bestbrother Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) :: Background :: Club Founded :: 1903 as Santiago Football Club, became Santiago Morning after a merger between the former and Morning Star in the 1930s. Club Rivalry :: Clasico Metropolitano vs UD Magallanes Club Honours (Major) :: Primera Division de Chile (1) 1942 Current :: We will compete in the Chilean 2nd Tier (Campeonato Primera B) in the 2020 season. The club last competed in the top division in 2011, an end to a brief recent era of success that also saw the club lose in the 2000 Copa Chile Final (the clubs sole appearance). Edited September 1, 2020 by bestbrother 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) 2020 Pre-Season There is little change in Chile no matter the level, even more so when competing in Primera B, just a bad season away from falling into what can only be called the abyss of amateur football. At Morning we had very little wiggle room for anything, so much so that we decided not to dip into the market and proceeded to head into the season with what we had. This would instantly put pressure on a few key areas of the squad, Uruguayan shot-stopper Leandro Gelpi and on-loan Parnacan would anchor our defensive effort. Whilst veterans Orellana and Jimenez would likely be our offensive threats for the year. Only one team would gain promotion automatically, with another coming via a playoff system. Last seasons 12th place finish was deemed below par... the onus was set to improve on that and alot more. First Half The season was arguably more a sprint than a marathon, just 28 games were to be played as the Chilean Federacion re-aligned its professional divisions in the coming seasons. Immediately we got off on the wrong foot, a 0-2 home loss to Deportes Melipilla (and their 17 travelling fans) could have sounded alarm bells. But to our credit we bounced back and took control of the table, winning 11 of our next 12 games to hold a slender lead above rivals Magallanes. It was a run that included 8 clean sheets, 6 straight wins at home and a crushing 5-2 win at Deportes Temuco as Orellana raced to lead the league in goals with 8. Our final game before a mid-season break would be at rivals Magallanes. Not only did they sit just behind us in the table, but it would be our first taste of Clasico Metropolitano at the hostile Municipal de San Bernardo. All I can say is thank god we had a break after this effort, as Magallanes romped away with a 1-4 win to not only take Clasico bragging rights, but also the lead in the division. Mid-Season Break The transfer window opened once more and the temptation was there to improve the squad, but with finances still tight, the only movement was out as 4 players left the club to ease our wages burden. Second Half We came back at the end of July and faced 2 straight away games to try and get over our Clasico embarrassment. Fortunately the appetite was still there and Gelpi resumed status quo by keeping back to back clean sheets as we jumped back to the top of the table with 1-0 and 2-0 wins. Back at the Municipal de La Pintana we collected 3-1 wins over Rangers and Cobreloa to extend our lead at the top, but things would take a turn for the worse. 1 point would then come into the account from our next 3 games, as we failed to hit the net in away defeats to Valdivia and Copiapo, then drew 0-0 at home to Union San Felipe to disappoint the near on 3000 Morning fans in attendance. Magallanes again usurped us, we needed to find a way back to form, thankfully Jimenez and Orellana stepped up to score in home wins over Barnechea and Santa Cruz, as we embarked on a 5 game unbeaten run to head into the seasons 2nd Clasico. We hosted our rivals, 2pts clear with 2 to play. That meant a win here would do the damage and whilst our form was healthy, Magallanes themselves hadnt won for 4 games, losing their last 2. Over 5000 turned up as we sought not only revenge but the ultimate Clasico win that would clinch the Primera B Championship and promotion back to Campeonato Nacional. It was tense and it took an hour for the deadlock to finally be broken as Lucas Fernandez (a teenage Argentine frontman) scored only his 6th goal of the campaign. 15 minutes later and there was another, as again Fernandez wrote his name into Morning history to give us a 2-0 lead and the smell of success. There would prove to be a tense finish as Magallanes pulled back a late goal, but there was to be no further drama and the celebrations could begin. We had our moments, dips in form, crisis of confidence, but as a club and team we stuck together and sealed the deal in the most dramatic and satisfying fashion... "Escupimos a los cerdos de Magallanes" In the end we will look back on our Copa Chile exploits with a little regret, as although at the time the League was our priority, our exit at the hands of 3rd tier Deportes Linares will rankle with us for a while as an opportunity to make the Last 8 of the competition. Well it has been well documented how these games panned out. We lost in humbling fashion away from home as Magallanes put down a marker with their 1-4 win. However in response our win at home not only saved face but also secured the Championship and promotion for us, in expense of them! To rub salt into their wounds, Magallanes failed to achieve promotion via the playoffs, putting the Clasico Metropolitano to bed for at least a year. Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Miguel Angel Orellana (34%) Goal of the Season - Santiago Lizana Young Player of the Season - Yonathan Parancan Campeonato Primera B Goal of the Season - Santiago Lizana Campeonato Primera B Team of the Year - Leandro Gelpi, Yonathan Parancan, Jose Luis Jimenez Campeonato Primera Champions - Colo Colo Campeonato Primera B Champions - Santiago Morning Copa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Supercopa Chile Winners - Palestino Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Palestino & Universidad de Chile lost in 2Q / Universidad Catolica lost in Group Phase / Colo Colo lost in Q/Finals Copa Sudamericana - Coquimbo Unido, Union La Calera & Audax Italiano lost in 1st Round / Huachipato & Universidad Catolica lost in 2nd Round Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) 2021 Pre-Season If preparing for our first year back in the top flight wasnt exciting enough, we also had the drama that came with a change in ownership as Fabian Poblete took over as the new President and immediately made an impact in the months after... It almost became over whelming, from the announcement of his arrival, to the transfer budget beyond anything we dreamed of, to the addition of a B Team in order to aid the development of our younger players. However there was more to come as in order to move Santiago Morning into a brighter future, plans were put in place to build a new stadium to replace the ageing Municipal de La Pintana. All that almost over shadowed our preparations as we had to rebuild the squad from last year, bringing in 6 new faces thanks to the fresh investment, with the $250,000 deal for Chilean midfielder Jaime Carreno setting a club record. We added to that with a pair of free transfers from Argentina as Finochietto would replace the outgoing Gelpi in goal, whilst Zurbriggen would give us more attacking threat as the veteran Jimenez moved on to pastures new. First Half Things began well for us as we adjusted nicely to our new level of competition, drawing at home to Deportes Iquique on the opening day, before thumping Union Espanola as we welcomed back top flight football at home, winning 5-0 with Lucas Fernandez notching a hat trick. We continued to improve, beating O'Higgins, before picking up a useful point at 'La U' to consolidate our place in the top 5 of the table. But things were about to get a little rough... A 1-5 stuffing at Huachipato started a run of 7 without a win, as we would lost 5 on the spin, a run that included another thumping this time 0-4 at Audax Italiano. It was a rude awakening and the mid-season split would again give us a chance to regroup for the run in. Mid-Season Break Our form had dropped dramatically and we needed to freshen up the squad, something we achieved by bringing in another Argentine in Agustin Guiffrey from Patronato. However it would be the signing of veteran Chile International Pablo Hernandez that would write all the headlines. Second Half We came back and began our rise back up the table, collecting healthy wins against Antofagasta, Deportes Iquique (Zurbriggen hat trick), Everton and away at O'Higgins. It was a run of results that would put us back amongst the mix for a continental place. Home wins over 'La U' and a revenge victory against Huachipato kept us on track as Hernandez became a staple in our midfield. Alas a tough run of fixtures saw us lose at home to Colo Colo, before we lost to Universidad Catolica as they inched closer to winning the title. A win over Audax Italiano would clinch a spot in the Copa Sudamericana for next season, but we fell just shy on the final day in our hopes of playing in the Libertadores as we drew at home to Cobresal as results elsewhere went against us. Overall it proved to be a successful return to the Campeonato Nacional for the club. We won 14 games, scored 50 goals and qualified for Continental football for 2022. "El Chago en Sudamericana" Another 3rd Round exit for us this year as we ran into Palestino in bad form, losing both legs by the odd goal. Our conquerors would go on to win the competition later in the season. No Clasico for our fans to enjoy this year, however I am sure they would have been placated with matchups against Colo Colo and La U instead. As for Magallanes, they failed to even make the playoffs and their only hope of meeting us at this stage would be in the Copa Chile. Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Jaime Carreno (52%) Goal of the Season - Lucas Fernandez Young Player of the Season - Jaime Carreno Campeonato Nacional ANFP Player of the Year - Pablo Hernandez Campeonato Nacional Player of the Year - Pablo Hernandez Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Pablo Hernandez & Juan Cruz Zurbriggen Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad Catolica Campeonato Primera B Champions - Nublense Copa Chile Winners - Palestino Supercopa Chile Winners - Colo Colo Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Universidad Catolica lost in 2Q / Universidad de Chile lost in 3Q / Colo Colo and Everton lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Palestino, Deportes Iquique, Union La Calera & Audax Italiano lost in 1st Round / Colo Colo lost in 2nd Round Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 1, 2020 Author Share Posted September 1, 2020 (edited) 2022 Pre-Season A less eventful pre-season for us as the club had stabilised under new ownership as we prepared to compete both domestically and on the continental front in the coming season. We made just 2 changes to the squad this year, bringing in young Argentine Ezequiel Fernandez from Boca Juniors on loan to anchor the midfield. We also added a backup Keeper in Chile U21 starlet Luis Ureta in a £150,000 deal from O'Higgins. Outside of that we held on to our better players with Jaime Carreno, Juan Zurbriggen and the veteran Pablo Hernandez who participates in his last year of professional football. Alongside this our hopes for a fruitful academy continue to go amiss, with the better players in Chile having the pick of the top clubs. Investment in this area is something we will look to implement in the coming seasons. First Half A solid start saw us collect 13pts from 18, as our only loss came at Universidad Catolica (1-2) as they proved to be the only goals we conceded in the opening 2 months of the campaign. Things then turned sour, first up a 1-4 drubbing at Colo Colo led us onto a run that saw 4 defeats and 2 draws send us spiralling down the table as our attacking threat dwindled, with all 4 defeats seeing us lose 0-1. Mid-Season Break Once again we needed a fresh face to inject something new to the club. This time we explored the South American market and bought in Uruguayan Ignacio Laquintana to the club, spending £$300,000 in the process to improve our creative capabilities. Second Half Laquintana would have an immediate impact, scoring on his debut as we lost at home to newly promoted Nublense. However after that things improved, 4 wins from our next 5 would be highlighted by thumping Colo Colo 5-2 infront of 35000 fans at the Estadio Nacional. The winning run continued with impressive wins over Palestino, Huachipato and a 6-0 demolition of Deportes Puerto Mott. We would go on to secure a spot in the Sudamericana with wins at home to 'La U' and Union La Calera, as we once again did enough to claim 5th place in the table winning 2 more games and gaining 3 more points than last seasons total. However the best news was to come. Union Espanola would secure the title on Goal Difference, that coupled with them being our opponents in the Copa Chile Final meant that no matter the result, we would gain entry to the Copa Libertadores, just 3 years into our project. In 2000 Santiago Morning reached its first Copa Chile Final, losing out to Universidad La Chile in what proved to be the last Final of the competition before a 9 year hiatus. In 2022 we reached the Final once more, albeit starting our run with a loss to Primera B side Barnechea. We managed to overcome them on penalties, before moving on to beat top flight rivals Palestino, Universidad Catolica and Audax Italiano to reach the Final. Once there we would face recently crowned Chilean Campeones 'Union Espanola. Union had come good once again after a run in the 1970s saw them reach the Copa Libertadores Final. This year the club were just too good for us over the 2 legs, beating us 0-2, before we rallied in the 2nd leg only to fall short and miss out on claiming a major piece of silverware. A brief foray into the Continent saw us draw Colombians Tolima in the 1st Round. We would draw 1-1 at home, but had little response in the return as the travel affected us en route to a 0-2 loss and a premature exit. Another season without a Clasico and again unless we draw Magallanes in the Copa Chile, next year will be no different as our rivals failed to make the Promotion playoffs. Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Jaime Carreno (58%) Goal of the Season - Jaime Carreno Young Player of the Season - Juan Cruz Zurbriggen Chilean Footballer of the Year - Jaime Carreno Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Leandro Finochietto, Victor Retamal & Diego Ceron Campeonato Primera Champions - Union Espanola Campeonato Primera B Champions - Deportes Temuco Copa Chile Winners - Union Espanola Supercopa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Colo Colo lost in 3Q / Curico Unido, Palestino & Universidad Catollica lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Santiago Morning & Audax Italiano lost in 1st Round / Deportes Puerto Mott & Palestino lost in 2nd Round / Colo Colo lost in 3rd Round / Union La Calera lost in Q/Final Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 2, 2020 Author Share Posted September 2, 2020 (edited) 2023 Pre-Season A bit of a rebuild for us here as we spent most of our upcoming Libertadores money on 7 new faces to bolster the squad. We lost Ezequiel Fernandez back to Boca as his loan expired, but added depth and spent a club record $475,000 on Facundo Labandeira as the Uruguayan adds more depth to our attacking options. We still await our first batch of Morning academy prospects with the club investing as we go towards our long term future. First Half Combining our league efforts alongside the a run in the Libertadores proved to be alot tougher than we had planned. We had a solid start, picking up 7pts from 9 but then things turned sour fast. There