Clubul Sportiv Municipal Focșani, also known as CSM Focșani, or just Focșani, is a Romanian football team based in Focșani, Vrancea County, which competes in the Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian football.
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| Full name | Clubul Sportiv Municipal Focșani | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Focșănenii (The People from Focșani) | ||
| Short name | Focșani | ||
| Founded | 1953 as Spartac Focșani 2002 as Unirea 2002 Focșani 2007 as CSM Focșani 2016 (refounded) | ||
| Ground | Milcovul | ||
| Capacity | 8,500 | ||
| Owner | Focșani Municipality | ||
| Chairman | Nicuță Oprea | ||
| Head coach | Alin Chița | ||
| League | Liga II | ||
| 2023–24 | Liga III, Seria II, 2nd (promoted via play-offs) | ||
| Website | http://www.csmfocsani2007.ro/ | ||
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The team represents the men's football section of the multi-sport club CSM Focșani, which also include men's basketball, men's handball, athletics, volleyball, martial arts, judo, chess, tennis, table tennis, shooting sports and taekwondo sections.[1]
The team was founded in 1953 as Spartac Focșani and, over its history, adopted various names such as Progresul, Rapid, Fructexport, Acord, Diplomatic, and — most popular among Romanian football fans — Unirea.[2]
History
editThe team was founded in 1953 as Spartac Focșani and initially competed in the Bârlad Regional Championship. In its debut season, under the guidance of coach Constantin Humis, Spartac won the Regional Championship but narrowly missed promotion, finishing 2nd in the first series of the promotion play-off held at Ploiești.
However, with the expansion of the second division in the following season, four group winners and eight additional teams were promoted to Divizia B, including Spartac. Assigned to the third series, Spartac narrowly avoided relegation by finishing 10th out of thirteen teams, just three points above the relegation line.
In 1955, the team was rebranded as Progresul and had a promising start under the new name, finishing 4th in the second series. However, the following season saw a drop to 10th place, under the leadership of Mihai Alexandrescu.
In 1957, the team adopted the name Unirea Focșani. This change did not immediately improve the team's performance, as Unirea finished 12th in the 1957–58 season and 13th the following season under coach Valentin Stănescu, narrowly avoiding relegation due to another expansion of the second division. In the 1959–60 season, competing in the first series, Unirea ended in 11th place.
In 1960, the team was rebranded again, this time as Rapid Focșani, and achieved 10th-place finishes in both the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons. However, by the end of the 1962–63 season, the team finished 13th and was relegated to Divizia C after eight consecutive seasons in the second division.
The team went through several name changes in the following years. Under the name Fructexport from 1963 to 1966, finishes included 8th (1963–64), 4th (1964–65), and 5th (1965–66). The name Unirea was re-adopted until 1970, with the team finishing 5th (1966–67), 12th (1967–68), 2nd (1968–69), just three points behind Metalul Plopeni, and 13th (1969–70). Another rebranding as Automobilul followed from 1970 to 1972, finishing 13th (1970–71) and 4th (1971–72).
In 1972, the team returned to the name Unirea and, under coach Zoltan David, achieved a 4th-place finish in the 1972–73 season, followed by a 1st-place finish in the 1973–74 season, marking a return to the second division after an eleven-year absence.
However, the following three seasons in Divizia B proved challenging. Under Constantin Marinescu's guidance, Unirea had a mid-table 9th-place finish in the 1974–75 season, but the team’s performance began to decline. In the 1975–76 season, Marinescu was replaced by Gheorghe Făiniță after just eleven rounds. Unfortunately, Făiniță's impact was minimal; despite his efforts to stabilize the team, they struggled throughout the season, ultimately finishing 14th and narrowly avoiding relegation due to goal difference.
The situation deteriorated further in the following season. Făiniță was dismissed after only seven rounds and replaced by Mihai Macri. However, the team was unable to find consistent form, resulting in relegation to Divizia C after finishing 15th.
After relegation to the third division, the team was renamed Unirea IDSMSA Focșani, reflecting the sponsorship of the Intreprinderea de Dispozitive, Ștanțe, Matrițe și Scule Așchietoare (lit. ''Enterprise for Devices, Stamps, Molds, and Cutting Tools.'') and brought back Zoltan David as head coach, ending the 1977–78 season as runner-up in the fourth series of Divizia C, seven points behind the leader Chimia Brazi.[3]
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| Spartac Focșani | 1953–1955 |
| Progresul Focșani | 1955–1957 |
| Unirea Focșani | 1957–1960 |
| Rapid Focșani | 1960–1963 |
| Fructexport Focșani | 1963–1966 |
| Unirea Focșani | 1966–1980 |
| Unirea Dinamo Focșani | 1980–1989 |
| Unirea Focșani | 1989–1993 |
| Acord Focșani | 1993–1997 |
| Diplomatic Focșani | 1997–2002 |
| Unirea 2002 Focșani | 2002–2007 |
| CSM Focșani | 2007–present |
In the 1978–79 campaign, the group from Milcov made a determined push for promotion, overtaking CSU Galați and their local rivals Dinamo Focșani. The team clinched the top position in the third series and secured promotion to Divizia B. Coached by Vasile Stancu, the squad included players such as Ion Paraschiv, Stan Gheorghiu, Nicolae Zaiț, Aurel Pastia, Sorin Galan, Octavian Anghel, Marian Sima, Cristian Costea, Victor Manolache, Mircea Chioveanu, C. Liciu, Ionel Ouatu, Mihai Oprișan, and Constantin Rusu.[4]
After returning to Divizia B, Unirea quickly became a strong contender in the second division, achieving some of their best results during this period. In his first season back, the team, led by Vasile Stancu, secured a solid 4th place finish, one of their best finishes in Divizia B.
