Alianza Fútbol Club, also known simply as Alianza, is a Salvadoran professional football club based in San Salvador. They compete in the Primera División, the top division of Salvadoran football.
Founded in 1958, Alianza was almost immediately successful, winning its first championships in the 1966 and 1967 Salvadoran seasons. Even more significantly, Alianza was the first Central American and Salvadoran club to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1967, and is currently one of only three Salvadoran teams to have done so.
History
The beginning Atlético La Constancia was formed in 1958 by a group of workers in San Salvador. Although small in terms of financial status, they were able to reach the Liga de Ascenso (second division) final in 1958. They lost 2–0 in a two legged series against Águila. The club, however, purchased a spot in the first division at the expense of Once Municipal. This enabled them to gain the sponsorship of the Intercontinental Hotel and its president, Peruvian Axel Hochkoeppler.
Because of Hochkoeppler's support, Alianza FC president Enrique Sol Meza decided to name the club Alianza FC in honor of Alianza Lima. Hernán Vivanco joined the club as the coach and began getting the players to play an exciting style of football. That style and a strong advertising campaign quickly won over the support of the population of San Salvador. Before long, Alianza was surpassing Juventud Olímpica as the nation's most popular club.
One of Alianza's greatest triumphs happened in 1966, when they defeated a Santos side that included the great Pelé. The win took place at the Estadio Nacional Flor Blanc, and featured the efforts of loaned Argentines Dante Juárez, Juan Verón and Santiago, all on loan at the time.
Orquesta Blanca 1966 was also the year that Alianza won its first tile. Due to the cohesion and speed with which Hernán Carrasco had the team playing, Alianza became known as La Orquesta Alba (the Dawn Orchestra). The team was made up of many great players, including Edgar "Pata Gorda" Morales, Roberto "La Burra" Rivas, Alberto "Pechuga" Villalta, Raúl "Araña" Magaña, Guido Alvarado, Salvador Mariona, Mario Monge, Luis "Cascarita" Tapia, Miguel "El Chueco" Hermosilla, Ricardo Sepúlveda and Jorge "El Conejo" Liévano.
The team won fifteen straight matches on their way to the league championship, where they defeated Águila 2–1. Goals were scored by Hermosilla and Mario Monge. In all, "La Orquesta Alba" outscored their opponents eighty-three to thirty-nine and won twenty of their thirty-six matches.
The club repeated as champions in 1967, defeating Sonsonate FC 5–1 in the finals. They then went on to become the first Salvadoran club to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, defeating Jong Colombia over a three-leg series. Alianza lost the first leg, but won the second to force a replay. They prevailed 5–3, with Tapia and Flores scoring twice each.
Decline and title drought After the 1967 title, members of the Orquestra began retiring. Players like Brazilian internationals Camargo, Taneses and Nilton Rodarte, Peruvian international Fernando Alva, Uruguayan international Julio César "El Pocho" Cortés, Chilean international Hugo Ottensen came through the ranks. So too did domestic players including Miguel "La Mica" González, Herbert Machón, "Míchel" Cornejo, Armando Cortez Sandoval, Jaime "Samba" Saravia, Roberto "El Cuchillo" Guerra, Jaime "La Chelona" Rodríguez and Carlos "El Cacho" Meléndez. However, the 1970s were less successful than the 1960s.
They reached the playoff finals four times (1971, 1973, 1975–76, and 1978–79) but finished runner-up each time. Then, after a string of disappointing seasons, the club came out of the wilderness to challenge for the title in 1985. However, they would be runners-up again, losing 5–2 to city rivals Atlético Marte.
Title success In 1986, the title drought finally ended. Ricardo Sepúlveda, a member of "The Orquesta Alba", returned to the club as a manager and led them to their third championship and first in twenty years. The championship match pitted Alianza against Águila, and it ended 0–0 after extra time. The game went to penalties, and Alianza won 3–1, with Carlos Reyes scoring the decisive goal. A corner had been turned.
