SKONTO FC

'Skonto FC' is a Latvian soccer club, founded in 1991. It is a Virsliga team that plays at Skonto Stadions football ground in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence, and provides the core of the Latvia national football team. In the 2005 season they finished in second place, below FHK Liepājas Metalurgs.

Contents

History

Honours

Current squad

First-team squad

Reserves squad

Famous players

Participation in Champions League

Participation in UEFA cups

Participation in Latvian Championships

External links

History

Football club 'Skonto FC' was founded in 1991, 14 years in a row it won the Latvian champion title and only in the season 2005 it finished second after FHK Liepājas Metalurgs, exchanging the gold medal against the silver one. In 2006 Skonto FC finished third in close contest between FHK Liepājas Metalurgs and FK Ventspils. Skonto FC players are among sevenfold Latvia’s Cup winners, the last time acquiring the Cup in 2002.
Skonto FC was by no means among the favourites in the first years after its establishment and the champion’s title had to be won in a fierce competition both with Olimpija from Liepāja and RAF from Jelgava – then even additional game was required since the regular championship in 1992 was insufficient to determine the winner of the season. In the same 1992 season Skonto FC made his debut in Champion’s League by winning the best Faroe Islands team Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag. After the season, the coach replacement was made and Aleksandrs Starkovs took the post instead of Marks Zahodins.
For the following 10 years in local championships none of the rivals were able to offer considerable resistance to FC Skonto. Two seasons in turn the team did not lose a single match, surpassing the closest rivals by more than 20 points in the final standings, ensuring the regular award long before the end of the championship.
During the 1998 season Skonto FC reached the victory with the biggest gap in goals in its history by crashing FK Valmiera with the score 15:2. During these years Skonto FC rightfully became the basic player source for national team. Māris Verpakovskis, Marians Pahars, Aleksandrs Koļinko, Vitālijs Astafjevs, Igors Stepanovs, Imants Bleidelis, Juris Laizāns, Mihails Zemļinskis, Valentīns Lobaņovs, Andrejs Rubins and many others grew up in Skonto FC.
Exciting battle for the Latvian championship’s title saw its manifestation again in season 2001 when Skonto FC players had two point deficit before the final round to the leader team FK Ventspils and they had to face a tough game in Liepāja against FHK Liepājas Metalurgs – the team which also was cherishing hopes of becoming the champions. FK Ventspils players didn’t withstand the strain then, whereas Skonto FC showed the spirit of champions.
Over the last seasons FHK Liepājas Metalurgs and FK Ventspils has been in close pursuit of Skonto FC players, their attempts in last two years proved to be successful. It has to be noted that in 2004, the head coach, Aleksandrs Starkovs – one of the essential pillars left Skonto FC by accepting the proposal to work in FC Spartak Moscow nine-fold champion team of Russia. The leadership of the team was entrusted to Jurijs Andrejevs, his long-term assistant, but after the loss against Rabotnicki, of the [Republic of [Macedonia]], Skopje in the Champions League qualification tournament, he resigned from the post. Jurijs Andrejevs was replaced by Paul Ashworth, who had previously worked with FK Ventspils, FK Rīga and the Russia’s Premier League club FC Rostov.
The first major victory of Skonto FC players in Euro Cups was gained in 1994, when considering the outcome of two matches they defeated the Scotland’s club Aberdeen, the former European Supercup winner. Not less significant for Skonto FC was 1999 when it managed to take away the first point in a fixture with prominent London Chelsea FC, in its home field with draw 0:0. Skonto FC also played with Spanish FC Barcelona and Milan Internazionale.
The defender Mihails Zemļinskis has made 252 appearances, the largest number of matches played in the ranks of Skonto FC during the Latvian championships. His 52 games played in Eurocups are also the highest number within the team. Mihails Miholaps has been the best scorer in Skonto FC at all of the times. He has scored 155 goals in 216 Latvia’s championships games, but 18 goals in 38 Eurocup competitions.
In the last two seasons Skonto FC is becoming younger – experienced players are exchanged by Youth Football centre Skonto trainees - Aleksandrs Cauņa, Ivans Lukjanovs, Raivis Hščanovičs, Deniss Petrenko, Sergejs Kožans, Oļegs Laizāns and others are the names which will appear in this seasons club protocols.

