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La Máquina (Spanish for "the Machine") is a nickname given to the River Plate team from 1941 to 1947. The core group of la Máquina were forwards Juan Carlos Muñoz, José Manuel Moreno, Adolfo Pedernera, Ángel Labruna, and Félix Loustau. The team won four Primera División leagues, among other titles.
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History
The nickname was given to them by Borocotó, a Uruguayan sports journalist working for El Gráfico, after River Plate defeated Chacarita Juniors 6–2 on 12 June 1942. Borocotó used that adjetive to illustrate the performance of the forward line on the field.
For they dynamism and rotating positions, La Máquina is often considered a precursor of the famous Clockwork Orange as it was nicknamed the Netherlands national football team that played the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
The first time they played together was on June 28, 1942, in Estadio Monumental v. Platense. River Plate won by 1-0, with Félix Loustau replacing Aristóbulo Deambrossi as left winger.
From 1943 to 1946 the team achieved two championships and finished as runner-up twice. Other players that took part of La Máquina were Aristóbulo Deambrossi, Carlos Peucelle, Alberto Gallo and Renato Cesarini.