On Monday, Sporting Kansas City announced the loan of homegrown defender Erik Palmer-Brown to Portuguese first division side FC Porto. So just who is Porto and how will this loan aid in Palmer-Brown’s development? Here are five things to know about the Portuguese giants:
1. The Big Three
FC Porto has been a part of the Portuguese first division (Primeira Liga) since 1934, the year the league was founded. Known to their fans as the Dragões, FC Porto play their matches at Estádio do Dragão.
Along with Sporting CP and Benfica, Porto are one of the "Big Three" in Portugal. The three clubs have combined to win the league 79 times and have never been relegated. Only two other clubs in the history of the Primeira Liga have won a title and each of those clubs have won just one.
2. European Success
FC Porto’s success goes beyond just the league title. In addition to 27 league titles and 16 Portuguese Cups, Porto has also won the European Cup / UEFA Champions League twice (1987, 2004) as well as the UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League twice (2003, 2011). Add in a UEFA Super Cup victory in 1987 and two Intercontinental Cup victories, and Porto has proven to be among the most successful clubs in European history. Their four combined Champions League / Europa League victories put them tied for ninth among all European sides.
3. The Special One
Before self-proclaiming himself “The Special One” during his first stint at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho was doing special things at Porto. The Portuguese manager took over Porto midway through 2002 and guided the team to a third place finish in the league. The following year, a Mourinho-led Porto won the league title, the Portuguese Cup and the UEFA Cup Final. Mourinho capped his Porto career by winning the Champions League in 2004 with a 3-0 victory over Monaco in the championship.
4. CONCACAF-friendly
Erik Palmer-Brown is not the first player from CONACAF to find his way to Porto. The Portuguese giants currently feature three Mexican national team players: Hector Herrera, Jesus "Tecatito" Corona and Miguel Layun, in addition to 19-year-old goalkeeper Raul Gudino, who has featured for Mexico as the U-17, U-20 and U-23 levels.
5. Star-studded roster
According to an article by Yahoo! Sports in August 2015, Porto have made more than $500 million in transfers in club history. The club has historically scouted well and developed young players before selling those players to bigger clubs in Europe. The list of players who have featured for Porto includes James Rodriguez, Falcao, Hulk, Pepe and Nicolas Otamendi. This is a club with an eye for talent and knows how to develop that talent to reach their potential.
