Cusco FC
Cusco Fútbol Club, in short Cusco FC, formerly Asociación Civil Real Atlético Garcilaso (better known as Real Garcilaso), is a football club founded in July 2009 by Julio Gerardo Vásquez Granilla and renamed Cusco FC in December 2019, based in Cusco (Cuzco), Peru, currently competing in the First Division of Peru (Liga 1), the top tier of Peruvian football, after winning the 2022 Second Division (Liga 2). As Real Garcilaso, the club had started in the lower local leagues but in 2011 won the Copa Perú, which meant an automatic promotion to the Peruvian First Division. The club competed for 10 years in the First Division (2012-2021), finishing three times as runners-up (2012, 2013 and 2017), and classifying usually in the upper half of the table, which allowed them to participate in Copa Libertadores in 2013 (when they reached the quarter-finals), 2014, 2018 and 2019, as well as in Copa Sudamericana in 2016 and 2020. However, they were relegated to the Second Division at the end of the 2021 season, but came back to the First Division after just one year. Their home ground is mainly Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, located in Cusco at 3366 m above sea level, with a capacity for 42,056 spectators. The ground is shared with other teams in Cusco, such as Cienciano and Deportivo Garcilaso. Cusco FC also play some of their home games at Estadio Túpac Amaru in Sicuani, which has a capacity for 15,230 spectators. The club has also built its own stadium (used as a training ground) and other sporting facilities in Oropesa, near Cusco. The colours of Cusco FC are gold and black, departing from the previous light sky blue (celeste) of Real Garcilaso.
Cusco FC, champions of the 2022 Second Division. Source: Cusco FC Facebook page
History
The club was founded officially on 16 July 2009 by Julio Gerardo Vásquez Granilla, the
eldest son of Julio Gerardo Vásquez Cardenas,
two businessmen native of Cuzco who developed trade relations with Mexico,
China and other countries. While in Mexico, Julio Gerardo Vásquez Granilla
found out that some of their business partners had their own football teams and
told his father that he also wanted his own football team. Initially, they
tried to invest in one of the traditional football teams of Cuzco, Cienciano or Deportivo Garcilaso, but their offer was rejected by the directing
boards of the two teams. As Julio Gerardo Vásquez Granilla graduated from the
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega College, he was closer to the idea of supporting the
official team of the college, Deportivo Garcilaso, who was then competing in
the lower local leagues and in Copa Peru, compared to their rivals, Cienciano,
which was a long-established team of the First Division of Peru, and winner of
the 2003 Copa Sudamericana.
Julio Vásquez Cardenas (left) and Julio Vásquez Granilla, founders of Real Garcilaso
When turned down, Julio Gerardo Vásquez Granilla decided to form a new club, from the scratch, with the help of his father, Julio Gerardo Vásquez Cardenas, who became the sporting director of the club, and his uncle, Wilbur Cardenas Alarcón, as vice-president. The club was named “Real Garcilaso” in honour of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and his main work, “Los Comentarios Reales”. The relationship with Inca Garcilaso de la Vega College was also important, although the college continued to support Deportivo Garcilaso as its official team. The colour of the two clubs and of the college were the same: light sky blue (celeste).
In 2009, the team was enrolled in the Second Division of the Cuzco League and won the tournament, thus promoting to the First Division of Cuzco League.
In 2010, Real Garcilaso also won the First Division of Cuzco League but promotion to the higher leagues was achievable only by means of Copa Perú, a competition open to all amateur teams in the country. In that year, Real Garcilaso reached the national stage of Copa Perú but lost in the round of 16 against Sportivo Huracán.
At the beginning of 2011, Fredy “Petróleo” García was brought in as manager, as well as new players. It was a successful season. In the middle of the year, the team was invited, along with other amateur and professional teams, to play the Torneo Intermedio, a tournament organized by the Peruvian Football Federation as a knock-out competition for clubs during Copa America. Real Garcilaso eliminated both local rivals, Deportivo Garcilaso and Cienciano, as well as other strong professional teams, to reach the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Sport Ancash.
The biggest achievement of the year was, however,
winning the 2011 Copa Perú. The
final was played against Pacífico, a team of the capital region, Lima. Real
Garcilaso won 3-1 in Cuzco and lost only 1-0 in Lima, therefore were crowned
champions of Copa Perú and granted automatic
promotion to the First Division of Peru, while their opponents promoted to
the Second Division of Peru.
Real Garcilaso before a game in 2012
In 2012, their first year in the top tier, Real
Garcilaso was a real surprise to everyone and reached the final of the
competition but lost to Sporting Cristal, therefore becoming Peruvian vice-champions. Their striker,
Andy Pando, was the top league goalscorer with 27 goals. The next year, 2013,
Real Garcilaso classified again for the final and lost again, this time at
penalties, against Universitario de Deportes. The same year, they participated
for the first time in Copa Libertadores,
where they reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by
Independiente Santa Fe of Colombia.
In 2014, Real Garcilaso participated again in the Copa Libertadores but left the competition early. They had a weak season also in Peru, finishing in tenth place (out of 16) in the aggregate table of the Peruvian league. The head coach Freddy “Petróleo” García left the club after almost 4 years and was replaced by Luis Flores, who took charge of the team only for a few months. Since then, Real Garcilaso has changed the managers rather often, at least once a year.
