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 Leo Fuentes
LeagueGibraltar National League
2020–21Championship Group: 4th
Overall: 4th
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 1] First round
2014–15 Second 26103136263338th First round
2015–16 Second 2217238212532nd[lower-alpha 2] Second round
2016–17 Premier 27133114435425th Second round
2017–18 Premier 27142114835445th Runners-up
2018–19 Premier 2715486329494th Semi-final
2019–20 National 1810354929337th[lower-alpha 3] Abandoned[lower-alpha 3]
2020–21 National 2010283635324th Quarter-final
  1. Lost in the Promotion/Relegation play-off 2–0 to St Joseph's.
  2. Promoted via the Promotion/Relegation play-off beating Britannia XI 2–1.
  3. The 2019–20 Gibraltar National League season, and the 2020 Rock Cup, were abandoned with results declared null and void and results expunged due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

European record

As of match played 15 July 2021

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Agg.
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League 1QR FC Santa Coloma 1–1 0–4 1–5
Notes
  • QR: Qualifying round

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. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ARG Christian Fraiz (captain)
2 DF  BRA André Dos Santos
3 DF  ESP Álex Trujillo
4 DF  GIB Ethan Santos
5 MF  GIB Ashley Rodriguez
6 DF  BRA Renan Bernardes
7 FW  GIB Ayoub El Hmidi
8 MF  GIB Julio Bado
9 FW  BEL Elyakim Musoni
10 MF  ESP Javi Moreno
11 DF  URU Diego Martín Caballero
13 GK  ESP Álex Caro
14 FW  GIB Nathan Santos
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF  MEX Mauricio Reygadas
16 FW  GIB John-Paul Duarte
17 MF  ESP Nando Cózar
18 FW  GIB Robert Montovio
19 DF  GIB Ayman Boulaich
20 DF  ARG Emanuel Ojeda
21 MF  GIB James Parkinson
22 MF  GIB Justin Wood
23 MF  ARG Matias Racino
24 MF  GIB Bilal Douah
25 GK  BUL Ismet Kisyo
29 FW  GIB Jason Segui

Intermediate team

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. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  GIB Karl Sene
2 MF  GIB Ethan Lopez
3 MF  GIB Zane Holgado
4 FW  GIB Ernest Tomsett
5 DF  ESP Dani Amaya
7 MF  GIB Anthony Celecia
8 MF  GIB Max Povedano
11 MF  GIB Mathew Plumb
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 MF  ESP Jairo Rojas
13 GK  GIB Patrick McCarthy
18 DF  GIB Jasem El Hana
22 DF  GIB Jesse Picardo-Peralta
24 MF  GIB Joseph Borge
29 DF  GIB Giovanni Yeo
31 MF  GIB Matthew Barratt
GK  GIB Daniel Canilla

References

  1. "Gibraltar Football Association".
  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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