S.D. Aucas

Sociedad Deportiva Aucas (Spanish pronunciation: [sosjeˈðað ðepoɾˈtiβa ˈawkas]), also known as "Papá Aucas", is a football club based in Quito, Ecuador. They play in the top tier of Ecuadorian football and have spent the majority of their history in the top-flight Serie A. The team is amongst the most popular in the city because of its long history in the Serie A. The team also has a major rivalry in L.D.U. Quito, which they contest one of the most prestigious derbies in all of Ecuador, and the most prestigious in Quito.

Overview

The team is named after the Auca tribe, who are also called Huaorani. The club originally belonged to Royal Dutch Shell, which had been operating oil fields in the east of Ecuador where the Aucas live. The club's main uniforms colours, yellow and red, were taken from the colours used by Shell to market their products and services. The alternate uniform is grey, except for the commercial advertisements and numbers and names of players, which are red.

Players who have played for Aucas include Argentinian and nationalised Ecuadorian forward Ariel Graziani, forward Nicolás Asencio, forward Agustin Delgado, forward Édison Maldonado, Ecuador international defender Giovanny Espinoza, and the 1990 FIFA World Cup Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita.

Aucas won their first Serie A title in 2022 under the tenure of Venezuelan manager César Farías by winning the competition's second stage without losing a single game and then beating Barcelona in the finals. This win also qualified them to the 2023 Copa Libertadores, the first time they competed in the continental tournament.

Honours

National

• Serie A: 2022
• Serie B: 1974 E2, 1991 E2, 2014
• Segunda Categoría: 1986 E2, 2012

Regional

• Campeonato Amateur del Fútbol de Pichincha: 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951
• Campeonato Professional Interandino: 1959, 1962

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

• Copa Libertadores: 2 appearances

2023: Group Stage

2024: First Qualifying Stage

• Copa Sudamericana: 5 appearances

2002: First Round

2004: Second Round

2016: First Round

2020: First Round

2021: Group Stage

Players

Current squad

As of 8 February, 2024. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

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

World Cup players

The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted to Aucas.

Managers

External links

• Official website (in Spanish)