In 2015, the team lost the Clausura final play-off against Melgar, came third in the aggregate table of the Peruvian league and therefore classified for the semifinals as the best placed team (except for the Apertura and Clausura winners). However, Real Garcilaso lost both the semifinal against the same Melgar and the third place match against Universidad César Vallejo, finishing fourth. In September 2015, Julio Gerardo Vásquez Cardenas, the sporting director of the club, was suspended for 5 years by the Peruvian football authorities for his allegations against Sporting Cristal and also against some of the players of Real Garcilaso who supposedly did not play correctly in the match against Sporting Cristal. Another event was the relegation of Cienciano to the Second Division at the end of the season, which meant that Real Garcilaso remained the only Cusco team in the First Division.
The next year, 2016, Real Garcilaso only classified ninth (out of 16) in the league and advanced no more than the second round of Copa Sudamericana. In 2017, the team classified second to Alianza Lima in both Apertura and Clausura tournaments, therefore no play-off was played and Alianza Lima were crowned champions, while Real Garcilaso were the overall runners-up. As a result, the team played in the group stage of the 2018 Copa Libertadores but classified last in the group. In 2018, Real Garcilaso just missed the play-offs and classified fourth overall, which gave them again the opportunity to play in the first stage of 2019 Copa Libertadores, where they were eliminated by Deportivo la Guaira (Venezuela).
Real Garcilaso at the beginning of the 2018 season. Source: Facebook club page
In 2019, the team performed not so well at the beginning of the year and head coach Héctor Tapia was sacked in March. Results improved under the new head coach, Juan Reynoso, but he left in August, and the team had a negative streak in the first half of Clausura, being also eliminated in the quarter-finals of Copa Bicentenario. The arrival of Javier Arce as sporting director in September changed again the results of the team, which succeeded to classify seventh overall, which gave them a chance to compete in the 2020 Copa Sudamericana.
In December 2019, the management board of Real Garcilaso decided to change the name of the team and to create a new identity, under the name Cusco FC, allegedly at the request of some of the fans. A poll among people in Cusco (but Real Garcilaso fans were not specifically targeted) showed that 70% of those questioned agreed to the change, according to a press release. Despite protests from many fans across social media, the press release issued on the 23rd of December 2019 acknowledged that the new name of the club will be Cusco FC. The change of identity included also the colours, to become gold and black (instead of light blue) and the crest.
The change was most likely triggered by the good performance of Deportivo Garcilaso in the 2019 Copa Perú, as they were close to reach the Final Four and therefore could have even promoted to the Peruvian First Division. In this case, two “Garcilaso” teams would have played in the same league. While a dispute over identity issues have existed since 2009, it reached a momentum at the end of 2019. Therefore, the management of Real Garcilaso had to consider a change and to depart from the “Garcilaso” tradition, in terms of name, colours and crest. The new name, Cusco FC, is neutral and focuses on the name of the city and the region, quite famous in the whole world, but not carried by any of the traditional teams in town (Cienciano or Deportivo Garcilaso).
Cusco FC players and staff at the official presentation with the new kits and crest in January 2020. Source: todosobrecamisetas.com
Under the new name, the club has not started well in 2020. A negative run of four defeats in five matches in the Peruvian First Division (Apertura) and the elimination in the first stage of the Copa Sudamericana, after an unexpected 3-0 away loss to Chilean side Audax Italiano, led to internal trouble. Head coach Javier Arce left the club and Argentinian Carlos Ramacciotti was brought at the beginning of March 2020, winning a match just before the competition was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. Despite winning two matches and drawing in other two matches after the restart of the competition in August 2020, Carlos Ramacciotti was sacked in September 2020, when Francisco Melgar took over as interim coach, but the same Carlos Ramacciotti was brought back a few weeks later after several defeats. Cusco FC finished 12th, the worst performance since their promotion to the First Division.
Cusco FC players and staff at the beginning of 2021. Source: Facebook official club page
In 2021, the season started badly again, with no win in the first four rounds, and Carlos Rammacciotti was again sacked. Another Argentinian, Claudio Vivas, was brought in as manager. Poor results led to another change of manager in August, when another Argentinian, Marcelo Grioni, was brought in to save the team from relegation. Relegation seemed to have been avoided in the last round of the season, when Cusco FC won 2-1 over Sport Huancayo and luckily all other teams fighting in the lower part of the table lost or drew. However, the whole situation changed on 20 January 2022, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne decided in favour of Cienciano and Deportivo Binacional, and against Cusco FC and the Peruvian Football Federation, so that the final result of the match Cusco FC – Cienciano was that on the field, 2-2, and not 3-0 for Cusco FC, as initially awarded by the Peruvian Football Federation as they considered that Cienciano had used an inelligible player. Therefore, Cusco FC lost 2 points in the final aggregate table, which had to be updated, and Cusco FC finished in 17th position instead of 14th, which meant an automatic relegation to the Second Division. On 21 January 2022, the Peruvian Football Federation confirmed the updated final table and that Cusco FC were relegated to the Second Division for the 2022 season.
