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José Miguel Noguera

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Argentine footballer and manager (1913-1954)

José Miguel Noguera
Personal information
Full name José Miguel Noguera Morrone
Date of birth (1913-04-03)3 April 1913
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of death 29 October 1954(1954-10-29) (aged 41)
Place of death Mexico City, Mexico
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Inside right,left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1931–1932 Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro
1932–1933 Club Atletico Nueva Chicago
1934–1943 Club Atletico Velez Sarsfield 179 (44)
1943–1944 Asturias F.C.
1945–1946 Monterrey Football Club
1946–1948 Atlante F.C.
1948–1949 Pan American Soccer Club
1949–1950 San Pedro Yugoslavs
1950–1954 McIlwaine Canvasbacks
Managerial career
1945–1946 Monterrey Football Club
1948–1949 Pan American Soccer Club
1954–1954 McIlwaine Canvasbaks
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Miguel Noguera Morrone (3 April 1913 – 29 October 1954) was a football player in Argentina during the golden age of Argentine football. He also played in Mexico and the United States.

Career in Argentina

José Miguel Noguera was the first born to Emma Morrone and José Paolino Noguera in Mataderos, a suburb west of Buenos Aires, where he grew up. Noguera married Teresa Rosa Piñeiro in Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 1938. José Noguera and Teresa had two daughters born in Argentina and a son in 1947 in Mexico City, Mexico. Noguera later, in 1952, had another son born, of a different mother, in Los Angeles, California.

José Noguera's only brother, Enrique, was also a professional footballer. José and Enrique played two games together defending the Velez colors. Enrique played left wing and José could play either inside left or inside right in the forward line due to his superb skill with both feet. In today's modern football, the inside forward positions are referred to as the playmaker position. Although Noguera was a prolific goal scorer, his greatest contribution to the forward line was his ability to make the pass for the goal. He was more of a playmaker due to his extraordinary ability to elude his opponents. Noguera lacked power when shooting at goal but he had an extraordinary ability to place the ball where he wanted. This is why he was usually picked to take the penalty kicks.

Enrique Noguera also played Fourth Division for Club Atletico Velez-sarsfield and won it with Miguel Ángel Rugilo, "the Lion of Wembley", as goalkeeper.

In his youth, José M. Noguera played for Villa Insuperable; Villa Madero; and San Lorenzo de Almagro.

Noguera played professionally in Argentina from 1930 until 1943. Prior to the formation of the Argentine Football Association, AFA, in 1931, Noguera would play for the San Lorenzo de Almagro Fourth Division in the morning and for Nueva Chicago's First Division "B" league in the afternoon. This went on for approximately two years until the AFA was formed in 1931. The practice of playing for two clubs was banned and the player had to remain with the team of most participation, Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro. Noguera had his debut, in First Division, playing for San Lorenzo against Club Atletico Platense who they beat 5–1. His debut was in the same game with the Paraguayans Villalba and Benjamin Laterza. Laterza scored 3 goals. The following players made up the forward-line: Susani; Villalba; Mendilarzu; Noguera and Laterza. San Lorenzo did not want to release Noguera to Nueva Chicago in 1932 but with some intervention from a top dignitary the transfer was consummated. José Noguera's debut in First Division with Nueva Chicago took place on 10 September 1932, against Defensores de Belgrano.

José Miguel Noguera was very instrumental when Nueva Chicago won their only major competition to date, the "Torneo Competencia" on 24 December 1933, by defeating Club Atletico Banfield 1 to 0. Noguera took possession of a loose ball, a block by his goalkeeper, and after some give and take passing upfield with Vargas, Noguera gave Vargas the final pass which Vargas converted for the win. Nueva Chicago also finished second in the league standing that year. This would be the last time Noguera defended the black and green colors of Nueva Chicago. He played for Nueva Chicago's first division from 1932 until 1934 when his contract was sold to Velez Sarsfield for $1,200.

It was during this period that Noguera was drafted and serving his military duty, attached to an artillery unit at Campo Cinco de Mayo, in Buenos Aires. Noguera was granted leave to travel to La Plata where he made his debut with Velez Sarsfield on 1 July 1934, in a losing match against Estudiantes de La Plata, 2–0. Noguera attributed his bad performance to fatigue imposed by the Army prior to the game.

Noguera was granted leave to practice with the Argentina national team, of which he was one of the star players. He made the squad but he was denied leave to defend Argentina at the 1934 World Cup in Italy. Noguera had many First Division matches in 1936. In the six games at the start of the season, he scored a goal per match; he would be the lead scorer in Second Division with 20 goals.

