CS Sporting Liești
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| Full name | Clubul Sportiv Sporting Liești | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lieștenii (The People from Liești) | ||
| Short name | Sporting | ||
| Founded | 2000 | ||
| Ground | Comunal | ||
| Capacity | 2,500 | ||
| Owner | Liești Commune | ||
| Chairman | Marcel Scarlat | ||
| Manager | Cătălin Savu | ||
| League | Liga III | ||
| 2024–25 | Liga III, Seria II, 2nd | ||
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Clubul Sportiv Sporting Liești, commonly known as Sporting Liești, is a Romanian football club based in Liești, Galați County. The team currently competes in Liga III, the third tier of Romanian football.
History
[edit]Led by Doru Buciumeanu since the summer of 2011, Sporting won the Liga IV – Galați County in the 2011–12 season but lost the promotion play-off against CSM Moinești, the winner of Liga IV – Bacău County, 0–5 on neutral ground at Municipal Stadium in Huși. However, promotion came at the end of the following season, after winning the county league for the second time in a row and defeating FC Gârceni, the Vaslui County winner, 5–3 at Letea Stadium in Bacău.[1][2]
Sporting’s debut in Liga III was tough. Buciumeanu was replaced by Valentin Kramer three rounds before the end of the regular season,[3] with the team finishing 9th. Sporting then ended 10th in the relegation play-out of Series II in the 2013–14 campaign. Kramer stayed on for the 2014–15 season, leading the team to 10th place in Series I.
Ionuț Niculcea took over in summer 2015[4] and guided Sporting to 6th place in Series I in 2015–16, followed by three consecutive 8th-place finishes in Series I from 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19. During the 2018–19 season, Sporting also reached the Round of 32 in the Cupa României, losing 0–3 to Mioveni.[5]
In 2019, Doru Balmuș was appointed head coach but was replaced by Niculcea in January 2020.[6][7] The 2019–20 season was interrupted after 16 rounds on 9 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Sporting sitting in 10th place in Series I. In the 2020–21 season, Niculcea led the team to 6th place in Series II.
Initially appointed as interim following Niculcea’s departure, Cristian Brăneț was confirmed as permanent head coach for the 2021–22 season, guiding the team to 5th place in Series II at both the end of the regular season and after the play-out round.[8][9]
Following a poor start to the 2022–23 campaign, with only six points from the first seven matches, Brăneț was replaced by Cătălin Savu.[10] Under Savu’s guidance, Sporting finished 6th in the regular season and 5th overall after the Series II play-out. In the 2023–24 season, the team improved further, finishing 3rd in the regular season and 4th in the series play-off.[11]
In the 2024–25 season, Lieștenii topped the regular season standings in Series II but finished 2nd in the play-off, behind Unirea Braniștea, achieving the club’s best-ever position in Liga III and qualifying for the promotion play-off. However, Sporting did not meet the Romanian Football Federation’s requirements regarding youth teams and was therefore unable to participate in the play-off match against FC Bacău.[12]
Ground
[edit]The club plays its home matches on Comunal Stadium in Liești, Galați County and has a capacity of 2,500 people on standing terrace.
Honours
[edit]Leagues
[edit]Cups
[edit]- Cupa României – Galați County
- Winners (1): 2012–13
Other performances
[edit]- 12 seasons in Liga III
Players
[edit]First-team squad
[edit]- As of 10 September 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club officials
[edit]
Board of directors[edit]
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Current technical staff[edit]
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League history
[edit]
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Former managers
[edit]
Doru Buciumeanu (2011–2014)- Valentin Kramer (2014–2015)
- Ionuț Niculcea (2015–2019)
- Doru Balmuș (2019)
- Ionuț Niculcea (2020–2021)
- Cristian Brăneț (2021–2022)
- Cătălin Savu (2022–)
References
[edit]- ^ "Sporting Liești a câștigat tot și așteaptă barajul de promovare" [Sporting Liești has won everything and is waiting for the promotion playoff] (in Romanian). monitoruldegalati.ro. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ "Sporting Liești a câștigat barajul și a promovat în Liga III" [Sporting Liești won the play-off and promoted to League III] (in Romanian). viata-libera.ro. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ "Sporting Liești a schimbat antrenorul principal" [Sporting Liești changed the head coach] (in Romanian). sportgalati.com. 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ "Sporting Liești merge mai departe cu o nouă conducere tehnică" [Sporting Liești moves forward with new technical management] (in Romanian). viata-libera.ro. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ "Parcurs istoric ajuns la final. Sporting Liești a fost eliminată din "Cupa României"" [A historic journey has come to an end. Sporting Liești was eliminated from the "Romanian Cup"] (in Romanian). viata-libera.ro. 27 September 2018. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ "Doru Balmuș a debutat cu victorie pe banca celor de la Sporting Liești" [Doru Balmuș made a winning debut on the bench of Sporting Liești] (in Romanian). sportgalati.com. 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ "Ionuț Niculcea, din nou la Liești!" [Ionuț Niculcea, back in Liești!] (in Romanian). viata-libera.ro. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ "Cristian Brăneț face minuni în Liga 3! Fostul portar, campion al României cu Oțelul, a fost numit "interimar" la Sporting Liești și are un debut excelent de campionat" [Cristian Brăneț is working wonders in League 3! The former goalkeeper, champion of Romania with Oțelul, was named "interim" at Sporting Liești and has an excellent championship debut] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Cristi Brăneț, campion al României cu Oțelul, face treabă în Liga 3 cu șoferi, electricieni și muncitori în construcții: "Am avut polițiști și angajați în penitenciare, dar au plecat." E antrenor de conjunctură și nu vrea carieră" [Cristi Brăneț, Romanian champion with Oțelul, works in League 3 with drivers, electricians and construction workers: "We had police officers and employees in prisons, but they left." He is a temporary coach and does not want a career] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Sporting Liești are un nou antrenor! Cătălin Savu a fost prezentat și a început treaba la echipa din Liga 3: "E un proiect serios aici, clubul e la al zecelea sezon în divizie"" [Sporting Liești has a new coach! Cătălin Savu was introduced and started working at the team in League 3: "It's a serious project here, the club is in its tenth season in the division"] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Sporting Liești a câștigat play-out-ul din Liga a III-a (seria a II-a)" [Sporting Liești won the play-out in Liga III (Series II)] (in Romanian). sportgalati.com. 28 May 2023. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Sporting Liești rămâne doar cu performanța clasării pe locul 2, fiindcă FRF nu i-a permis să joace și în barajul de promovare în Liga 2. "În 12 zile trebuia să-ți faci minim cinci echipe de juniori!"" [Sporting Liești is left with only the performance of the 2nd place ranking, because the FRF did not allow it to play in the promotion play-off to League 2. "In 12 days you had to make at least five junior teams!"] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 19 May 2025. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.