Cusco FC succeeded to maintain most of their players, initially contracted for the First Division, which made them big favourites to win the 2022 Second Division. However, the season started with a 1-0 defeat away at Unión Comercio, and manager Marcelo Grioni was sacked. Uruguayan manager Pablo Peirano was brought in, and Cusco FC went on undefeated for 22 matches, winning both the Apertura and the Clausura tournaments of the Second Division, and therefore promoted to the 2023 First Division as Second Division champions without the need for any play-offs.
Pablo Peirano continued as manager of Cusco FC in the 2023 First Division (Liga 1), and the team had a good first half of the season, finishing the Apertura in fourth place, their best result since 2018. However, their performance dropped in the Clausura, and Pablo Peirano was eventually sacked in September 2023, with six rounds to go. Luis Flores was brought in as interim manager, but the results did not improve enough. Cusco FC finished ninth in the aggregate table, just one point behind the top eight, which would have allowed them to participate in the 2024 Copa Sudamericana.
Argentinian Miguel Rondelli was appointed as manager for 2024, and the squad changed almost completely.
Results season by season
- as Cusco FC -
2024: First Division of Peru. Apertura:
Clausura:
Overall:
2023: First Division of Peru. Apertura: 4th (out of 19). Results: 18 10 2 6 24-22 32 points.
Clausura: 13th (out of 19). Results: 18 4 6 8 18-23 18 points.
Overall: 9th (out of 19). Results: 36 14 8 14 42-45 50 points.
2022: Second Division of Peru. Apertura: 1st (out of 13). Results: 12 9 2 1 20-7 29 points.
Clausura: 1st (out of 13). Results: 12 9 2 1 27-9 29 points.
Overall: 1st (out of 13). Results: 24 18 4 2 47-16 58 pts. Promoted
2021: First Division of Peru. Stage 1, group B: 7th (out of 9). Results: 9 1 5 3 11-13 8 points.
Stage 2: 15th (out of 18). Results: 17 4 4 9 30-36 16 points.
Overall: 17th (out of 18). Results: 26 5 9 12 42-49 23 p[1]. Relegated
2020: First Division of Peru. Apertura (Stage 1): 15th (out of 20). Results: 19 5 6 8 26-31 21 pts.
Clausura (St. 2), gr. B: 4th (out of 10). Results: 9 4 3 2 13-10 15 p.
Overall: 12th (out of 20). Results: 28 9 9 10 39-41 36 points.
Copa Sudamericana, First Stage: lost 3-2 on aggregate to Audax Italiano (Chile).
- as Real Garcilaso -
2019: First Division of Peru. Apertura: 6th (out of 18). Results: 17 7 5 5 19-15 26 points.
Clausura: 11th (out of 18). Results: 17 6 3 8 19-16 21 points.
Overall: 7th (out of 18). Results: 34 13 8 13 38-31 47 points.
Copa Libertadores, first stage: lost 2-2 (away goal rule) to Dep. La Guaira (Venezuela).
2018: First Division of Peru. Torneo de Verano, gr. B: 5th (out of 8). Results: 14 6 2 6 21-23 20p.
Apertura: 3rd (out of 16). Results: 15 8 2 3 19-19 26 points.
Clausura: 8th (out of 16). Results: 15 5 6 4 26-22 21 points.
Overall: 4th (out of 16). Results: 44 19 10 15 66-64 67 points.
Copa Libertadores, group F: 4th (last, out of 4). Results: 6 1 3 2 2-7 6 points.
2017: First Division of Peru. Torneo de Verano, gr. B: 2nd (out of 8).Results: 14 7 3 4 27-17 24p.
Apertura: 2nd (out of 16). Results: 15 9 3 3 23-18 30 points.
Clausura: 2nd (out of 16). Results: 15 10 2 3 29-15 32 points.
Overall: 2nd (out of 16). Results: 44 26 8 10 79-50 86 points.
2016: First Division of Peru. Apertura: 8th (out of 16). Results: 15 5 5 5 22-22 20 points.
Clausura: 12th (out of 16). Results: 30 10 6 14 39-49 36 points.
Liguilla, group A: 5th (out of 8). Results: 44 16 9 19 55-62 57 p.
Overall: 9th (out of 16). Results: 44 16 9 19 55-62 57 points.
Copa Sudamericana: winner in the First Stage against Aucas (Ecuador). Advanced.
Lost in the Second Stage against Palestino (Chile).
2015: First Division of Peru. Torneo del Inca, gr. B: 2nd (out of 6). Results: 10 7 1 2 19-10 22 p.
Lost in semifinals against Universidad César Vallejo (at penalties).
Apertura: 4th (out of 17). Results: 16 8 4 4 22-20 28 points.
Clausura: 2nd (out of 17). Results: 16 8 5 3 26-16 29 points.
Lost the Clausura play-off final against Melgar (at penalties).
Overall: 3rd (out of 17). Results: 32 16 9 7 48-36 57 points.
Championship play-off: lost in semifinals against Melgar.
Third place final: lost against Universidad César Vallejo.
