History
Cruz Azul was founded as an amateur team on May 22, 1927, by the workers of the cement maker, Cemento Cruz Azul, and Macario Acosta, and played in the town of Jasso, Hidalgo. Cemento Cruz Azul still sponsors the team, although sponsorship is currently shared with Umbro, the official sportswear of the team, Powerade, an energy drink made by Coca-Cola, Telcel and Sony. Guillermo Álvarez Marcia and Carlos Garcés were the main figures behind the creation effort and the quick success of the team, which frequently represented the state of Hidalgo in national amateur tournaments.
From 1927 to 1960, the amateur team played many times in Mexico City against the reserve squads of established professional teams such as Club Aguilitas, Necaxa, Atlante F.C., Asturias F.C. and Club Deportivo Marte. Considering the increasing success of the team, the new administration of the cement company (which changed its name to "Cooperativa Cruz Azul") decided in 1960 to build a stadium in Jasso, the Estadio 10 de Diciembre, and officially registered the team on the professional ascent division, the Segunda División for the 1960-61 season.
By 1964, under the Hungarian coach Jorge Marik, the team won the Segunda División championship, earning the right to play the following season in the highest level of professional football in Mexico, the Primera División.
That first season ended with an eighth place finish and increased hopes for the future. Just four years later, Cruz Azul won its first league tournament, under coach Raúl Cárdenas.
Cruz Azul became the most successful Mexican team of the 1970s, winning the league tournament six times between 1970 and 1980, four of them under Cárdenas, and the last two with Ignacio Trelles at the helm. Such dominance earned them the nickname La Máquina Celeste (The Celestial Machine), which is still used as the unofficial nickname of the team.
1997 brought the team its eighth and most recent championship during the Invierno 1997 tournament under coach Luis Fernando Tena, beating León by a score of 2-1. Cruz Azul won in the last minute in a penalty kick scored by Carlos Hermosillo. This was the youngest team to win eight championships in 40 years. In 2008, Cruz Azul played the three final matches. The first was against Club América in the InterLiga, where they lost in penalties. Another was against Santos Laguna in the final of the 2008 Clausura. The last match was against Deportivo Toluca F.C., which they lost in penalties.
In April 2012, Cruz Azul changed their official name from Club Deportivo, Social y Cultural Cruz Azul, A.C, to simply, Cruz Azul Futbol Club, A.C
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