Amado Guevara
Amado Guevara is a Honduran former professional football player and manager. He was the coach of Puerto Rico from 2018 to 2019.
A former midfielder, he is the second all-time cap leader for the Honduran national team behind Maynor Figueroa. He was selected as the Best Player of the 2001 Copa América, held in Colombia.
Career
Club
Guevara, nicknamed El Lobo, began his career in Honduras with Club Deportivo Olimpia and F.C. Motagua, and subsequently played all over the world: in Spain with Real Valladolid, in Mexico with Toros Neza and CD Zacatepec, and in Costa Rica with Deportivo Saprissa.He was signed by the MetroStars of Major League Soccer on 11 April 2003, and immediately stepped in and produced. Although he finished the season with only three goals and ten assists, he became the focal point of the team; they were successful when the offense flowed through him. Guevara added four key goals and two assists in the U.S. Open Cup, leading the MetroStars to the first final of any sort in the team's history.
Guevara tallied ten goals and ten assists in his second season. Guevara not only tied for the league lead in scoring, he was also named MLS's MVP. In 2005, he produced another solid season for the Metros, with 11 goals and 11 assists, and added a goal in the playoffs.
In early 2006, a conflict arose between Guevara and the MetroStars. The club allowed him to train with F.C. Motagua, but Guevara played for the Honduran club in a number of friendly matches, which might or might not have been permitted. Guevara lashed out in the Honduran press at the Metros' GM Alexi Lalas, but the two patched things up and Guevara remained in New York for the 2006 season. He received his green card in March 2006, thus no longer counting as a foreign player in MLS. During the last game of the re-branded New York Red Bulls season, Guevara scored a hat trick helping them win 3–2 and reach the playoffs.
Following the 2006 season, Guevara was traded to Chivas USA in exchange for a designated player slot. After playing just four games for the club, Chivas USA coach Preki told MLSnet.com that "I have a vision of where the club is going and not part of it." This comment came following consistently poor performance on the field and an incident in which Guevara was sent off for pushing an assistant referee. Attempts to deal the midfielder to Toronto FC, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, and Columbus Crew were all shot down by Guevara. Guevara then accepted a loan move to his former club F.C. Motagua for the remainder of the 2007 season. He quickly recovered the form that made him a star in the US top flight, leading the Honduran club to the Central American Club Championship Copa Interclubes UNCAF 2007 defeating regional and Costa Rican giant Saprissa 2–1 on aggregate on 5 December 2007.
On 9 April 2008, Guevara was traded to Toronto FC for a 2009 and 2010 draft pick. He made his debut for Toronto FC in his new team's first win of the 2008 season, assisting Danny Dichio for the first goal of the game against the Los Angeles Galaxy. On 3 August 2008, Guevara was shown a straight red card by referee Baldomero Toledo after allegedly elbowing FC Dallas player Pablo Ricchetti in the face. The elbow drew blood, and Guevara was immediately thrown from the game. He received a 2-game suspension. While at TFC Guevara quickly became a fan favourite and was known for his darting runs, and spectacular free kicks. Guevara performed consistently well while in Toronto scoring a total of 9 goals over the course of the season, including 2 in the Canadian Championship. Guevara left Toronto to return to Honduran side F.C. Motagua in December 2009.
In the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League, Motagua was drawn against his former team, Toronto FC, in the preliminary round. Despite Guevara scoring two goals in the home leg, Motagua was eliminated 3–2 on aggregate.
In January 2013, el Lobo scored his 64th goal for Motagua, only 4 short of Óscar Hernández' 68 and 13 short of the club's all-time record goalscorer Ángel Obando.
In 2014, Guevara signed with Honduran side Marathón. He retired in 2015.
International
He made his debut for Honduras in an May 1994 Miami Cup match against Peru and has earned a total of 138 caps, scoring 27 goals. He has represented his country in 49 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played at 5 UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the 1998, 2000 and 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cups.His final international was a June 2010 FIFA World Cup match against eventual winners Spain.
He was named the tournament MVP after leading Honduras to a surprise third-place finish in the 2001 Copa América. The Honduran team arrived after the tournament started, just few hours before its first game with barely enough players. In the quarterfinal round, Honduras defeated Brazil by a score of 2–0. The defeat sent the Brazilians home and the Hondurans advanced to the semifinals.
Guevara helped lead Honduras through the qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and captained the team at only their second appearance at a World Cup tournament.
Career statistics
Club
International goals
Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
1. | 16 April 1997 | Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala | 5–0 | 5–0 | 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup | |
2. | 19 March 1999 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | 3–1 | 5–1 | 1999 UNCAF Nations Cup | |
3. | 16 December 1999 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 5–1 | 7–1 | Friendly match | |
4. | 16 December 1999 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 6–1 | 7–1 | Friendly match | |
5. | 16 August 2000 | Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 3–0 | 6–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
6. | 21 March 2001 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly match | |
7. | 16 June 2001 | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 4–1 | 4–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
8. | 1 July 2001 | Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
9. | 1 July 2001 | Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
10. | 16 July 2001 | Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2001 Copa América | |
11. | 16 July 2001 | Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2001 Copa América | |
12. | 19 July 2001 | Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2001 Copa América | |
13. | 23 February 2003 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2003 UNCAF Nations Cup | |
14. | 2 April 2003 | Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly match | |
15. | 19 June 2004 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
16. | 18 August 2004 | Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica | 3–2 | 5–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
17. | 4 September 2004 | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Canada | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
18. | 8 September 2004 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
19. | 2 June 2007 | Estadio Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly match | |
20. | 8 June 2007 | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, USA | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |
21. | 13 June 2007 | Reliant Stadium, Houston, USA | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |
22. | 6 February 2008 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match | |
23. | 7 June 2008 | Estadio Nilmo Edwards, La Ceiba, Honduras | 3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly match | |
24. | 10 September 2008 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
25. | 18 January 2009 | Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, USA | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match | |
26. | 22 January 2009 | Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2009 UNCAF Nations Cup | |
27. | 5 September 2009 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Managerial statistics
Honours
Club
F.C. Motagua- Copa Interclubes UNCAF: 2007
- Honduran Liga Nacional : 1997–98 A, 1997–98 C, 1999–00 A, 1999–00 C, 2010–11 C
- Honduran Super Cup: 1997–98
- Atlantic Cup: 2003
- La Manga Cup: 2004
- Canadian Championship: 2009
International
- Copa Centroamericana: 1995
Individual
- Major League Soccer MVP: 2004
- MLS Scoring Champion: 2004
- MLS Best XI: 2004
- MLS All-Star Game MVP: 2004
- Copa América MVP: 2001