2014: First Division of Peru. Torneo del Inca, gr. A: 5th (out of 8). Results: 14 5 4 5 20-15 19 p.
Apertura: 9th (out of 16). Results: 15 6 2 7 19-19 20 points.
Clausura: 6th (out of 16). Results: 15 5 6 4 20-17 21 points.
Overall: 10th (out of 16). Results: 30 11 8 11 39-36 41 points.
Copa Libertadores, group 5: 4th (last, out of 4). Results: 6 1 0 5 4-13 3 points.
2013: First Division of Peru. First stage: 1st (out of 16). Results: 30 17 7 6 40-20 57 points[2].
Liguilla, group A: 1st (out of 8). Results: 44 22 12 10 63-39 77 p[2].
Overall: 1st (out of 16). Results: 44 22 12 10 63-39 77 points[2].
Play-off: lost the final against Universitario (at penalties).
Copa Libertadores, group 6: 2nd (out of 4). Results: 6 3 1 2 8-7 10 points. Advanced.
Knock-out phase, round of 16: won against Nacional (Uruguay).
Quarter-finals: lost against Independiente Santa Fe (Colombia).
2012: First Division of Peru. First stage: 2nd (out of 16). Results: 30 16 9 5 38-21 57 points.
Liguilla, group B: 1st (out of 8). Results: 44 24 10 10 63-35 82 p.
Overall: 2nd (out of 16). Results: 44 24 10 10 63-35 82 points.
Play-off: lost both legs in the final against Sporting Cristal.
2011: Torneo Intermedio. Preliminary round: won against Deportivo Garcilaso. Advanced.
First round: won against Cienciano. Advanced.
Round of 16: won against UTC (at penalties). Advanced.
Quarter-finals: lost against Sport Áncash (at penalties).
Copa Perú: Qualified directly to the regional stage.
Regional stage (Region VIII), group A: 1st (out of 5). Results: 8 6 0 2 30-5 18 pts.
National stage, round of 16: won against Unión Minas Orcopampa (0-0 and 4-2).
Quarter-finals: won against Sportivo Huracán (3-0 and 0-2).
Semifinals: won against Alianza Universidad (2-3 and 2-0).
Final: won against Pacífico (3-1 and 0-1). Promoted to the First Division.
2010: Copa Perú: winner of the district, provincial and departamental leagues. Advanced.
Regional stage (Region VIII), group B: 1st (out of 4). Results: 6 4 0 2 10-8 12 pts.
Lost the regional stage final against Alianza Unicachi (3-4) but advanced.
National stage, round of 16: lost against Sportivo Huracán (4-3 and 1-4).
2009: Cuzco District Second Division: winner. Promoted to Cuzco District First Division.
Real Garcilaso in 2011, when they won the Copa Perú
Honours
International level
Copa Libertadores: quarter-finalists (2013).
Copa Sudamericana: Second Stage (2016).
National level
Peruvian First Division: runners-up (2012, 2013, 2017), 4th (2015, 2018).
Overall (aggregate table): 1st (2013), 2nd (2012, 2017), 3rd (2015), 4th (2018).
Apertura: runners-up (2017), 3rd (2018).
Clausura: runners-up (2015, 2017).
First stage (Apertura + Clausura): winners (2013), runners-up (2012).
Liguilla: winners (2012, 2013).
Peruvian Second Division: winners (2022).
Copa Perú: winners (2011).
Local level
Region VIII stage: winners (2011), runners-up (2010).
Liga Departamental de Cuzco: winners (2010).
Liga Provincial de Cuzco: winners (2010).
Liga Distrital de Cuzco: winners (2010).
Second Division of Liga Distrital de Cuzco: winners (2009).
Stadium
The home ground of Cusco FC is mainly Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, better known as Estadio Garcilaso, located in Cuzco (Cusco) at 3366 m above sea level, with a current capacity for 42,056 spectators. Since 2013, there were works meant to increase its capacity but they stopped for the lack of financial support. The ground is shared with other teams in Cuzco, such as Cienciano and Deportivo Garcilaso.
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium in Cusco. Source: Wikipedia.
The stadium was inaugurated in 1960 with a capacity for 30,000 spectators, then it was renovated in 2004 and its capacity increased to more than 40,000 for the 2004 Copa America, when it hosted the third-place game between Colombia and Uruguay. The stadium belongs to the Instituto Peruano del Deporte (Peruvian Institute for Sports). The two main central stands are called “Occidente” (the Western stand) and “Oriente” (the Eastern stand), according to their location. The stands behind the two goals are called “Popular Norte” (People’s North) and “Popular Sur” (People’s South).
Panoramic view of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega stadium
During the works at the stadium, Real Garcilaso also played their home games at Estadio Municipal de Urcos in 2013 and 2014 and Estadio Túpac Amaru in Sicuani in 2017 and 2019. Estadio Túpac Amaru in Sicuani has a capacity for 15,230 spectators and is the secondary home ground for Cusco FC. It also belongs to Instituto Peruano del Deporte (Peruvian Institute for Sports).