In 1980, Unirea Focșani merged with local rivals Dinamo CPL Focșani to strengthen the club financially and improve the quality of the team. Following the merger, the club was renamed Unirea Dinamo Focșani. Aristide Ghiță was appointed as the new head coach, with Gh. Cemat as his assistant. The team finished the 1980–81 season in 3rd place, repeating this result in the 1981–82 season. The squad included players such as S. Gheorghiu, I. Paraschiv, Negoi, Gheorghe, O. Anghel, N. Zaiț, Gaitan, M. Chioveanu, Radu, A. Pastia, Gh. Burleanu, Argăseală, C. Liciu, Brumaru, Ghica, C. Rusu, V. Manolache, M. Sima, Negoescu, and Drăgan.[5]
Unirea Dinamo Focșani finished the 1982–83 season in 11th place, a position repeated in 1983–84. However, the 1984–85 season marked a downturn, as the team finished last and was relegated to the third division. In the 1985–86 season, Unirea Dinamo Focșani secured promotion back by winning the second series of Divizia C.
In Divizia B, the team followed with a 6th-place finish in the 1986–87 season and a 5th-place finish the following season. In the 1988–89 season, Unirea Dinamo Focșani achieved an impressive 3rd-place finish.
During its tumultuous history CSM Focșani had a lot of ups and downs and also another two refounding moments, in 2002 and 2006,[6] but the highest level achieved by the team was only Liga II.
Than the team was dissolved again in the summer of 2013, but only at senior level.[7] In the summer of 2016, the senior team was refounded and enrolled in Liga IV – Vrancea County.[8]
Ground
editThe team played its home matches at Tineretului Stadium until 1974, when it moved to Milcovul Stadium, a multi-use venue in Focșani, which has a capacity of 8,500 seats. The stadium's name comes from Milcov River and holds 8,500 people.[9]
Honours
edit- Winners (5): 1973–74, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1998–99, 2006–07
- Runners-up (4): 1968–69, 1977–78, 2021–22, 2023–24
- Winners (1): 2016–17
- Winners (1): 1953
Players
editFirst-team squad
edit- As of 17 October 2024[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club officials
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Board of directorsedit
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Current technical staffedit
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League history
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Notable former players
editThe footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or significant caps for CSM Focșani.
- Romania
Former managers
edit
Constantin Humis (1953–1954)- Valentin Stănescu (1958–1959)
- Zoltan David (1972–1974)
- Constantin Marinescu (1974–1975)
- Gheorghe Făiniță (1975–1976)
- Mihai Macri (1976–1977)
- Zoltan David (1977–1978)
- Vasile Stancu (1978–1980)
- Costel Orac (1992–1994)
- Ioan Sdrobiș (1999)
- Aristide Ghiță (1999–2000)
- Ionuț Chirilă (2002–2004)
- Ionel Augustin (2004–2005)
- Ionel Augustin (2007)
- Gheorghe Mihali (2007–2008)
- Adrian Toma (2011–2012)
- Marius Bratu (2019)
- Marius Bratu (2021–2022)
- Adrian Toma (2022–2023)
- Octavian Grigore (2023–2024)
- Călin Moldovan (2024)
- Sorin Colceag (2024)
References
edit- ^ "Organizare și plan strategic" [Organization and strategic plan] (in Romanian). csmfocsani2007.ro. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "Evoluția denumirilor echipelor de-a lungul anilor" [Evolution of team names over the years] (in Romanian). romaniansoccer.ro. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ Mihai Ionescu & George Tudoran, Fotbal de la A la Z – Editura Sport-Turism 1984.
- ^ "Unirea Focșani, promovare în Divizia B în urmă cu 36 de ani" [Unirea Focșani, promoted to Division B 36 years ago] (in Romanian). monitoruldevrancea.ro. 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Loturile divizionarelor "B" (seria I)" [The batches of divisions "B" (series I)] (PDF). Sportul. 15 August 1980. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024 – via bibliotecadeva.eu.
- ^ "Fotbal – O istorie ce poate oferi sugestii folositoare! Cum a fost la ultima promovare în Liga a II-a a echipei de fotbal a Focșaniului" [Football – A story that can offer useful suggestions! How was the last promotion in the Second League of the football team of Focșani] (in Romanian). monitoruldevrancea.ro. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ^ "Fotbalul vrâncean dispare din liga a treia: se retrage și CSM Focșani" [Vrancea football disappears from the third league: CSM Focșani also withdraws]. monitorulvn.ro. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Fotbal – CSM Focșani 2007, un nou început!" [Football – CSM Focșani 2007, a new beginning!] (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^ "39 de ani de la inaugurarea Stadionului Milcovul din Focșani" [39 years since the inauguration of the Milcovul Stadium in Focșani] (in Romanian). monitorulvn.ro. 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ "Echipa" [Squad] (in Romanian). lpf2.ro. Retrieved 17 October 2024.