Honours

★ 'Virslīga champions' (14)

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★ 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

★ 'Latvian Soviet Republic champions' (1)

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★ 1991

★ 'Latvian football Cup winners' (7)

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★ 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002

★ 'Latvian football Cup finalists' (6)

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★ 1991, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006

Current squad

First-team squad

''As of August 6, 2007''

Reserves squad

Famous players

★ Marians Pahars

★ Māris Verpakovskis

★ Aleksandrs Koliņko

★ Igors Stepanovs

★ Vitalijs Astafjevs

★ Andrejs Rubins

★ Mihails Zemlinskis

★ Andrejs Štolcers

Participation in Champions League

★ '2005'

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★ Qualifying Phase 1

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★ Jul 13 Rabotnicki Skopje (Macedonia) 0:6

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★ Jul 20 Rabotnicki Skopje 1:0

★ '2004'

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★ Qualifying Phase 1

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★ Jul 14 Rhyl (Wales) 4:0

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★ Jul 21 Rhyl 3:1

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★ Qualifying Phase 2

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★ Jul 28 Trabzonspor (Turkey) 1:1

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★ Aug 04 Trabzonspor 0:3

★ '2003'

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★ Qualifying Phase 1

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★
★ Jul 16 Sliema Wanderers (Malta) 0:2

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★
★ Jul 23 Sliema Wanderers 3:1

★ '2002'

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★ Qualifying Phase 1

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★
★ Jul 17 Barry Town (Wales) 5:0

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★
★ Jul 24 Barry Town 1:0

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★ Qualifying Phase 2

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★ Jul 31 Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) 0:0

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★ Aug 07 Levski Sofia 0:2

★ '2001'

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★ Qualifying Phase 1

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★ Jul 11 F'91 Dudelange (Luxembourg) 6:1

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★ Jul 18 F'91 Dudelange 0:1

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★ Qualifying Phase 2

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★ Jul 25 Wisla Kraków (Poland) 1:2

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★ Aug 01 Wisla Kraków 0:1

★ '2000'

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★ Qualifying Phase 1

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★ Jul 11 FK Shamkir (Azerbaijan) 2:1

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★ Jul 18 FK Shamkir 1:4

★ '1999'

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★ Qualifying Phase 1

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★ Jul 14 Jeunesse d'Esch (Luxembourg) 2:0

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★ Jul 21 Jeunesse d'Esch 8:0

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★ Qualifying Phase 2

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★ Jul 28 Rapid Bucureşti (Romania) 3:3

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★ Aug 04 Rapid Bucureşti 2:1

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★ Qualifying Phase 3

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★ Aug 11 Chelsea (England) 0:3

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★ Aug 25 Chelsea 0:0

Participation in UEFA cups

★ '2007'

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★ First Qualifying Phase

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★ Jul 13 Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 1:1

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★ Jul 27 Dinamo Minsk 0:2

★ '2006'

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★ First Qualifying Phase

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★ Jul 13 Jeunesse d'Esch (Luxembourg) 2:0

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★ Jul 27 Jeunesse d'Esch 3:0

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★ Second Qualifying Phase

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★ Aug 10 Molde FK (Norway) 0:0

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★ Aug 24 Molde FK 1:2

★ '1999'

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★ First Round

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★ Sep 16 Widzew Lódz (Poland) 1:0

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★ Sep 30 Widzew Lódz 0:2

Participation in Latvian Championships

★ 2006 - 3rd

★ 2005 - 2nd

★ 2004 - 'champions'

★ 2003 - 'champions'

★ 2002 - 'champions'

★ 2001 - 'champions'

★ 2000 - 'champions'

★ 1999 - 'champions'

★ 1998 - 'champions'

★ 1997 - 'champions'

★ 1996 - 'champions'

★ 1995 - 'champions'

★ 1994 - 'champions'

★ 1993 - 'champions'

★ 1992 - 'champions'

★ 1991 - 'champions'

External links

★ Official website