Estadio Túpac Amaru in Sicuani. Source: ovacion.pe
The club has also built its own stadium and other sporting facilities in Oropesa, near Cusco, where the club owns 40 hectares. In 2015 this sporting complex has been inaugurated, including two training grounds for the senior team, as well as for the reserve, youth and junior teams. There is also a building in the city of Cusco, named Casa Dorada (the Golden House – reference to one of the club colours; formerly called Casa Celeste), which also includes areas for training, halls for meetings and press conferences.
Crest
The crest of Cusco FC has been presented and accepted in January 2020. It has a round shape and a golden background. A narrow black line surrounds an outer golden ring, on which the word CUSCO is written in bold black capital letters on the upper side, and FUTBOL CLUB in smaller black capital letters on the lower side. In the centre, the rays of the Rising Sun, representing one of the symbols of the Inca Empire (Tahuantinsuyo), provide a back-side (or left-side) light to the peaks of the mountains behind Machu Picchu, one of the best-known Peruvian and Cusco sites around the world. The ruins of Machu Picchu are sketched in the foreground.
The former crest of Real Garcilaso was a
double-rounded ring, yellow on the edges and white inside, wearing a yellow
crown above, which is white and sky-blue on the inside. The top crown made
specific reference to the name of the club, Real, which may be translated as
“Royal”, and is typical of other “Real” clubs as well (such as Real Madrid, for
instance).
The former name of the club, Real Garcilaso, was written in sky-blue letters in the outer ring, “Real” on the upper part, and “Garcilaso” on the lower part, while a sky-blue capital “G” letter is in the centre of the inner ring. The “G” letter makes also reference to Garcilaso, the name of the club, but it is also the symbol of the other club in Cuzco that shared this name, Deportivo Garcilaso. Therefore, this symbol showed the common root of both clubs in the “Inca Garcilaso de la Vega” College of Cuzco.
The crest was usually accompanied by the club logo, “Real Garcilaso – Presente y Futuro del Futbol Peruano”, meaning “Real Garcilaso – Present and Future of Peruvian Football”.
Kit colours
Since 2022, Cusco FC have used mainly full golden kits both home and away. Shirts, shorts and socks are all in the same colour, gold, which makes reference to the richness of the ancient Incas. The shirts carry traditional Inca geometric symbols in the upper part, where the name and logo of the kit sponsor and the club crest are also imprinted. The mountains and Machu Picchu are drawn in the lower part of the shirt. Names of the players and of the sponsors are written mostly in black letters.
Cusco FC in their full golden kits before a game against Alianza Lima in August 2023. Source: Cusco FC Facebook page
The alternative kit for 2022 was full white, preserving the horizontal stripe of Inca geometric symbols in gold on the upper part of the shirt, and the mountains and Machu Picchu also in gold on the lower part of the shirt.
In 2020 and 2021, Cusco FC used mostly black kits as their main (home) kits. The shirts were black, except for the lower part, where the mountains and Machu Picchu are drawn white on the black background, replacing in 2021 the thin white and black stripes which had existed in 2020. Names of players and of the sponsors were written in golden letters. The shorts were also black, as well as the socks, which carried a horizontal golden stripe in the middle.
Cusco FC at the start of the match against Cienciano (March 2021). Source: Facebook official club page
The alternative kit for 2021 was mostly golden. The golden shirts had black sleeves, the shorts were golden, while the golden socks carried a horizontal black stripe in the middle.
In 2020, the alternative kit involved white shirts, with golden sleeves, golden shorts and white socks.
Before 2020, the main colour of Real Garcilaso was light sky blue (celeste), which is also the colour of the older club, Deportivo Garcilaso, supported by “Inca Garcilaso de la Vega” College of Cusco. Therefore, since the very beginning (in 2009), full light sky blue kits were used as the main (home) kits.
Real Garcilaso starting eleven in 2018 Copa Libertadores match against Santos at home
The secondary (away) kits were either dark blue or full white and, very rarely, yellow. Dark blue kits with small light blue horizontal stripes were mostly used for the away games. Formerly, the away kits included shirts with blue and black vertical stripes and black shorts. Full white kits had also been used as an alternative.
The current kit sponsor is Lotto. Former kit sponsors include Walon (2012 and 2016-2022), Marathon (2013-2015) and Julio’s Export & Import (2009-2011).
The shirt main sponsor is Caja Cusco. Former shirt sponsors include I-Run (2012-2016), Knup (2013-2016) and Julio’s Export & Import (2009-2011).
Other sponsors include Dorado Bet, O2 Medical Network, Walking, Smart Fit, SSN Telecomunicaciones, ULTRA Supermayorista, I-Cax, SPORADE. Former sponsors include Dafabet, Vida, Gatorade, San Carlos, Qosqo Gas, Movistar, Instituto Montalvo, Grupo Palomino, Electrolight, Vistony and Odessa.