Once Cosso and Reuben left Velez Sarsfield, Noguera remained in the First Division permanently.

José M. Noguera played in Second Division for Velez Sarsfield from 1940 to 1943, the only time that Velez has dropped from First Division in their 101-year history. One of the best seasons Noguera had with Velez was in 1937 when he was the team's second ranked scorer at 10 goals. Victorio Spinetto and Oscar DeDovitis were at first rank tied with 11 goals. There is conflicting documentation that indicates Oscar DeDovitis and José M. Noguera were both tied for leading scorer that year with 12 goals each. In 1937 Noguera was featured as the CENTERFOLD of the El Grafico magazine. Noguera also took part in the magnificent Velez Sarsfield 1938 and 1939 forward line. One of the most successful forward lines in the history of the club. In 1938 they played 72 games and scored 39 goals and in 1939 they held a 3.6 goal average per game.

José Miguel Noguera had many great memorable matches with Velez. One match that still was talked about was the match that ended 5 to 4 between Boca Juniors and Velez. Noguera scored the second goal in that match which tied the score before halftime.

Some matches were not so pleasant. Noguera, Antonio Battaglia and Miguel Ángel Rugilo, played in the 1940 league tournament that was considered one of the saddest incidents in Argentine football history. Velez was on the receiving end of a fixed game between Independiente vs. Club Atletico Atlanta. Independiente, who ended as sub-champions and were prevented from winning the championship by their 6 to 4 loss to Velez, allowed Atlanta to win the game. Atlanta was the last place team in the standings with one point behind Velez. Club Atletico Chacarita Juniors was already relegated leaving it up to Velez and Atlanta to determine the second team to be relegated. Atlanta's win and Velez's loss to San Lorenzo 2–0, both goals scored by Isidro Langara, sent Velez to the Second Division where they stayed until 1943. Atlanta on the other hand remained in the prestigious First Division. Atlanta's center forward, José Battagliero, transferred to Independiente without a transfer fee as part of the deal.

José M. Noguera was featured on the cover of La Cancha on several occasions.

One of Noguera's last games playing for Velez Sarsfield was during the inauguration of the new Velez Sarsfield stadium, April 1943, against the reigning first division champion River Plate. The mascot Noguera is holding in the picture is his 3-year-old nephew, Enrique Noguera Jr. This is exactly the same location where the stadium is located today. River Plate, with the likes of José Manuel Moreno, had one of the best forward lines in Argentine history, dubbed the MACHINE by Borocotó. Velez played in second division that year and took first place in the standings which promoted it back to First Division for the 1944 season. The result of that Velez new stadium inauguration game was 2-2.

Career in Mexico

"Noguerita", the affectionate name given to him by the Mexicans, played in Mexico from 1943 until 1948.

Velez toured Mexico, Chile and El Salvador in 1940 with a very successful campaign. They lost only 2 of the 10 games played. Noguera was one of the outstanding players of the tour. The Mexican fans loved Noguera's dribbling abilities and the press dubbed him the juggler. The newspapers published a cartoon of him flying as if he had wings with many legs and several footballs.

José M. Noguera was given Mexican citizenship upon his arrival in Mexico for the 1943 season. His great performance in the 1940 Velez tour resulted in the Asturias F.C. team purchasing his contract to participate in the first Mexican Professional football tournament. Club Atletico Asturias won that first championship in 1943 by beating Real Club España 4–1, which had Isidro Langara on the team and for the following season acquired the services of José Manuel Moreno. José M. Noguera was considered the brains and soul of the Asturias forward line. Asturias had eleven foreign players on the 1943 team, seven of them Argentines, a record in Mexican football. The center forward was Roberto Aballay who along with Isidro Langara still hold the record for most goals scored in a season, 40 goals each. Once in Mexico, Noguera was the ambassador for Argentine players and served as an intermediary, signing a great number of Argentine players without any type of monetary compensation.

In 1945 the Monterrey Football Club finally joined the ranks of professional football. They suffered a great tragedy on Mexico's Independence Day when they were refueling their bus, an incendiary device caused the bus to be engulfed in flames causing severe injuries to many of the players and a couple of them died later as a result of their sustained injuries. This prompted the League to loan the team several players without a fee. The League wanted Monterrey to finish the season. A player worth mentioning that played on this team with Noguera is Emilio Baldonedo. José Noguera was sent as a player-coach. He replaced Manuel Galan as the coach, making him the second coach in the Monterrey institution. Noguera set a couple of records with this Monterrey team. The first is being the team that received the most goals in a game, 14–0 against the Veracruz Sporting Club, in which Noguera missed a penalty. The second record is being the team that received the most goals in a season, 133 goals. Club Atletico Monterrey did not play in First Division the following year.

