Welcome to our exciting series Passion and Pride, where we dive into the heart of Paraguayan football, spotlighting the 12 teams of the Primera División. In each episode, we introduce you to one club, uncovering their rich histories, fierce rivalries and special moments that have shaped Paraguay’s top league. In part twelve of Passion and Pride: Sportivo Trinidense, club under the leadership of the frontman of one of Paraguay’s most iconic punk rock bands.
A neighbourhood club
Club Sportivo Trinidense was founded on August 11, 1935, in de Virgen of Asunción neighbourhood of the Santísima Trinidad district of Paraguay’s capital, making it one of the traditional “neighbourhood clubs” of Asunción.
The jersey of the club, playing in the modest Martín Torres stadium, features a distinctive cross formed by a horizontal yellow stripe across a vertical one on the blue shirt. This design directly references the Cross of the Santísima Trinidad (Holy Trinity), the patron saint and historical emblem of the Trinidad neighbourhood.
Sportivo Trinidense’s founders, and its top rival
Sportivo Trinidense, nicknamed “El Triqui’, was established at the home of Manuel Arce González in Santísima Trinidad. He was the club’s first president. Amongst the co-founders was Martín Torres, who was the first of the founders to pass away. In 1957 Trinidense named its stadium after him.
Sportivo Trinidense’s main rival is Rubio Ñu , whose stadium is located less than 1 kilometre away; this derby is known as the Trinidad Derby, and will be back on the agenda for the 2026 Primera División season after the promotion of Rubio Ñu in 2025!
Success under the leadership of a rock star
In 2023, Trinidense had a historic year by qualifying for an international tournament for the first time, earning a spot in the 2024 Copa Sudamericana after finishing 6th in the aggregate table. They also reached the final of the 2023 Copa Paraguay, losing to Club Libertad after penalties.
These successes cannot be viewed in isolation from the arrival of Norman Rieder in 2018. At just 34 years old, he became president of Sportivo Trinidense, making him the youngest top executive in Paraguay’s professional football league. He brought no prior administrative experience to the role, but he did carry a rather different past: for many years he had been the frontman, lead singer, and guitarist of punk rock band Area 69.
Area 69 successes
Rieder, born in Asunción, co-founded Area 69 (a cheeky twist on Area 51) in 2000 while still in high school. The band would become one of the most important and influential rock bands in Paraguayan history: Area 69 became the first Paraguayan rock act to sign with a major international label (Universal Music Latino), and the first to achieve massive airplay across Latin America on channels like MTV Latin America, MuchMusic, and HTV during the mid-2000s.
Much more to come for Sportivo Trinidense
After leaving music full-time after 2010, Rieder pursued a master’s degree in Australia and built a career in business, before transitioning into football administration. If it is up to Rieder, for Sportivo Trinidense it will not stop at just one qualification for an international tournament and a single cup final. With the same relentless drive that once turned a teenage punk band from Asunción into a Latin American sensation, there is far more still to come for Sportivo Trinidense.
To follow the club, find Sportivo Trinidense on Instagram.
Read the previous Episode 11 of Passian and Pride, about Recoleta FC, one of the surprises of the newly promoted teams in 2025, and “The Undertakers” of Paraguayan football.
