Danny Ortiz


Josué Danny Ortiz Maldonado was a Guatemalan football goalkeeper who played for the Guatemalan national team and CSD Municipal.

Club career

Ortíz played for both Guatemalan giants Comunicaciones and CSD Municipal as well as for CD Suchitepequez and Deportivo Carchá. He succeeded national team goalkeeper Edgar Estrada between the Comunicaciones goalposts when Estrada moved to Municipal, only to take him to Municipal himself a year later in a swap deal which returned Estrada to the Cremas.

International career

Ortiz made his debut for Guatemala in a February 2001 friendly match against Panama and had collected a total of 10 caps, scoring no goals. He had represented his country at the UNCAF Nations Cup 2001 and at the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was deemed the natural successor to Edgar Estrada in the national team until his premature death.
His final international was an October 2002 friendly match against Jamaica.

Death

During a 2004 match with Municipal against their eternal rivals and his former club CSD Comunicaciones, the 211th clasico between the clubs, Ortiz collided with Mario Rodríguez of the opposing team, suffering a torn pericardium. He was taken to the Hospital Centro Médico where Ortiz died two hours later.
He became the third Municipal player after Jhonny Aldana and goalkeeper Rolando Marroquín to die while active for the club. His wife and their two children were left behind.