Current squad (as of January 2024)
|
No. |
Nat. |
Position |
Name |
Date of birth |
Transferred from |
Since |
|
2 |
PER |
Centre Back |
Jonathan Bilbao |
29.07.1999 |
Alianza Atlético |
2023 |
|
3 |
PER |
Centre Back |
Franz Schmidt |
03.05.2000 |
Alianza Universidad |
2024 |
|
4 |
PER |
Left Back |
Francys Arévalo |
13.03.2003 |
Universitario |
2024 |
|
5 |
PER |
Midfielder |
Miguel Ángel Aucca |
10.08.1998 |
Youth team |
- |
|
6 |
ARG |
Centre Back |
Alan Pérez |
20.04.1991 |
Temperley |
2024 |
|
7 |
PER |
Winger |
James Morales |
12.04.2000 |
Youth team |
- |
|
9 |
PER |
Forward |
Luis Ramos |
13.12.1999 |
Los Chankas |
2024 |
|
10 |
ARG |
Playmaker |
Iván Colman |
06.05.1995 |
Quilmes |
2024 |
|
11 |
ARG |
Forward |
Juan Manuel Tévez |
28.08.1987 |
Gimnasia y E. Jujuy |
2024 |
|
13 |
PER |
Goalkeeper |
Andy Vidal |
23.08.1994 |
Carlos A. Mannucci |
2024 |
|
14 |
PER |
Right Back |
José Zevallos |
13.01.1999 |
Ayacucho FC |
2024 |
|
15 |
PER |
Midfielder |
Sebastián Zarabia |
22.02.2005 |
Youth team |
- |
|
16 |
PER |
Midfielder |
Oswaldo Valenzuela |
20.12.2000 |
Alianza Lima |
2024 |
|
17 |
PER |
Right Back |
Pablo Cárdenas |
10.02.2000 |
Cobresal |
2024 |
|
18 |
PER |
Left Winger |
Jhosep Núñez |
04.11.2003 |
Deportivo Municipal |
2024 |
|
19 |
PER |
Left Back |
Alonso Tamariz |
13.01.1998 |
Academia Cantolao |
2024 |
|
20 |
PER |
Midfielder |
André Vásquez |
30.01.2003 |
FBC Melgar |
2024 |
|
21 |
PER |
Left Back |
Freddy Yovera |
11.02.2001 |
Deportivo Municipal |
2023 |
|
22 |
ARG |
Winger |
Lucas Colitto |
01.06.1994 |
Barracas Central |
2024 |
|
23 |
VEN |
Centre Back |
Rubén Ramírez |
18.10.1995 |
Monagas SC |
2024 |
|
26 |
ARG |
Left Winger |
Nicolás Silva |
24.06.1990 |
Chaco For Ever |
2024 |
|
27 |
PER |
Right Winger |
Rely Fernández |
01.11.1997 |
UTC Cajamarca |
2024 |
|
29 |
PER |
Midfielder |
Eslyn Correa |
29.06.2005 |
Deportivo Municipal |
2024 |
|
33 |
PER |
Goalkeeper |
Carlos Solís |
20.09.1990 |
Deportivo Municipal |
2024 |
Note that Pablo Cárdenas has both Peruvian and Chilean citizenship, Jonathan Bilbao has both Peruvian and Venezuelan citizenship, Rubén Ramírez has both Venezuelan and Portuguese citizenship, Lucas Colitto has both Argentinian and Italian citizenship, and Juan Manuel Tévez has both Argentinian and Ecuadorian citizenship.
Managers
Miguel Ángel Rondelli – manager (since January 2024)
Luciano Precone – assistant manager (since January 2024)
Hugo Valverde – goalkeepers’ coach (since 2021)
Guido Thompson – physical trainer (since January 2024)
Miguel Cevallos – video assistant (since January 2024)
Jhoel Herrera – team manager
Miguel Rondelli, Cusco FC manager. Photo source: studiofutbol.com.ec
Executive board
Julio Vásquez Cardenas – owner (since the foundation of the club)
Julio Vásquez Granilla – president (since the foundation of the club)
Wilbur Cardenas Alarcón – vicepresident (since the foundation of the club)
Other staff
Luis Ventura – head coach of the reserve team
Jorge Álvarez – physician
Víctor Venero – kinesiologist
Johan Carlo – kit man
Joel Paredes – kit man
Reinaldo Borda – kit man
Ivan Santillán, in light blue (no. 27), the second most capped player for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC
Notable former players
Alfredo “Chapú” Ramúa
José Fajardo
Iván Santillán
Jhoel Herrera
Daniel Ferreyra
Danilo Carando
Felipe Rodríguez
Mauro Da Luz
Federico Alonso
Abdiel Ayarza
Nelinho Quina
Rolando Díaz
Gerson Barreto
Johnny Vidales
José Velásquez
Carlos Uribe
Christopher Olivares
Jordan Guivín
Anthony Gordillo
Éder Hermoza
Tiago Cantoro
Hideyoshi Arakaki
Horacio Benincasa
Josué Estrada
Carlos Orbe
Diego Minaya
Miguel Carranza
Matías Abisab
Jared Ulloa
Gerson Iraola
Edy Rentería
Mauricio Montes
Manuel Corrales
Royer Villano
Jairo Uscamayta
Juan Pretel
Federico Nicosia
Jair Céspedes
Anier Figueroa
Yorkman Tello
Diego Espinoza
Erick Gonzales
Alexander Lecaros
José Daniel Rivera
Erick Rossi
Edson Aubert
Sandro Rengifo
Gonzalo Rizzo
Víctor Cedrón
Diego Enríquez
Cristian Souza
Maximiliano Barreiro