After the disappointing season with Monterrey, Noguera transferred to Atlante F.C. of Mexico City and won the 1946-47 League Championship, the first ever in professional football for the Mustangs. Atlante became the pride of Mexico City, even the Nation's president, Miguel Alemán Valdés, became their fan, taking a picture with the team prior to a match. During the 1947–48 season, Noguera tied with Horacio Casarin for second place honors in the goal scoring department.

Career in the United States

Atlante went on a six-game tour of California playing two games in San Francisco and four games in Los Angeles between 15 August and 6 September 1948, winning all of their games. Atlante scored 41 goals and received 12.

"Noguerita" stayed in 1948 and played as a professional in the Greater Los Angeles Soccer League (GLSL) from 1948 until 1954. During his stay in Southern California, Noguera became the propagandist for the sport of soccer and a mentor to the many young players around him.

In California the newspaper reporters and public referred to Noguera as "el maestro" and "Mr. soccer" due to his superb dribbling and ball skills.

Noguera was a player/coach for the Pan American Club that won the league Championship in 1948, becoming the first Latin team to win the "GLSL" title in 35 years. Tony Morejon was Noguera's manager on both the San Pedro Yugoslavs and the McIlwaine Canvasbaks teams. Mr. Morejon had an extensive history with the sport of soccer in Southern California.

Tony Morejon was very familiar with Noguera and his skills on the pitch and considered Noguera one of the best players he had ever seen.

Noguera was also a player/coach for the McIlwaine Canvasbaks during the 1954 season.

It appears that after the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where the USA defeated England, soccer in Southern California started to spark some interest. Some of the best players on that US 1950 National Team played with Noguera.

José Noguera also won league Championships with the San Pedro McIlwain Canvasbacks in 1950-51 and 1951–52. The Canvasbacks went on to win the US National Challenge Cup in 1959. In 1953 Noguera almost had his leg amputated as a result of a bad foul during a crucial league game against the St. Stephens Club. His right shin was fractured three inches below the knee. Noguera never fully recovered from the leg fracture he sustained, leaving him with a noticeable limp. It was nothing short of a miracle that Noguera came back to play after his surgery and continued to have a big impact on the pitch right up to the month before his unexpected demise.

Death

Noguera's burial certificate at Panteón Jardín.

José Miguel Noguera resided in Los Angeles, California, when he unexpectedly died in Mexico City, Mexico, 29 October 1954, at 41 years of age. He was buried in the Panteón Jardín located at Mexico City.

Gallery

  • Relevant photographs
  • Gold medal for the first Professional League Champions. Gold medal for the first Professional League Champions.
  • Gold medal for the 1946-47 League Champs. Gold medal for the 1946-47 League Champs.
  • Medal to the Atlante players for the California tournament. Medal to the Atlante players for the California tournament.
  • Noguera Center fold. Noguera Center fold.

