Fortaleza, the promise for liberators 2022

O Strength is the Brazilian promise for Libertadores 2022 and it could be a pleasant surprise if it puts on the field everything that is expected from the Ceará club.

Leão do Pici achieved a historic and unprecedented classification for Ceará football by securing a place not only in the Libertadores, but in the group stage of the continental competition in 2022.

The vacancy came after an impeccable campaign in the 2021 Series A, leading the team to not only achieve an achievement from a historical point of view, but also financially.

This is because the club from Ceará will get a great boost in its budget by participating in the biggest continental club competition in America.

See a little more about the Strength, the promise for this Libertadores, and how he got to the competition.

Let's go!

Fortaleza Esporte Clube, FEC

O Strength Esporte Clube is a club in the city of Strength, in the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil.

The tricolor club was founded on October 18, 1918, being one of the centuries-old clubs in Brazil, by sportsman Alcides Santos, one of the biggest in Ceará.

He fell in love with football after spending time in Switzerland, studying at College Stella, and decided to bring the idea of creating a football club here to Brazil.

In 103 years of history, the Strength It has been through the hell of Serie C for almost 10 years, but now it is once again experiencing moments of past glory.

Since leaving the 3rd division of the Brazilian Championship, in 2017, Leão do Pici won Series B, in 2018, having then been national champion in its centenary, in addition to gaining access to the 1st division.

The following year, he was champion of the Copa do Nordeste, still under the command of Rogério Ceni, in addition to obtaining a place in the following year's Copa Sudamericana via the Brazilian Championship, placing 9th.

In its history, the tricolor also managed to win 44 titles in the Cearense Championship and one title in the old North-Northeast tournament, in 1970, in addition to the Brazilian runner-up in the 1st division, in 1960 and 1968.

In the second division, the club from Ceará was runner-up twice, in 2002 and 2004, also gaining access to the elite of Brazilian football.

Leão is still the club from Ceará that had the best campaigns in the 1st and 2nd division of the Brasileirão to date, in addition to being the only one to have won an international tournament.

Despite this, this tournament was a friendly competition held in 1962, the Paramaribo Cup, won by the Ceará team undefeated.

We can also mention the fact that Strength to have been the first person from Ceará to play a match abroad, outside Brazilian territory, in the 2020 Copa Sudamericana.

The 2020 South American Cup

In the year 2020, the Strength participated for the first time in an official international competition, the Copa Sul-americana, being the second team from Ceará, through rival Ceará, to achieve this feat.

However, Vovô had never played a match outside of Brazil until the 2021 South American Championship, therefore, Leão do Pici was also a pioneer in this regard for football in Ceará.

The Ceará tricolor faced Independiente, from Argentina, known by the nickname Rey de Copas, and two-time champion of the South American tournament (2010 and 2017).

The first game of the duel was in Argentina and the Strength lost 1-0, despite having a great performance on the field, and arrived alive in the dispute for the second leg, which would be held at Arena Castelão.

In this match, the Strength They beat the Argentines by a score of 2-1, but the visitors still came out on top, due to the goal scored away from home (qualifying goal) and the Ceará team were eliminated in the 1st phase.

Fortaleza and classification for Libertadores 2022

In 2021, Leão started the Brazilian Championship very well, after having suffered risks of relegation in the previous season, and was at the top of the entire championship, even leading the tournament at the beginning.

After 38 games and the championship ended, Pici's tricolor was in 4th place, 58 points, and thus achieved a direct place in the Libertadores 2022.

At once, the team broke two records: it was the 1st northeastern team to finish in the G-4 of the Brasileirão in the era of straight points and it was the 1st club from Ceará to win a place in the biggest tournament on the continent.

With the regulations released by Conmebol for the 2022 tournament, the Strength They already know what their group stage match plan will be like, despite not knowing which opponents they will face.

The team from Ceará will debut in the tournament at home, at Arena Castelão, with an opponent yet to be defined.

Leão is in pot 4 of the Libertadores draw, which will be held on March 23, and there are already some things the club can expect in relation to its rivals.

The first thing is that he will not face Brazilian teams in the group stage, but the 2nd could be worrying, as there is a risk of falling into the group of the traditional River or Boca, or even Penarol and Nacional, from Uruguay.

Whatever path will be followed by the Strength in the group stage, it is a fact that the team has already made history with a place in the Libertadores and has everything it needs to do very well in the tournament, claiming at least a place in the South American Championship.

Conclusion

As you saw, the Strength is a century-old club from Ceará that will compete in the Libertadores for the first time in 2022, after a historic campaign in the Brasileirão last season, finishing in the G-4 of the championship.

In this text, you were able to see more about the club coached by Juan Vojvoda and which will have everything to be a promise in the continental tournament, with good expectations for the formation of a good team in this new season.

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