Pablo Nicolás Royón
Franco Boló
Janio Pósito
Brandon Palacios
Ray Sandoval
Pedro Gutiérrez
Willyan Mimbela
Eduardo Aranda
Miguel Paniagua
Josimar Atoche
Jorge Jair Toledo
Edinson Chávez
Marcos Delgado
Jordi Vílchez
Marco Saravia
José Guidino
Andrés Robles
Jesús Arismendi
Ricardo Farro
Carlos Gómez
José Cánova
Pablo Míguez
Alexis Cossío
Javier Núñez
Minzún Quina
Damian Ísmodes
Santiago Ormeño
Hernán Rengifo
Joao Ortiz
Jean Pierre Archimbaud
Reimond Manco
Lampros Kontogiannis
Gustavo Dulanto
Juan Diego Lojas
Luis Cristhian Ortiz
Emiliano Ciucci
Alfredo Rojas
Edwin Retamoso
Marcio Valverde
Joazinho Arroé
Carlos Neumann
Julio Landauri
Fernando Martinuzzi
Sebastián Lojas
Carlos Beltrán
Paulo Albarracín
Sebastián Gallegos
Joao de Jesús Villamarín
Wilberto Cosme
Carlos Alberto Orejuela
Diego Carranza
Walter Vílchez
Hugo Souza
César Ortiz
Brian Sarmiento
Ramón Rodríguez
Jaime Huerta
Gonzalo Maulella
Hugo Ángeles
Carlos Flores
Víctor Ferreira
Rolando Bogado
Cristhian Vildoso
Luis Alberto Guadalupe
Fabio Ramos
Ivan Camarino
Yoshiro Salazar
Juan Goyoneche
Jorge Reyes
Fernando Alloco
Israel Chávez
Eduardo Uribe
Édson Julio Uribe
Andy Pando
Giancarlo Chichizola
Miguel Reyna
Ricardo Uribe
Freddy García
Roy Sucuitana
Víctor Zambrano
Paul Rodríguez
Jhonny Quintanilla
Juan Carlos Odar
Antonio Serrano
Moisés Condori
Alfredo “Chapu” Ramúa, the player with most appearances for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC
Top appearances
for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC in Peruvian Primera División, 2012-2021, 2023
(in bold, footballers who are still playing for Cusco FC)
|
No. |
Name of the player |
Nationality |
Appearances |
Period |
|
1. |
Alfredo Ramúa |
ARG / PER |
277 |
2013-2015; 2017-23 |
|
2. |
Iván Santillán |
PER |
222 |
2012-2018 |
|
3. |
Jhoel Herrera |
PER |
194 |
2012-2017; 2019 |
|
4. |
Juan Diego Lojas |
PER |
144 |
2013-2018 |
|
5. |
Danilo Carando |
ARG |
131 |
2015; 2017; 2019-20 |
|
6. |
Edwin Retamoso |
PER |
121 |
2013-2017 |
|
7. |
Johnny Vidales |
PER |
112 |
2017-2018; 2023 |
|
8. |
Marcio Valverde |
PER |
105 |
2015-2017 |
|
9. |
Diego Carranza |
ARG |
96 |
2012-2015 |
|
10. |
Ramón Rodríguez |
PER |
94 |
2012; 2014-2015 |
Statistics are based on data provided by soccerway.com
Jhoel Herrera, former team captain and third most capped player for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC.
Source: Cusco FC Official Facebook page
Top goalscorers
for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC in Peruvian Primera División, 2012-2021, 2023
(in bold, players who are still playing for Cusco FC)
|
No. |
Name of the player |
Nationality |
Goals |
Period |
|
1. |
Danilo Carando |
ARG |
53 |
2015; 2017; 2019-20 |
|
2. |
Alfredo Ramúa |
ARG / PER |
45 |
2013-2015; 2017-23 |
|
3. |
Ramón Rodríguez |
PER |
34 |
2012; 2014-2015 |
|
4. |
Andy Pando |
PER |
27 |
2012 |
|
5. |
Mauricio Montes |
PER |
22 |
2013; 2021 |
|
6. |
Marcio Valverde |
PER |
19 |
2015-2017 |
|
7. |
Víctor Ferreira |
PAR |
18 |
2013-2014 |
|
|
Fabio Ramos |
PAR |
18 |
2012-2013 |
|
9. |
Iván Santillán |
PER |
15 |
2012-2018 |
|
10. |
Johnny Vidales |
PER |
14 |
2017-2018; 2023 |
Statistics are based on data provided by soccerway.com
Andy Pando, the top goalscorer of the Peruvian Primera División in 2012 with 27 goals
Top appearances for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC in all official domestic[3] and international[4] competitions, 2011-2023
(in bold, players that are still playing for Cusco FC)
|
No. |
Name of the player |
Nationality |
Appearances |
Period |
|
1. |
Alfredo Ramúa |
ARG / PER |
350 |
2013-2015; 2017-23 |
|
2. |
Iván Santillán |
PER |
267 |
2012-2018 |
|
3. |
Jhoel Herrera |
PER |
239 |
2012-2017; 2019 |
|
4. |
Juan Diego Lojas |
PER |
182 |
2013-2018 |
|
5. |
Edwin Retamoso |
PER |
162 |
2013-2017 |
|
6. |
Danilo Carando |
ARG |
148 |
2015; 2017; 2019-20 |
|
7. |
Diego Carranza |
ARG |
126 |
2012-2015 |
|
8. |
Ramón Rodríguez |
PER |
125 |
2011-12; 2014-15 |
|
9. |
Marcio Valverde |
PER |
119 |
2015-2017 |
