In the first edition of the Copa Sudamericana, which started in 2002, Argentine Rubén Darío Insúa emerged as the first champion coach in this competition. The gaucho is a symbol of admiration for the fans of Barcelona Sporting Club for his achievements as a player and coach.
He became national champion with the toreros in 1991 and then debuted as their coach in 1997, winning the title in that season; and in addition to this, he led the Guayaquil team to their second final of the Copa Libertadores, losing to Vasco da Gama from Brazil.
After the departure of Chilean Manuel Pellegrini to take charge of River Plate in 2001, Insúa took over San Lorenzo, a club where he was also an idol as a player for the promotion to the first division of Argentina in 1981. In his debut with Cuervo he finished in fifth place in the Apertura tournament, which was won by Racing Club de Avellaneda.
In the 2002 Sudamericana, San Lorenzo entered as the champion of the Copa Mercosur of the previous season; and reached the final after defeating Mongadas from Venezuela in the second phase; Racing Club in the quarterfinals; and Bolívar from Bolivia in the semifinals.
In the final, they faced Atlético Nacional, which had Edigson Velásquez; Felipe Benalcázar, Aquivaldo Mosquera, Samuel Vanegas, Robeiro Moreno; Luis Felipe Chará, Juan Ramírez, Freddy 'Totono' Grisales, Néider Morantes; Héctor Hurtado, and Martín Echeverría. The Paisa team was coached by Alexis García.
And in Insúa's San Lorenzo, the standout players were: Sebastián Saja; Gonzalo Rodríguez, Claudio Morel, Aldo Paredes, Celso Esquivel; José Chatruc, Pablo Michelini, Cristian Zurita, Leandro Romagnoli; Rodrigo Astudillo, and Alberto 'El Beto' Acosta.
In the first leg, they secured the final with a 4-0 victory at the Atanasio Girardot stadium in the city of Medellín. Saja (4m, penalty), Michelini (25m), Romagnoli (52m), and Rodrigo Astudillo (67m) scored the goals. In the second leg, a 0-0 draw at the Nuevo Gasómetro allowed them to celebrate their second international title in their history. (D)