The brilliance of Chilean Raúl Toro powered Alianza to a fourth title in 1989; he scored the winning goal in the final against Luis Ángel Firpo. 1993–94 saw a fifth crown, as the Uruguayan Gustavo Faral managed the club to a 2–1 championship win over FAS.
1997 saw Alianza win its second international championship, when they defeated Deportivo Saprissa from Costa Rica to win the UNCAF Club Championship. The management of technician Juan Masnik and the heroic efforts of players such as Horacio Lugo, Marcelo Bauza, Uruguayan Alejandro Curbelo and Adrián de la Cruz powered the team to two more titles soon after.
The Invincibles Alianza went through the Apertura 2017 season undefeated, becoming the first Salvadoran side to achieve such a feat. Their 4–1 win over Santa Tecla in the final was the icing on the cake, and saw a double from Rodolfo Zelaya, plus strikes from league leading goalscorer Gustavo Guerreño, and midfielder Marvin Monterrosa.
Honours
Domestic honours Primera División Winners (19): 1965–66, 1966–67, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1996–97, Apertura 1998, Apertura 2001, Clausura 2004, Clausura 2011, Apertura 2015, Apertura 2017, Clausura 2018, Apertura 2019, Apertura 2020, Apertura 2021, Clausura 2022, Clausura 2024, 2025 Clausura
International honours CONCACAF Champions' Cup Winners (1): 1967 UNCAF Club Championship Winners (1): 1997 Runners-up (1): 1980
Friendly tournament Copa Acción Cívica 1966 Copa Santa Ana 1977 Copa Roberto "Burra" Rivas 2015
Records
Ramiro Carballo holds the record for most Alianza appearances, having played 442 first-team matches from 1997 to 2002 and 2005 to 2009. Juan Carlos Portillo comes second with 400 appearances. Óscar Navarro comes third with 389 appearances. The record for a goalkeeper is held by TBD, with 000 appearances. With 000 caps (000 while at the club), Rodolfo Zelaya is Alianza's most capped international player with 52 caps.
Rodolfo Zelaya is Alianza's all-time top goalscorer, with 172 goals. Six other players have also scored over 100 goals for Alianza: TBD (1953–64), TBD (1971–88), TBD (1958–66), TBD (1985–92), TBD (2009–current) and the previous goalscoring record-holder TBD (1994–2010). TBD holds the record for the most league goals scored in one season (48 in 2014–15). TBD's 49 goals in 58 matches was for decades the all-time highest tally in CONCACAF competition. The fastest goal in the history of the club (26 seconds) was scored by the Colombian Duvier Riascos on 15 September 2021 during a league match against Santa Tecla F.C.
Alianza FC was the first Salvadoran team to win CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Alianza FC are the last Salvadoran team to win UNCAF Club Championship. Alianza FC are the last Salvadoran team to win an international competition, this being the UNCAF Club Championship in 1997. Alianza FC are the first and only team in Salvadoran League to win the domestic championship undefeated.
Sponsorship Companies that Alianza currently has sponsorship deals for 2026-2027 Seasons include: Adidas – official kit suppliers Claro – official sponsors Pepsi – official sponsors Indupalma S.A de C.V – official sponsors Molsa – official sponsors Senator Group Casino – official sponsors ALCASA S.A de C.V. – official sponsors ABANK – official sponsors Mister Donut – official sponsors Taqueritos – official sponsors Los Rinconcitos – official sponsors Sistema Fedecredito – official sponsors Gatorade – official sponsors Canal 4 – official sponsors
Kit makers YearsKit manufacturers 1956–1980 Nil shirt Maker 1992 Clima 1995 Galaxia 1996-1997 Torino 1998-1999 Lanzera 2001-2005 Milan 2006-2009 AVIVA 2010-2014 Lotto 2015 Nil shirt Maker 2016–2017 Joma 2018–2026 Umbro 2026–Present Adidas
Stadium Alianza Futbol Club has forged its entire history in the Estadio Nacional de la Flor Blanca (now Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González), in which they achieved three titles during the 1960s. However, it was damaged in the 2001 earthquakes and Alianza moved to the Estadio Cuscatlán, where they have kept playing to this day.
