Deportes La Serena

Full name	Club de Deportes La Serena S.A.D.P.
Nickname(s)	Papayeros Granates Club Deportes Gigante de La Cuarta
Founded	9 December 1955; 69 years ago (1955-12-09)
Ground	Estadio La Portada La Serena, Chile
Capacity	18,243[1]
Chairman	Cristián Contador
Manager	Juan José Luvera
League	Primera B
2023	7th
Website	https://www.cdlaserena.cl/
Home colours Away colours

Club de Deportes La Serena S.A.D.P., is a Chilean football club based in the city of La Serena, Coquimbo Region. The club was founded 9 December 1955 and plays in the second division of the Chilean football league. Their home games are played at the La Portada stadium, which has a capacity of 18,254 seats. Their biggest rival is Coquimbo Unido. They are nicknamed "Gigante de La Cuarta", because of the Copa Chile they won back in the 1960, being the only club in the region that has this trophy

The history of the club are in the amateur football team in the city of La Serena, which was crowned national amateur champion three times in the years 1949, 1951 and 1954. This was the basis for that in 1955 the Football Association of the city invited to participate in professional football. Thus 9 December 1955, was founded the Club de Deportes La Serena to participate in the 1956 Ascent. To give life regulatory to the club was Deportivo Sindempart the local team had to change its name.

Their first match in second division was against Unión La Calera in the Estadio La Portada, a match that ended in a draw 0–0. In their first season, Deportes La Serena finished at the top of the table (with the same points as Universidad Católica), so they had to play an extra match to determine the champion, which was won by Universidad Católica 3–2, with the latter getting promoted to the First Division.

In 1958 Deportes La Serena for the first time participated in first division and finished third, tying in Colo-Colo score and one point behind champion that year Santiago Wanderers. During this season, club striker Carlos Verdejo was the scorer of the championship with 23 points, next to the player, Green Cross, Gustavo Albella.

In 1959 began with La Serena reaching the final of the Copa Chile, where he lost 5–1 against Santiago Wanderers. In that same championship striker José Sulantay was crowned top scorer of the tournament. However, in the official tournament in La Serena, ranked last, relegated to the next season.

The 1960s began with the club again reached the final of the Copa Chile, where defeated by 4–1 to Santiago Wanderers and were crowned champions of the tournament. For the official tournament La Serena ranked second in the Tournament of Ascent to 5 points behind champions Green Cross. The following year, La Serena, ranked fourth, but rose to first in this year were four teams that rose.

In 1962 with the first team again, Deportes La Serena made a good campaign that finally placed him fourth, tying score with Colo-Colo, and the following year, under the coaching staff of the Argentine Miguel Mocciola returned to make a good season finishing in third place.

Thereafter Deportes La Serena began to settle in the mid-table, getting seventh in 1964, the ninth in 1965 and again the seventh in 1966 and 1967.

For the year 1968 the tournament was played in several stages and Serena failed to qualify for the final stages, so it had to fight for their stay in the division of honour, which eventually succeeded. In 1969 also failed to reach the final stages of the championship.

In 1993 was founded a bar called "Anarko revolucion", which is dedicated to encouraging this club football.

It promoted again to First Division of the year 2003, being runner-up after Everton of Primera B. For the play-offs (qualified in 2002), only ranked in the Torneo Clausura 2005 where he progressed to the semi-finals Colo-Colo, after a draw in matches Round-trip 1–1 and 3–3, by definition a criminal, which fell to Universidad Católica (3–3 and 1–0). In 2009, La Serena qualifying to the play-offs to this year and was eliminated by Colo-Colo in the global by 4–0.

In 2015 Canadian born Pancho Fernandez at the age of 18 was discovered by past Colo-Colo player (Carlos Rivas) who arranged to showcase him along with a number of Canadian soccer players to a number of Chilean teams. At that time Deportes La Serena expressed an interest in Pancho Fernandez and is now playing for their second team. During the 2017 pre-season, Pancho Fernandez had the opportunity to play in two matches where he came off the bench on one and started in another. Pancho Fernandez is the first Canadian born who is not of Chilean descent to ever play for Deportes La Serena.

Deportes La Serena plays at home at Estadio La Portada, premises owned by the Municipality of La Serena. It is located close to downtown, at the intersection with Avenida Avenida Amunátegui Balmaceda and his name is because between 1770 and 1903, at the same intersection where it is currently the stadium, there was a monument that served as main entrance to the city, which was called La Portada de La Serena.

The stadium was opened on 26 August 1952 and at first it was a dirt field, filling in until November 1955, coinciding with the arrival of professionalism Deportes La Serena. It currently has a capacity of 18,243 spectators.

• Copa Chile

1960

• Primera B de Chile

1957, 1987, 1996

Current squad of Deportes La Serena as of 4 July 2022 ()
Sources: ANFP Official Web Site

No. Position Player 1  CHI GK Eryin Sanhueza 3  CHI DF Raúl Osorio 4  CHI DF Vicente Durán 5  CHI DF Lucas Alarcón 6  CHI MF Sebastián Díaz 7  CHI MF Carlos Lobos 8  CHI MF Luckas Carreño 10  URU MF Sebastián Gallegos 11  URU MF Pablo López 12  CHI GK Elías Hartard 14  CHI MF Daniel Monardes 15  CHI MF Martín Villarroel 16  CHI FW Juan Ignacio Figueroa 17  CHI DF Enzo Guerrero 19  CHI DF Matías Cortés

No. Position Player 20  CHI DF Diego Sanhueza 21  CHI MF Ethan Espinoza 22  CHI DF Martín Ramírez 23  CHI MF René Meléndez 24  CHI FW Valentín Coria 25  CHI FW Carlos Vásquez 26  CHI DF Fernando Dinamarca 27  CHI MF Rodrigo Dubó 30  CHI MF Felipe Mardones 31  CHI GK José Tapia 33  CHI FW Francisco Díaz --  CHI MF Gonzalo Jara --  CHI MF Felipe Chamorro --  CHI FW Jorge Ortiz --  CHI FW Jeisson Vargas

Manager: Juan José Luvera

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  CHI Jens Buss (loan from C.D. Antofagasta) — MF  ARG Cristian Erbes (from Atlético Tucumán)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  CHI Humberto Suazo (from Raya2)

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 1 GK  CHI Raúl Olivares (to Universitario de Vinto) 2 DF  ARG Facundo Agüero (Released) 4 MF  CHI Jimmy Martínez (back to Universidad de Chile) 7 FW  CHI César Munder (back to Universidad Católica) 8 MF  CHI Sebastián Leyton (to Deportivo Cali)

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF  BRA Rômulo Zwarg (loan to Juventude) 24 DF  CHI Vicente Durán (loan to Santiago Morning) 25 MF  COL Felipe Jaramillo (to Águilas Doradas) 37 DF  CHI Lucas Alarcón (back to Universidad de Chile)

• Official website (in Spanish) (archived 15 December 2009)