Aragua
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Wikipedia - Aragua F.C.
Aragua Fútbol Club (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈɾaɣwa ˈfuðβol ˈkluβ]) is a Venezuelan football team based in the city of Maracay, in the state of Aragua. The club began its professional career playing in the Venezuelan Segunda División a year after the club was founded. From 2005 to 2022, Aragua played in the Primera División Venezolana.
The club's colors are yellow and red, although they were blue and white in the club's beginnings. Home games are played at the Olímpico Hermanos Ghersi in Maracay, with a 16,000 spectator capacity.
Aragua won the 2005–06 Venezuelan Segunda División and the 2007 Copa Venezuela.
History
For the 2002–03 season, Deportivo Galicia moved to the Estadio Olímpico Hermanos Ghersi and a new franchise named Aragua Fútbol Club was born. The team played in the Venezuelan Segunda División until the 2004–05 season, when they achieved promotion to the Venezuelan Primera División.
Aragua F.C. made their debut in Primera División with a goalless tie against Trujillanos on 5 August 2005, and remained unbeaten during the first five games of the season. Rafael Mea Vitali scored Aragua's first goal in the top flight. Aragua ended up finishing the 2005–06 season in seventh place.
At the start of the 2006–07 season, goalkeeper Renny Vega was called up by national team coach Richard Páez to represent the Venezuela national football team in a match against Colombia, making Vega the first player to receive an international call-up while playing for Aragua F.C.
In 2008, led by manager Manolo Contreras, Aragua won the Copa Venezuela and automatically qualified to participate in the 2008 edition of the Copa Sudamericana, where they were eliminated in the first round by Guadalajara. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Salomón Rondón was awarded as Youth of the Year, marking the first time that an Aragua F.C. player received the distinction.
Aragua played in Primera División until the 2022 season, in which it placed last and was relegated to Segunda División. On 3 March 2023, the club announced that it would not take part in the Segunda División season and would instead go on a one-year hiatus to solve its financial issues. On 9 March 2024, Aragua's return to the league was confirmed, joining the second tier for the 2024 season.
The team's colors are red and white, and they play their home matches at the Estadio Hermanos Ghersi Páez. Aragua has a strong rivalry with other Venezuelan teams, particularly those from nearby cities.
Aragua is known for their attacking style of play, with quick and skillful players who are capable of scoring goals from all areas of the field. The team has had success in domestic competitions, and has also competed in international tournaments.
Overall, Aragua is a respected and competitive team in Venezuelan soccer, with a proud history and a bright future ahead.