FK Kauno Žalgiris
Full nameFK Kauno Žalgiris futsal komanda
Founded2013[1]
GroundŽalgirio treniruočių centras; Garliavos arena
ChairmanDarius Gurskis
ManagerBrazil Emerson Junior De Lima ("Dentinho")
LeagueFutsal A lyga
2022-23Champions

FK Kauno Žalgiris is futsal club from Kaunas, Lithuania. The club has been dominating Lithuanian Futsal A Lyga and the Lithuanian Futsal Cup in the recent years. The club is a regular to the main round of the UEFA Futsal Champions League, reaching the #9 in the top European club ranking at the end of 2020-21 season. The club was known as FK Vytis futsal before an acquisition by basketball and football club Kauno Žalgiris in 2021.

History

FK Vytis

FK Vytis futsal was founded in 2013.[1] The club's predecessor history is intertwined with two other Kaunas teams Atletas and Inkaras, whose football, futsal and beach football teams merged, split, fell apart and got re-established. Vytis got stronger within next three years, and won their first domestic league and cup double in 2016–2017 season. The club became the dominant force in Lithuanian futsal, winning 6 league titles in a row, including 5 league and cup doubles.

FK Kaunas Žalgiris

In October 2020 Kaunas sports organisation Žalgiris announced that FK Vytis will join its structure, which already include BC Žalgiris basketball, FK Kauno Žalgiris football clubs as well as respective youth academies. Kauno Žalgiris club aimed to create a complete "football pyramid", and did not yet have a futsal team.[2] 2021 February 26 the club officially changed its name, until then it was prevented by the requirement of the UEFA Futsal Champions League for clubs not to change names while a season is ongoing.[3]

In 2021 the club signed a number of Brazilians, including team manager Dentinho, who was also offered to simultaneously manage Lithuania national futsal team. In 2022 the club signed Ricardo, a son of famous footballer Cacau.[4]

UEFA Futsal Champions League

Vytis started participating in the UEFA Futsal Champions League, and reached the elite round in its second season in European competitions. Vytis was hoping for even better results next season, having signed 6 players from Brazil in 2019. It was not to be, and the Brazilians, including a coach, left at the end of the season.[5] Despite this, Vytis/Kauno Žalgiris has played 5 times in a row in the main round of the UEFA Futsal Champions League. The club reached the best of 16 in the 2020-21 season, and was ranking #9 in the top European club ranking.

Achievements

  • Futsal A Lyga:
    • Winners (7): 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022-23
  • LFF Futsal Cup :
    • Winners (6): 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022-23
  • LFF Futsal Supercup :
    • Winners (2): 2022, 2023

Managers

From To Manager
March 2018Lithuania Mindaugas Grigalevičius
March 2018September 2018Ukraine Pavel Pikalov[6]
September 2018October 2019Brazil Luciano Mistura[7]
November 2019August 2021Ukraine Kirill Krasiy[8]
August 2021Brazil Emerson Junior De Lima ("Dentinho")[9]

Squad

As of 27 October 2022[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Lithuania LTU Ernestas Macenis
2 GK Brazil BRA Jordan Lucca Dutra Ramos Neves
4 DF Brazil BRA Janderson Lenylthon De Oliveira Alves "Beleu"
6 DF Lithuania LTU Tomas Bučma
7 FW Brazil BRA Vinicius Carvalho Feitosa
8 MF Lithuania LTU Albert Voskunovič
9 FW Lithuania LTU Justinas Zagurskas
10 FW Brazil BRA Higor Rafael Bezerra Da Silva "Kassula"
No. Pos. Nation Player
11 MF Lithuania LTU Lukas Sendžikas (captain)
12 Brazil BRA Rafael Medeiros Rodrigues "Rafa"
14 Lithuania LTU Nojus Žitkauskas
15 Lithuania LTU Deividas Reimaris
16 Lithuania LTU Gustas Zenkovas
19 Brazil BRA Victor Hugo Pires dos Santos "Vitinho"
21 GK Lithuania LTU Vilius Leibenka
— Lithuania LTU Ugnius Zenkovas

References

  1. 1 2 "Знакомство с командами — FC Vytis из Каунаса — Baltic Futsal League". Archived from the original on 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  2. ↑ ""Žalgiris" vienija jėgas su Lietuvos salės futbolo čempionu Kauno "Vyčiu"". LFF.lt. Archived from the original on 2021-06-12. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  3. ↑ "Futsalo komanda "FK Vytis" oficialiai tapo "Žalgiriu"". sportas.lt. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  4. ↑ ""Kauno Žalgirio" futsal klube – garsiojo Cacau sūnus Ricardo". www.lrytas.lt. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  5. ↑ "Po neįkvepiančio žygio "Vytį" palieka ir sporto direktorius, ir visi legionieriai". 15min.lt/sportas. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  6. ↑ "Prieš lemiamas kovas Čempionų lygoje salės futbolo čempionas išsiskyrė su treneriu". 15min.lt/sportas. Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  7. ↑ Gintautas, Lukas. "Kauno "Vyčio" lietuviai: apie trenerio autoritetą, kalbos barjerą ir garsųjį Ricardinho". DELFI. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  8. ↑ "Кирило Красій очолив литовський "Вітіс"". Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  9. ↑ "Lietuvos futsalo čempionų veidas vėl tampa braziliškas – komandą treniruos brazilas". sportas.lt. Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  10. ↑ https://lietuvosfutbolas.lt/klubai/kauno-zalgiris-35408/?cid=16427233
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