|
10. |
Johnny Vidales |
PER |
118 |
2017-2018; 2023 |
Statistics are based on data provided by soccerway.com
Danilo Carando (in black), the all-time goalscorer for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC
Top goalscorers for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC in all official domestic[5] and international[6] competitions, 2011-2023
(in bold, players that are still playing for Cusco FC)
|
No. |
Name of the player |
Nationality |
Goals |
Period |
|
1. |
Danilo Carando |
ARG |
61 |
2015; 2017; 2019-20 |
|
2. |
Alfredo Ramúa |
ARG / PER |
60 |
2013-2015; 2017-23 |
|
3. |
Ramón Rodríguez |
PER |
41 |
2011-12; 2014-15 |
|
4. |
Andy Pando |
PER |
27 |
2012 |
|
5. |
Mauricio Montes |
PER |
24 |
2013; 2021-2022 |
|
6. |
Víctor Ferreira |
PAR |
23 |
2013-2014 |
|
7. |
Marcio Valverde |
PER |
21 |
2015-2017 |
|
|
Abdiel Ayarza |
PAN |
21 |
2022-2023 |
|
9. |
José Fajardo |
PAN |
20 |
2022-2023 |
|
10. |
Fabio Ramos |
PAR |
19 |
2012-2013 |
Statistics are based on data provided by soccerway.com
Ramón Rodríguez, the third best all-time goalscorer for Real Garcilaso/Cusco FC
Former managers (coaching history)
Milton Sequeiros (2009)
Roberto Arrelucea (January – December 2010)
Freddy García (January 2011 – September 2014)
Luis Flores (September – December 2014)
Mariano Soso (January – August 2015)
Tabaré Silva (August – December 2015)
Jorge Espejo (December 2015 – May 2016)
Wilmar Valencia (May – September 2016)
Jorge Parihuana (September – December 2016)
Duilio Cisneros (January – February 2017)
Gustavo Coronel (March – May 2017)
Marcelo Grioni (June – December 2017)
Óscar Ibañez (January – March 2018)
Tabaré Silva (2nd time; March – October 2018)
Víctor Reyes (October – December 2018)
Héctor Tapia (January – March 2019)
Juan Reynoso (March – August 2019)
Ariel Paz (interim, August – September 2019)
Juan Chumpitaz (interim, September – December 2019)
Javier Arce (January – March 2020)
Carlos Ramacciotti (March – September 2020)
Francisco Melgar (interim, September – October 2020)
Carlos Ramacciotti (2nd time; October 2020 – April 2021)
Claudio Vivas (April – August 2021)
Marcelo Grioni (2nd time: August 2021 – April 2022)
Pablo Peirano (April 2022 – September 2023)
Luis Flores (interim, September – December 2023)
Former members of the club management
Julio Gerardo Vásquez Cardenas – sporting director (2009-2015)
Fernando Nogara – sporting director (October – December 2018)
Francisco Melgar – sporting director (June – September 2020)
Gustavo Zevallos Velarde – sporting director (April – August 2021)
Rolando Escajadillo – team manager and sporting director (2018 – June 2022)
Gustavo Fernández – manager of the youth teams (October – December 2018)
Jorge Parihuana – head coach of the reserve team (2017-2018)
Main sources
Club official website (in Spanish)
Club official Facebook page (in Spanish)
Cusco FC fans Facebook page (in Spanish)
Alternative fans Facebook page (in Spanish)
Wikipedia club page (in English)
Wikipedia club page (in Spanish)
Soccerway club page (in English)
[1] Cusco FC were deducted one point in the aggregate table due to financial irregularities.
[2] Real Garcilaso were docked 1 point obtained against León de Huánuco and penalized with 3 goals against for listing 5 foreigners within the squad of 18 players in the round 5 match against León de Huánuco.
[3] Peruvian Primera División (2012-2021), Peruvian Segunda División / Liga 2 (2022), Copa Bicentenario (2019 and 2021), Copa Inca (2014 and 2015), Torneo Intermedio (2011) and Copa Perú (2011 – national stage only).
[4] Copa Libertadores (2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019) and Copa Sudamericana (2016 and 2020).
[5] Peruvian Primera División (2012-2021), Peruvian Segunda División / Liga 2 (2022), Copa Bicentenario (2019 and 2021), Copa Inca (2014 and 2015), Torneo Intermedio (2011) and Copa Perú (2011 – national stage only).
[6] Copa Libertadores (2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019) and Copa Sudamericana (2016 and 2020).