Estadio Nacional de la Flor Blanca, San Salvador (1960–2001) Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador (2002–2012) Estadio Nacional de la Flor Blanca, San Salvador (2013) Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador (2013–2014) Estadio Nacional de la Flor Blanca, San Salvador (2014) Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador (2015–present) Estadio Anna Mercedes Campos, Sonsonate (2023–2024) As punishment for the Estadio Cuscatlán crowd crush, Alianza was barred from playing at the Estadio Cuscatlán for nine months. The club played the entire 2023 Apertura and parts of 2024 Clausura in front
Estadio Cuscatlán crowd crush
In 2023, during a game between Alianza F.C. and C.D. FAS in the Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador an incident occurred which resulted in a crowd crush of fans in the stadium.
According to reports, fans had been sold fake tickets for the game and angry fans attempted to pull down the barricades at the stadiums at the entrance. Twelve people were killed and dozens of others injured.
Players Current squad
Players with dual citizenship Henry Romero Francis Castillo Jairo Soriano Jafet Soriano
Out on loan
In
Out
Coaching staff As of May, 2025 PositionStaffManager Roberto Pompei *Assistant Manager Martín Andrizzi *Reserve Manager Luis Kalimba Sosa *Under 17 Manager Nelson Rojas *Ladies team Manager Edwin Deras *Goalkeeper Coach Schafik Chávez *Team Physical Trainer Franisco Hurtado Fitness Coach TBDTeam Doctor Luis Enrique Merlos *Knesliogiocal Omar Isais FloresUtility Fernando Rivera & Ronald Escobar *Director of Sports Juan Nicanor Alfonsín *
Management As of May 13, 2026 PositionStaffOwner Asociación de Empresa Adolfo SalumePresident Gonzalo Sibrian *Vice President Adolfo Salume jr *Secretary Oscar Hernandez *Deputy Secretary Alexander Suriano *Treasurer Oscar RamosGeneral Director Edwin AbarcaDirector of Communications and Marketing Carmen VidesFinancial Manager Noemi Cordova de ValenciaPress Officer Jose ChavezAdministrative assistant Blanca CrisolAssistant Youth divisions Dalila GarcesSocial Media David QuezadaInternal analyst Fabrizio CastroVideo Analysts Rene Rosales Sports Director Juan Alfonsín
Notable players Notable players Below are the notable former and current players who have represented Alianza in Primera Division and international competition since the club's foundation in 1958. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 100 official matches for the club, a list of every Alianza player who has been called up by their national team.
Joaquin Canales
Misael Alfaro Ramiro Carballo Raúl Magaña Salvador Mariona José Quintanilla Roberto Rivas Jaime Rodríguez Adonay Martínez Rodolfo Zelaya Horacio Lugo (1996–1997, 2000) Luis Hernán Álvarez (1967) Ricardo Sepúlveda (1965–1968) Adolfo Olivares (1973) Didier Ovono (2005) Luis Ernesto Tapia (1963–1970) Julio César Cortés (1974–1975) Alejandro Curbelo (2000, 2003–2004)
Team captains
YearsNameNation 1966–1967 Alberto Villalta (1947 – 2017) 1968–69 Salvador Mariona 1970 Guido Alvarado 1975 Victor Manuel Valencia 1978 Roberto Guerra 1979–1981 Abilio Martinez 1986–1990 Julio Palacios Lozano 1993–1995 Joaquín Canales 1996–1998 Milton Melendez 2001 Adonai Martínez 2004 Mario Elias Guevara 2007, 2009 Ramiro Carballo 2008 Victor Velasquez 2009 Ramón Sánchez 2010 TBD 2011–2013 Marcelo Messias 2014 Edwin Martínez 2015 Ramón Martínez de Paz 2017–2018 Rodolfo Zelaya 2018–2024 Marvin Monterrosa 2025–Present Henry Romero
Retired numbers 2 – Roberto Rivas, defender (1960–1970)
22 – Rodolfo Zelaya, forward (2008-2025)
Presidential history