Notes

  1. In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Noguera and the second or maternal family name is Morrone.

References

  1. ^ "Un Crack de Fabricacion Casera" [A home grown superstar], El Grafico, Año X No. 483 (in Spanish), p. 18, 25 August 1937
  2. ^ Borocotó (July 1937), "Noguerita" [endearment term for Noguera], El Grafico, No. 938 (in Spanish), pp. 37, 38, 39
  3. ^ Baron, Juan J. (29 October 1954), "Murio Noguerita" [Noguerita died], Esto (in Spanish), pp. Front, 4
  4. ^ La Historia de Velez Sarsfield (1910-1980) [The History of Velez Sarsfield (1910-1980)] (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Comision de Asuntos Historicos. 1980. p. 134.
  5. Diccionario Velezano (1931-1996) [Velezian dictionary (1931-1996)] (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: designer Paola Chait. 1997. p. 118.
  6. ^ E.A. Mhor (6 December 1939), "Aumenta de Peso" [gains weight], La Cancha (in Spanish), Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp. 23, 29
  7. "agui mataderos" [here Mataderos the goal]. r-aquimataderos.com.ar (in Spanish). Argentina. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  8. "historia del club atletico nueva chicago" [history of the club nueva chicago athletic]. chicagopasion.com.ar (in Spanish). Argentina. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011.
  9. "Campeon de competencia, año 1933" [champions of competencia, year 1933]. gloriosochicago.com.ar (in Spanish). Argentina. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  10. Osvaldo José Gorgazzi (8 August 2004). "Asociación Argentina de Football - 1933 Primera División 1933" [Argentine Football Association - 1933 First Division 1933]. RSSSF (in Spanish). Argentina.
  11. "la historia en fotos- 1933 José Noguera" [the history in photographs- 1933 José Noguera]. pueblo de nueva chicago (in Spanish). Argentina. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010.
  12. "club atletico velez sarsfield 1910-2011, 101 años y creciendo" [velez sarsfield athletic club 1910-2011, 101 years and growing]. C.A. Velez Sarsfield-sitio web oficial (in Spanish). Argentina.
  13. "Estadistica" [statistics], El Fortin de Velez, Año XXI No.452 (in Spanish), p. 16, 3 November 1988
  14. "Boca Juniors bate a Velez Sarsfield por 5-4 en un match de escasos atractivos" [Boca Juniors beats Velez Sarsfield by 5-4 in a match that had attractive episodes], El Mundo (in Spanish), Buenos Aires, Argentina, p. 31, 17 May 1937
  15. "la resaca deportiva – un arreglo que mancho al futbol" [sports hangover – a fix that stained soccer]. blogspot.com (in Spanish). Argentina. 13 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012.
  16. "Eduardo Correa, José Miguel Noguera", La Cancha Año XII No.647 (in Spanish), Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp. front cover, 16 October 1940
  17. Dante Panzeri (16 April 1943), "De Fortin a Gran Institucion" [From small fort to a grand institution], El Grafico (in Spanish), p. 31
  18. "El Retorno del "Fortin"" [The return of Fortin (the little fort)], La Cancha (in Spanish), vol. 16, no. 781, Buenos Aires, Argentina, p. 29, 1940
  19. Manuel de Saa (5 April 1940), "Recuerdos de La Gira a Mexico" [Memories of the trip to Mexico], El Grafico (in Spanish), Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp. 4, 5, 28
  20. Del Rio, Ricardo (January 1940), "Velez Sarsfield en Mexico" [Velez Sarsfield in Mexico], El Grafico (in Spanish), Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp. 4, 29
  21. "Enloques- Noguera, Timon, Tenorio" [Madness- Noguera, Timon, Tenorio], La Cancha XII No.619 (in Spanish), Buenos Aires, Argentina, p. 1, 3 April 1940
  22. "Noguera a Mexico" [Noguera to Mexico], La Cancha (in Spanish), vol. 16, no. 781, Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp. unk, 12 May 1943
  23. article from the Encyclopædia Britannica (26 January 2011). "Jose Manuel Moreno".
  24. Gonzalez, Aurelio (1981). Historia del Centro Asturiano de Mexico, A.C. 1918-1980 [History of the Asturian Center of Mexico, A.C. 1918-1980] (in Spanish). Mexico City, D.F.: ITAL-OFFSET, S.A. p. 90.
  25. "rayado_nigropetense, amateur-medio (photograph of the 1945-46 Monterrey team)" [striped nigropetense, amateur-media (photograph of the 1945-46 Monterrey team)]. mediotiempo.com (in Spanish). Mexico. 22 March 2009. p. 18. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011.
  26. "Historia del Monterrey" [History of Monterrey] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 February 1999. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  27. 80 Aniversario 1916-1996 [80th Anniversary 1916-1996] (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Sistemas Graficos de Comunicacion,S.A. 1996. pp. 11, 20.
  28. Dave Litterer (30 May 2008). "spectrum year 1948". sover.net. USA. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  29. ^ Emilio Escalante, correspondent for Mundo Deportivo, "Noguera, el de Velez, astro en Estadod Unidos" [Noguera, the one from Velez, superstar in the United States], El Grafico (in Spanish), pp. unk {{citation}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  30. Bill Hollohan (24 May 1952), "Canvasbacks L.A. Soccer Champs", San Pedro News Pilot, pp. Sport page 9
  31. GRAHAME L. JONES (27 February 2000). "soccer Rich Legacies Left Behind by Matthews, Morejon".
  32. GRAHAME L. JONES - TIMES STAFF WRITER (29 December 1999). "BEST OF SPORTS SOCCER - Grass-roots Grandeur". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
  33. "Soccer Star Fractures Shin", Los Angeles Times, pp. Sport page, 6 April 1953
  34. "Panteon Jardin De Mexico" [Panteon Jardin of Mexico] (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico.
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