Luis Mena

Right Back - Universitario Popayan
11 Sep 2027
Saturday
Process
45 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Johan Sinisterra hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Steven Hernández gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Universitario Popayan share the spoils with Union Magdalena

A 2-2 draw with Union Magdalena leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

Back issues
40 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Kevin Ospina asks to leave Universitario Popayan

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

No end in sight to Universitario Popayan's wait for a win

6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Universitario Popayan has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Johan Lopez: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Universitario Popayan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Luis Mena signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Luis Mena commits to Universitario Popayan for another 2 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Luis Mateus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Universitario Popayan come up short against Llaneros

Llaneros left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

In brief

36 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Jesus Diaz hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Match

A bad afternoon for Universitario Popayan against Valledupar

2-3 to Valledupar, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Luis Mateus gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Edwin Gomez wants to come home

“I did not go to Deportivo Pasto to sit and watch. I want to come back to Universitario Popayan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 14 matches say the rest.

Squad

Luis Mena knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

The armband comes off Manuel Zapata

Universitario Popayan will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

In brief

35 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Matías Villa keeps Universitario Popayan in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Edwin Montero hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Fortaleza CEIF take the points off Universitario Popayan

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

In brief

30 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Luis Mateus says Universitario Popayan went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Edwin Montero asks to leave Universitario Popayan

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Universitario Popayan lose James Herrera

48 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Universitario Popayan see off Real Santander

Three points for Universitario Popayan, 1-0 the final word against Real Santander in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

David Montoya gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Wages eat 94% of everything Universitario Popayan earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

In brief

28 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Fabian Montero hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Universitario Popayan get the job done against Leones

A 2-1 win over Leones, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Johan Lopez gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Felipe Montero named player of the month

The award goes to Felipe Montero, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.

Loan watch

Edwin Gomez wants to come home

“I did not go to Deportivo Pasto to sit and watch. I want to come back to Universitario Popayan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.

Squad

Luis Mena knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

26 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Jesus Diaz hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Brian Moreno is a Universitario Popayan player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Edwin Sinisterra is a Universitario Popayan player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Edwin Montero is a Universitario Popayan player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Squad

Universitario Popayan lose James Herrera

76 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Luis Mena

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

Wages eat 98% of everything Universitario Popayan earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Match

Universitario Popayan and Tigres take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Felipe Montero is off the mark for Universitario Popayan

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

22 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Mateo Uribe asks to leave Universitario Popayan

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Universitario Popayan lose James Herrera

104 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Boardroom

131% of the income goes out in wages at Universitario Popayan

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Market

Joaquín Rojas told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Joaquín Rojas has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Universitario Popayan.

Squad

Luis Mena knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Somebody is after Johan Lopez’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Johan Lopez suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Universitario Popayan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

In brief

21 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

David Montoya signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” David Montoya commits to Universitario Popayan for another 3 years.

Market

Miguel Muriel attracts admirers

The name of Miguel Muriel has come up in conversations Universitario Popayan were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Luis Mena gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Universitario Popayan lose Johan Sinisterra

29 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

Universitario Popayan and Steven Hernández are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Squad

Johan Lopez knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

20 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Fabian Montero hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Universitario Popayan lose Gustavo Uribe

14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Brian Palacios knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

19 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Nicolas Bacca stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Nicolas Bacca and Universitario Popayan agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Mateo Uribe is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Universitario Popayan has been clear about where Mateo Uribe stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Luis Mena loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Luis Mena. Universitario Popayan will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

In brief

16 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Universitario Popayan lose Gustavo Uribe

44 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Francisco Medina gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Fabian Montero knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

15 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Johan Lopez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Luis Mena asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

The manager comes out for Johan Sinisterra

Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Johan Sinisterra has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.

14 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Jesus Diaz hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Boardroom

125% of the income goes out in wages at Universitario Popayan

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Luis Mena knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

12 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Fabian Montero hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Universitario Popayan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Luis Mena stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Luis Mena and Universitario Popayan agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Brian Palacios knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

11 Edition

The Universitario Popayan Gazette

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Gabriel Zapata

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Diego Lemos stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Diego Lemos and Universitario Popayan agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Gabriel Zapata has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Gabriel Zapata keeps the shirt for now, at Universitario Popayan's convenience rather than his own.

In brief