Puma’s History
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is one of the largest universities in Mexico. The squad was first originally named Club Deportivo Universidad in 1954 and was a part of the second division. In the early 1960s the team was promoted to the first division and has grown into one of Mexico’s most succesfull clubs. In the years since Pumas has become one of the biggest clubs in Mexico. In 2017, they fielded the first female first team in conjunction with the launch of LigaMX Femenil.
Rivalries
Pumas is one three teams that call Mexico City home and is often referred to as one of the Cuatro Grandes (Big Four) which features Club America, Chivas de Guadalajara and Cruz Azul. Club America was founded 106 years ago and has one of the largest followings and has produced some of the biggest Mexican soccer stars including Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Despite being almost seven hours away from the other members of the Big Four, Chivas has spent 115 years cultivating a passionate fanbase and producing stars like Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez. Rounding out the big four is Cruz Azul which was founded 94 years ago and shares the Estadio Azteca with America. Cruz Azul has produced players like Ricardo Osorio and Oscar Perez.
Hugo Sanchez
Hugo Sanchez, one of soccer’s biggest stars got his start with Pumas. In the late 70s, Sanchez made his debut and immediately rose through the ranks. After his stint with UNAM, Sanchez went on to play with Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and America to name a few. The goal scorer is considered to be the greatest Mexican soccer player of all time. Sanchez represented Mexico at the international level from 1977-1998. After retiring, Sanchez began coaching and once again got his start with Pumas coaching from 2000-2005 and also coached the Mexican National Team from 2006-2008.
UNAM
The college campus is located in the Mexican capital and is one of the largest in all of Mexico. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007. Located on the campus is the Estadio Olimpico Universitario, which hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics and seats more than 72,000. The campus was built on an ancient solidified lava bed from 1949 to 1952. When the campus construction was completed, the entire project was the largest construction project in Mexico since the Aztecs. The Ciudad Universitaria also has several important buildings on its campus, including the Central Library which is covered with Mexican artist Juan O’Gorman’s mural the Historical Representation of Culture.
Women’s Division
After several years without a domestic topflight for women, the LigaMX Femenil was created in 2016. Now six years into the venture there are 18 teams that play in the LigaMX Femenil. Pumas Femenil is currently competing in the Clausura 2022 tournament and currently sit in 11th place. The league’s most recent final featured Rayadas and Tigres from Monterrey and brought in more than four million viewers on TV and had 36,843 people in attendance.
