Recreativo de Huelva - RSL (R)

[Jose Luis Luviano]

RSL will take on a team that has spent time in the Primera

Notpele says that RSL will take on Recreativo de Huelva. Recreativo has been in the Primera Division at some point recently, but I don't remember when.

And Loyal1, Arelius & I can check the Andalucian sites to see if there is any news on this or match reports later.

[Arelius]

It appears that DesNews uses “second division” and “first division” in the same sense as it is used in England. After the Premier League you have the first division (now called the Championship), which compared to the Premiership is really the second division of the Football Association.

In Portugal, the top league is the Super Liga. The next division is Liga de Honra, which I would call “second division” but which the DesNews is calling “first division.”

DesNews calls Beira Mar “second division” but its really two divisions below the Super Liga.


Regardless, today’s match should be stiffer competition.


BTW, the DesNews articles calls the second division team “Recreativa Huelva.” Its actually Recreativo Huelva.

[Jose Luis Luviano]

The last time I was in Spain, I was an illegal alien. So I may not be the best one to ask about this.

But the Beira Mar/Monte Gordo match report said that some RSL players like Marlon Rojas had problems getting visas to get into Portugal.

So how does that work?

Now that Portugal & Spain are both part of the European Union, can Halilovic, Rojas et al get into Spain for the Recreativo match? Or are they going to have to choose between missing practice time to pick up a Spanish visa or missing the game in Spain?

[Arelius]

Recreativo is actually in 5th place, 6 points off the leaders (Celta de Vigo) with a record of 12-7-7.

I’m very impressed with their website:
http://www.recreativohuelva.com/

They already have the friendly with RSL on their schedule:

Partido amistoso en Ayamonte
Martes 08/03/2005 - A partir de las 17:00 horas Recreativo-Real Salt Lake (Superliga de EE.UU) en el Municipal Blas Infante de Ayamonte.
http://www.recreativohuelva.com/pag/noticias_agenda.asp

Interesting that they mention that we play in the “Superliga” of the U.S. – their way of saying that we play in first (or top) division.

Match starts at 9:00 am MST.

Also, the city of Ayamonte has a note on their website about the friendly (calling us “Real Salt Laker Soccer”):

http://www.ayto-ayamonte.es/portal2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=95

They state that the result of the RSL vs. Recreativo match will be very different from that of the RSL vs. Beira Mar match (!).


Here are some views of the area they will be playing:

[Arelius]

Another map:

[Jose Luis Luviano]

Originally Posted by Arelius

Also, the city of Ayamonte has a note on their website about the friendly (calling us “Real Salt Laker Soccer”):

Hee, hee! That brings back memories of when I was in Madrid in the late '80's.

When madrilenos found out I was from SoCal, they would ask, "Can you get me Magic's & Kareem's autograph?"

If I knew that RSL was heading off to Andalucia, I would have given them a shopping list of Jerez to bring back for me. Yummy!

[Czar Jake]

Great info Arelius, thanks!

[Rover]

Originally Posted by Arelius

BTW, the DesNews articles calls the second division team “Recreativa Huelva.” Its actually Recreativo Huelva.

If I remember right, Recreativo de Huelva are the oldest club in Spain (founded 23 December 1889--at least nine years before either Barca or Real Madrid according to Phil Ball in White Storm).

I admit I spend way too much time researching the history of the game, but in this case it payed off in stumbling over an interesting contrast--the oldest team in Spain playing the youngest team in the USA.

And the USA's youngest team takes its soccer name (Real) from--Spain.

Expect a good match from these guys. And enjoy the historical irony.

[Arelius]

It was a Monday, 23rd of December at 10:00 pm, to be exact, that the club was formed. Since it was an Englishman that formed the club, its original name was Huelva Recreation Club. Changed its name to Club Recreativo de Huelva in 1903 and King Alfonso XIII added the word “Real” upon accepting to be the honorary president of the club.

“El recre” as the club is known, was champion of Andalucía from 1903 to 1914. Recre reached La Primera Liga for the 1978-79 and 2002-2003 seasons.

Recre plays in the Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which seats 20,000. (see picture below)

In 2003, they played in the final of the Copa del Rey (see pictures below).

Check out the site of their supporters club:
http://www.maurisoft.net/recre/recre2.php

Other similarities between RSL & Recre:
1) Both clubs have a crown on the logo
2) Both logos have 3 letters.

[Arelius]

Recre uniform: