site

No. Position Player
1 CHI GK Thomas Vergara
3 CHI MF Iván Garrido
4 URU MF Braulio Guisolfo
6 ARG DF Francisco Oliver
7 ARG FW Nicolás Fernández (loan from UAI Urquiza)
8 CHI MF Yerko Leiva
9 CHI FW Ian Aliaga
10 CHI MF Diego Rojas
11 CHI FW Francis Pérez
12 CHI GK Juan Ruz
13 CHI FW Cristian Bustamante
14 CHI DF Joaquín González
15 CHI DF Henry Sanhueza
16 CHI MF Bastián Bustos
17 CHI DF Claudio Meneses
No. Position Player
18 CHI MF Felipe Ortiz
19 CHI DF Ronald de la Fuente (captain)
20 CHI MF Carlos Herrera
21 CHI DF Matías Ormazábal
23 CHI FW Nicolás Barrios
24 CHI DF Williams Sáez
25 CHI GK Hernán Muñoz
28 CHI FW Matías Retamal
29 ARG FW Maximiliano Quinteros
32 CHI MF Hans Ibarra
35 CHI MF Francisco Valdés
36 CHI DF Lionel Hidalgo
37 CHI MF Johan Fuentes
38 CHI DF Alonso López (loan from Deportes Iquique)
39 CHI FW Joaquín Alfaro

Manager: Damián Muñoz

2023 Summer transfers

In

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF  ARG Omar Merlo (from Sporting Cristal)
DF  CHI Augusto Barrios (from Unión Española)
DF  CHI Sebastián Cabrera (from Coquimbo Unido)
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF  CHI Cristopher Barrera (from Palestino)
FW  CHI Jason Flores (from Antofagasta)
FW  ARG Tobías Figueroa (from Antofagasta)

Out

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
9 FW  ARG Rodrigo Holgado (to Coquimbo Unido)
11 MF  CHI Bayron Oyarzo (to Ñublense)
13 DF  CHI José Rojas (Released)
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF  CHI Juan Pablo Gómez (to Universidad de Chile)
17 MF  CHI Martín Cortés (Released)
32 DF  CHI Yerson Opazo (Released)

Coachs

References

  • (in Spanish) Curicó Unido, Official web site.
  • (in Spanish) Curicó Albirrojo, Fan site.
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