When it comes to professional football and soccer, I am always attracted to the most pitiful, pathetic teams. Whether it be the Lions of Detroit or Condor from Arenillas, I can't escape them.
This must be why I felt an immediate attraction to the S.D. Aucas in Quito.
Aucas has been one of the most popular teams in Quito for decades but has never won the national championship. It's main rival, Liga de Quito, has won the national championship 10 times and several continental titles.
Aucas is currently in the lowest possible divisions, the equivalent of the league Club Deportivo Condor plays in. (The way soccer works is if you are the worst team in the league, you get relegated to a lower league). It has been out of the top division for five years and out of the second division for two.
The club's glory days were from 1945-1951 when it won six provincial championships. People still talk about these teams — much like people still talk about the Lions' glory days from the 50s. Its popularity from the 50s-70s earned it the nickname Idolo de Quito (Idol of Quito). But since the 70s, Aucas's poor management and mediocrity (at best) have allowed other teams in Quito to thrive.
The team was founded by the Shell oil company in 1945, and the then-president of Shell wanted to name the team "Shell." The soccer federation didn't let him, so he chose the name Auca, which means indigenous warriors (They still adopted the red and yellow color scheme of Shell). The team's logo features a depiction of an auca. The team has since experienced many management changes over the years and is now referred to as the Ex-petroleros (former oilmen).
Will I become an Aucas fan? I don't think it will become "my team," but that doesn't mean I can't feel sympathy for their story and hope that they return to prominence in Ecuadorian soccer.
I went to the Aucas game yesterday and will post about it tomorrow (I know people these days don't like to read too much text in one sitting).
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