 In 2002, alvianil was close to reaching the elite of Rio de Janeiro, but again it was runner-up in Second Division, a fact that was repeated in 2006.But it was in 2003 that the club entered the national scene, when playing for the first time the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C.

In 2009, the club had one of its best seasons of its history.Macaé was fifth in the Campeonato Carioca, behind only the four majors of the state.