A bolero. A date. Football dressed in party red. Americans say that ‘That 19’, that old song by the Dominican Alberto Beltrán, served as a ‘beautiful coincidence’ to immortalize in one voice what was the night of the December 19, 1979the day America achieved the first of its fifteen stars.
The skin of the fan of yesteryear continues to crawl when he listens to the music, and also when he prays to his grandchildren the creed that came from the radios before the start of the final game at Pascual Guerrero against Unión Magdalena: Gay, ‘Pitillo’, Pascuttini, Reyes, Chaparro, Caicedo, González Aquino, Cañón, Battaglia, Lugo and Cáceres.
That formation today rests in black and white photosin the most important history books of Colombian soccer, and also in the pictures of the houses of some scarlet fans as a kind of altar. That image was responsible for unleashing the collective delirium after the 2-0 victory over a ‘Ciclón’ that didn’t blow that day.
Forty-six years after having touched the sky with their hands, as the famous song by Grupo Niche says, those who dressed in scarlet at that time agree that None of what was achieved would have been possible without the help of doctor Gabriel Ochoa Uribethe coach who saved the soul of a ‘Devil’ who seemed condemned to crawl from stadium to stadium accumulating defeats and tears, to adorn him with the ‘perfume’ of titles and a greatness that continues to be in the present tense.
👹 #That19 marked the first golden chapter of our history. Years passed, faces changed, but the love for these colors remains intact. Today we celebrate those who make this passion eternal. Happy American Fan’s Day! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kqF7p4FC0e
— América de Cali (@AmericadeCali) December 19, 2025
“This is unique. “America must be the only team in the world that celebrates a title again after several years”said Aurelio José Pascuttini with his authoritative voice.
The story of the first red star, as told by the most veterans, began in 1978, when the then red vice president ‘Pepino’ Sangiovanni traveled to Bogotá to ask doctor Ochoa to take charge of the team the following year. Ochoa, who had been an American goalkeeper in his early days in soccer, had retired from coaching. after two hard blows: the death of one of his sons and a disappointing departure from Millonarios due to the betrayal of some of his players.
That 19 will be the memory that will live in me
That Wednesday, in front of Unión Magdalena, The ‘Devil’s Caldera’ was hotter than ever. The Pascual Guerrero stadium was packed and everything was a sea of nerves mixed with joy in the stands.
However, in the American dressing room, doctor Ochoa conveyed peace of mind to his players so that they would go out and win. “At first we came out with a lot of nerves, but as the minutes passed we calmed down because we knew what was at stake”said Gerardo González Aquino.
Thanks to that cool head the first goal came. Alfonso Cañón received a rebound from a shot by Juan Manuel Battaglia and shot Argentine goalkeeper Miguel Ángel Gasparoni. “In the stands everything was crazy, but from behind, I saw that we were still just as focused”said Carlos Alfredo Gay, the scarlet goalkeeper.
The reds controlled the match and at the end they scored the second goal. Víctor Lugo, left-footed, once again violated Gasparoni’s goal after a bomb pass from González Aquino.
Afterwards there was no turning back. Clenched fists, tears of happiness and shouts of euphoria moved from the stands to the field. The Brazilian referee Arppi Filho whistled the end of the game and ran because he sensed that people were going to invade the field, and he was not wrong… América de Cali conquered its first star.
