US Thionville Lusitanos

{{Short description|Football club based in Thionville, France}} {{Multiple issues| {{More citations needed|date=February 2022}} {{Expand French|topic=sport|Union sportive Thionville-Lusitanos|date=March 2022}} }}

{{Infobox football club | clubname = US Thionville Lusitanos | current = | image = US Thionville Lusitanos logo.svg | image_size = | fullname = Union Sportive Thionville Lusitanos | nickname = | founded = {{Start date and age|1905}}, as ''Fußball-Club Diedenhofen''<br>{{Start date and age|2021}}, as ''US Thionville Lusitanos'' | ground = | capacity = | revenue = | website = https://www.ustl.fr/ | chrtitle = President | chairman = François Ventrici | owntitle = | owner = | mgrtitle = Manager | manager = [[Julien François]] | league = [[Championnat National|Ligue 3]] | season = [[2025–26 Championnat National 2|2025–26]] | position = [[Championnat National 2|National 2]] <br> Group B, 1st of 16 (promoted) | pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = _USThionvilleLusitanos2425h | pattern_ra1 = | pattern_sh1 = _USThionvilleLusitanos2425h | pattern_so1 = _Kappa_white | leftarm1 = C0C0C0 | body1 = | rightarm1 = C0C0C0 | shorts1 = | socks1 = C0C0C0 | pattern_la2 = _USThionvilleLusintanos2425a | pattern_b2 = _USThionvilleLusitanos2425a | pattern_ra2 = _USThionvilleLusintanos2425a | pattern_sh2 = _USThionvilleLusitanos2425a | pattern_so2 = _Kappa_white | rightarm2 = | body2 = | leftarm2 = | shorts2 = | socks2 = 89B2C4 | stadium = Stade de la Plaine<br>Stade Jeanne d'Arc<br>Stade de Guentrange }}

'''Union Sportive Thionville Lusitanos''' is a [[Association football|football]] club based in [[Thionville]], France. The club competes in the [[Championnat National 2]], the fourth tier of the [[French football league system]] but from 2026–27 they promoted to [[Championnat National|Ligue 3]].

==History== The football club was born in 1905 as ''Fußball-Club Diedenhofen''. After [[World War I|the first world war]] it was renamed ''La Sportive Thionvilloise'' following the transfer of Thionville from Germany to France in accord with the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. During the second world war, between 1940 and 1945, with the Germans in charge of the area again, the club was renamed ''Turn-und-Sportgemeinschaft'' before reverting to its previous name.<ref name=sfcf>{{cite web|url=https://statfootballclubfrance.fr/thionville-football-club.php|title=THIONVILLE|publisher=Stat Football Club France|language=fr|access-date=27 July 2023}}</ref>

In 1943, [[Fritz Walter]] played in the squad, who went on to win the [[1954 FIFA World Cup|World Cup in 1954]] with [[West Germany national football team|West Germany]].

In 1969 the club gained promotion to the national amateur division for the first time.<ref name=sfcf /> They turned professional whilst in the [[Ligue 2|second division]] for the two seasons 1979-1980 and 1980–1981.<ref>{{citation|title=''unknown''|publisher=[[France Football]]|date=3 July 1979|page =15|language=fr}}</ref> In the latter season they reached the [[1980–81 Coupe de France|quarter-finals]] of the [[Coupe de France|French Cup]], where they drew 2–2 at home, before losting 3–0 in the return leg against [[FC Martigues|Martigues]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thionvillefc.fr/|title=Historique|publisher=Thionville FC|language=fr|access-date=27 July 2023}}</ref> They also reached the last 32 in the [[1979–80 Coupe de France|1979–80]], [[1983–84 Coupe de France|1983–84]] and [[1997–98 Coupe de France|1997–98]] seasons. In the second of the two second division seasons, the club declared bankruptcy and reformed in division 4 as ''Thionville Football Club''<ref name=sfcf />

The club spent the rest of the 1980s and 1990s in either the fourth of fifth tier of the national pyramid, before relegation back to the regional level in 2000. They spend one further season at the national level in 2009–10.<ref name=sfcf />

On 2 May 2021, Thionville FC merged with ''Thionville AS Portugais Saint-François'' to create US Thionville Lusitanos.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 May 2021 |title=Thionville Football : et que vive Thionville Lusitanos ! |url=https://www.republicain-lorrain.fr/culture-loisirs/2021/05/02/football-et-que-vive-thionville-lusitanos |access-date=26 June 2023 |website=Republicain-lorrain.fr |language=Fr}}</ref> In 2023, the club achieved promotion back to the [[Championnat National 3]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guillaume |first=Emeric |date=23 June 2023 |title=L'US Thionville Lusitanos à l'honneur pour sa montée en N3 |url=https://moselle.tv/lus-thionville-lusitanos-a-lhonneur-pour-sa-montee-en-n3/ |access-date=26 June 2023 |website=Moselle.tv |language=Fr}}</ref>

In 2025–26, US Thionville Lusitanos secure promotion to [[Championnat National|Ligue 3]] for the first time in their history from next season after finish top table at [[Championnat National 2|National 2]] in Group B.

==Club presidents== *Roger Hoffmann *Jean-Marc Plez *Christian Ragni *Jean-Luc Bitard *Pascal Dine *Jean-François Geissler

==Managers== *1976-1979: Rolland Ehrhardt *1979-December 1980: [[Robert Szczepaniak]] *January 1980 – 1981: [[Pierre Flamion]] *1983-January 1987: [[Paweł Chodakowski]] *February 1987 – 1987: Branko Tucač *1992-2000: [[José Souto]] *2000-2001: Gabriel Dalvit *2001-2003: [[Pascal Raspollini]] *2003-2006: Patrick Libot *2006-2007: Gabriel Dalvit *2008-2010: Eric Brusco *June 2010 – 2012: [[Christophe Borbiconi]] *November 2013-June 2018: Manu Cuccu *2019: [[David Fanzel]]

==Honours== *National Fourth Division Champion, Group East: 1984 *Lorraine Champions: 1923, 1925, 1928, 1961, 1977, 2009 *Honour Division Champions: 1927, 1932, 1938, 2016 *Lorraine Cup: 1925, 1929, 1964, 1983, 1993, 2008

==Naming history== *1905–1919: Fußball-Club Diedenhofen *1919–1940: La Sportive Thionvilloise *1940–1945: Turn-und-Sportgemeinschaft *1945–1981: La Sportive Thionvilloise *1981–2021: Thionville Football Club *2021–present: Union Sportive Thionville Lusitanos

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{URL|https://fcthionville.footeo.com}} - Footeo profile {{in lang|fr}} *{{URL|https://www.ustl.fr/}} - Official website {{in lang|fr}}

[[Category:US Thionville Lusitanos]] [[Category:Association football clubs established in 1905]] [[Category:1905 establishments in France]] [[Category:Sport in Moselle (department)]] [[Category:Football clubs in Grand Est]] [[Category:Association football clubs established in 2021]] [[Category:2021 establishments in France]]