was a quick 6 defeats as goals dried up, bar a crazy 4-5 loss to Colo Colo, as we moved into the mid-season break in the bottom half, but still in touch with the Sudamericana places. Mid-Season Break The club was then left reeling as Jaime Carreno refused a new deal and moved on to Racing Club for $650,000 leaving a big hole in the middle of our squad. We did sign Kevin Medel to replace him, but with the team struggling for form, this left us hoping for an easy transition. The $220,000 deal took our spending over the $1,000,000 barrier a significant sum for a club our size. Second Half Things didnt improve, there were a raft of heavy losses, 1-4 to Union La Calera, 2-5 at Union Espanola as we would lose 8 games in a run that saw us flirt with the Top 8, but eventually fall away to a safe but disappointing 12th place. In the end we finished just 1 point off qualifying for the Sudamericana, going to show how poor the bottom half of the league was, but we had little complaints, scoring just 36 goals and picking up just 13pts in the 2nd half of the season, a few more than the teams eventually relegated to Primera B. Frustration for us here as we had the fantastic high of beating Colo Colo on penalties in the last 8, before we let a 2-0 aggregate lead slip in the Semi Finals to lose out to Union Espanola once more, 5-6 in a shootout. Santiago Morning in the Copa Libertadores, let that sink in for a moment... now thats done with we hoped to make the most of our chance, not only to bring top tier Continental football to the club, but also to boost the bank balance with some glamour ties. It began with a Qualifying round loss in Bolivia as Oriente Petrolero beat us 2-3, yet those 2 away goals proved crucial as a tough 1-0 home win advanced us to within a tie of the Group phase. In the 3Q we faced Athletico Paranaense of Brazil, again we gave ourselves a chance by drawing 1-1 away. Then at home, we trailed early but scored twice before the break to seal a 3-2 aggregate win and progression into the lucrative groups. The draw looked tough and was, as Gremio (BRA), San Lorenzo (ARG) and Bolivar (BOL) awaited over the next few months. We began by winning in Brazil, stunning Gremio 1-0. San Lorenzo then bought us back down to earth, as we lost our first home game of the stage, whilst we then dismantled Bolivar 5-0 on the road. Somehow we then did the double over Gremio, coming from a goal down to win thanks to Carreno in the 93rd minute. Again we followed that up with a loss to San Lorenzo, leaving the group with 3 teams fighting for 2 spots. It boiled down to us needing to stuff Bolivar, assuming Gremio beat San Lorenzo and other permutations. We had made it and our reward would be another glamour tie against one of the Argentine greats Racing Club. We gave them a fight in the opening leg, 1-1 proving respectable, yet it proved too much in the return as we lost 0-4 in Argentina to end our run unceremoniously. Would love to play these guys again, but they are no where near promotion. Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Ignacio Laquintana (45%) Goal of the Season - Jaime Carreno Young Player of the Season - Ignacio Laquintana Campeonato Primera Champions - Union La Calera Campeonato Primera B Champions - Nublense Copa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Supercopa Chile Winners - Colo Colo Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Union La Calera lost in 2Q / Union Espanola & Santiago Morning lost in 2nd Round / Colo Colo lost in Q/Final Copa Sudamericana - Audax Italiano lost in 1st Round / Palestino & Universidad de Chile lost in 2nd Round / Universidad Catolica lost in 3rd Round Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 2, 2020 Author Share Posted September 2, 2020 (edited) 2024 Pre-Season Investment into the club continued off the pitch with the President committing to over $500,000 of advancements to both the training and academy facilities. Alongside this, we invested heavily into the squad, using the money raised from our Copa Libertadores adventure to try and fund another run towards qualifying for the competition. We did start our pre-season with a sale as Botafogo paid us $1,500,000 for Uruguayan Ignacio Laquintana, boosting our coffers even further. In return we would add 3 new faces, Chileans Baeza and Nieto would arrive to bolster the squads depth, before we went on to smash the clubs record transfer fee. That fee would be $2,000,000 on Argentine Gonzalo Echeverria as we poached the promising teenager out of River Plate with a hefty gamble. First Half Honestly our start couldnt have been worse, bar a surprise win over Universidad de Chile (La U), we sat at the foot of the table. Then things picked up, we would go on to hit a 10 game unbeaten run as we found our scoring boots to hit reigning Campeon' Union La Calera for 4 and then repeat the feat the week after at home to Deportes Puerto Mott. We put ourselves in the mix... the title race mix, Santiago Morning were beginning to look relevant and a good mid-season transfer window could make all the difference. Mid-Season Break There wasnt a break as such this year with the Copa Chile filling the void between league games, however we used the open market to add 5 faces, 1 familiar as we took our seasons spending to over $4,500,000. Once again we sold before we dipped our toes into the water, selling Chilean fullback Victor Retamal to Colo Colo for a tidy $1,400,000, giving us a bit more punch in the market. We once again broke the one million dollar barrier, signing Simon Gonzalez from Universidad Catolica, but the exciting news for all El Chago supporters would be the surprise return of Jaime Carreno. Just one year after his move to Racing Club, we bought him back for $625,000 as we finally could fill the hole left by him after his sale. Second Half With the squad reinforced with quality, hopes were high. Alas they were immediately bought back down to earth as we were unable to string back to back wins together, with a 5-0 win at Cobresal a highlight before the lowlight. That lowlight was a 3 game losing skid that ended any outside hope we had of reaching the Libertadores via the league. All by the odd goal, but all critical blows to our position. We would rally to then win our final 3 games to secure 5th place for the 3rd time in 4 years, enough to clinch a Sudamericana placing... or so we thought.. However our Copa Chile exploits would reward us as once again although we came up short in the Final, Union Espanola had already qualified via the league and so we picked up the scraps as Chile's #4 entrant in next years Copa Put it simply, we dont like Union Espanola. 2 years ago we lost to them in the Final, last year they beat us in the Semis on penalties... this year? Final and another defeat to Union Espanola. We had a fairly easy run to the Final, even beating Primera B side Deportes Melipilla in the last 4, but once again we came unstuck against the Copa Chile specialists as our wait for a major honour continues. Magallanes are closer to falling into the Amateur ranks than anything right now. That victory that saw us claim the title over them has proved to be a turning point in both clubs future. Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Agustin Guiffrey (37%) Goal of the Season - Carlos Gomez Young Player of the Season - Gonzalo Echeverria Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Diego Oyarzun & Juan Cruz Zurbriggen Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad Catolica Campeonato Primera B Champions - Deportes Temuco Copa Chile Winners - Union Espanola Supercopa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Universidad Catolica & Union Espanola lost in 2Q / Universidad de Chile & Union La Calera lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Curico Unido, Huachipato & Deportes Puerto Mott lost in 1st Round / Universidad de Chile & Union La Calera lost in 2nd Round / Colo Colo lost in Q/Final Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 (edited) 2025 Pre-Season With the prospect of more Libertadores funds coming our way and a small increase in the TV rights for the Campeonato Nacional, we made the call to improve the squad arguably beyond our means. This involved spending $2,500,000 on 3 new faces (well 2 and a free transfer) as our most notable deal saw $1,900,000 spent on highly rated Chilean wide-man Mario Ponce who we managed to get out of old foe Union Espanola. First Half For 11 games we were the leagues best team, no doubt. We topped the table with 9 wins, we had beaten 'La U', we had conceded just 4 goals and Labandeira was notching at the rate of a goal a game. Then it just stopped. We would lose our final 2 games before a mid-season break and without the funds to improve the squad we would have to use the gap in play to try and find a way to bring confidence back to the camp. Mid-Season Break As mentioned there was little to see here bar get the club back on its feet and with the prospect of 4 straight home games to open up when we returned, there was an opportunity to make good on our start. Second Half Unfortunately it just wasnt there and our slim title hopes soon vanished as we drew 3 straight and never recovered. There was the odd win, but the defeats soon mounted up as we again failed to find the consistency needed to break into the Top 3. Our early season form was enough to keep us comfortably in the Sudamericana places but there were just 5 wins from our last 16 games, as we would struggle to find the net, failing to score in 8 games and relying on 4 of those wins coming at home to again see us claim 5th place for the 4th time in our 5 top flight seasons. Well at least we lost to someone other than Union Espanola, however we have every right to be frustrated with our penalty shoot out defeat to Deportes Puerto Montt, as we had a 2 goal lead and threw it away in our Quarter Final exit. Back in the Libertadores and although we rallied to come back from a 2-3 home loss to Cerro Porteno in the 2nd Qualifying Round, we then failed by losing in Colombia to Ind. Medellin as we would rue a missed penalty and a late goal by the hosts to send us out before reaching the Group Phase. We did however fall in to the Sudamericana and our hopes for a deep run looked good after we took apart Peruvian's Alianza Lima 4-1 on aggregate. Unfortunately we then drew Argentines Estudiantes La Plata and although we took them close, they held out to edge us by the odd goal over 2 legs. Going to be a bit bare here for a while! Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Diego Oyarzun (34%) Goal of the Season - Jose Lopez Young Player of the Season - Jose Lopez Campeonato Nacional Top Goalscorer - Facundo Labandeira (18) Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Diego Oyarzun & Facundo Labandeira Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad Catolica Campeonato Primera B Champions - Deportes Iquique Copa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Supercopa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Colo Colo lost in 2Q / Santiago Morning lost in 3Q / Union Espanola lost in Group Phase / Universidad Catolica lost in 2nd Round Copa Sudamericana - Curico Unido & Union La Calera lost in 1st Round / Universidad de Chile & Palestino lost in 2nd Round / Santiago Morning lost in 3rd Round Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 (edited) 2026 Pre-Season Once again off field news headlined our pre-season as confirmation of the new stadium, its cost, name, capacity and all the intracacies around it have been announced. In 2028 we will open our new Stadium, named after club legend William Marin. We then doubled down our efforts for success on the pitch. The promise was, we had to be competing at the top end by the break to ensure that we kept the squad together. So with that in mind, $2,300,000 was invested and 8 new faces joined a squad that had seen a gaggle of players released including former fan favourite Oyarzun as we rebuilt the defensive structure of the team. The additions of Galdames, Catalan and Cuevas would give us a younger core to our defense, as all our signings would be of Chilean descent. First Half We had to start well and although we stuttered with some sloppy defeats, things looked positive as we began to score freely, beating Deportes Iquique 4-0, Everton 5-0 and Audax Italiano 5-1. The team had found its rythmn on the back of Peruvian schemer Jose Lopez. Again there was a little stumble but a 3 game winning run toward the break saw us hit 4 more at Huachipato, as we sat nicely in 2nd place, 5pts behind Universidad Catolica but still handily placed. Mid-Season Break Then came the season breaker. The club was struggling financially, we had overstretched in the summer and the lack of success on the Continent had hit our income streams. This coupled with our stadium loan had left the board searching for answers... that answer came from San Lorenzo, as the Argentine giants put down $3,000,000 rising to $4,400,000 for Jose Lopez and that was that. Our creative outlet had gone and goals would soon follow... Second Half From hopes of challenging for the title, we would slide down the table and in the end scrape into 6th place and just about ensure another crack at the Sudamericana next time out. We would lose 8 games without scoring a goal, as for all our defensive efforts (4 of the 5 would earn team of the year honours) there was no one there to score. Alongside that we lost every home game after the break without scoring, collecting our 3 wins on the road as the decision to sell Lopez proved to be catastrophic for our ambition. The reality is that the team will now head toward a rebuild. Familiar faces such as Labandeira and Zurbriggen have lost their touch and with their hefty wage, we cannot afford to carry anyone anymore. Our youth system is yet to provide us with any hope, we will once again dip into the transfer market hoping to unearth a gem or two once more. Back to our standard here, losing to Union Espanola... you begin to wonder if the draw is rigged somehow! This time though it was just in the 3rd Round, so no Final heartache for us, although id rather be in there than not. A brief foray into the Sudamericana for us, we beat out Venezuelan side Monegas, coming back from a 0-2 loss in the opening leg. However things came to an abrupt end in the 2nd Round as RB Bragantino gave us a lesson in Brazil, beating us 0-4 and ending our stint in the competition. Magallanes came close, they lost in the playoffs... maybe there will be another Clasico in the Campeonato Nacional one day?! Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Simon Gonzalez (34%) Goal of the Season - Claudio Rojas Young Player of the Season - Agustin Catalan Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Kevin Mier, Byron Nieto, Agustin Catalan & Cristian Cuevas Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad Catolica Campeonato Primera B Champions - Deportes Antofagasta Copa Chile Winners - Palestino Supercopa Chile Winners - Colo Colo Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Union Espanola & Huachipato lost in 2Q / Colo Colo lost in the 2nd Round / Universidad Catolica lost in Q/Final Copa Sudamericana - Curico Unido lost in 1st Round / Santiago Morning lost in 2nd Round / Palestino & Universidad de Chile lost in 3rd Round Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucdark Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 As a Chilean I have to say, very good save!!! You have one fan here 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashjm Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 Doing very well mate, really good read 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 10 hours ago, ucdark said: As a Chilean I have to say, very good save!!! You have one fan here Thanks for reading, appreciate the feedback, glad you are on board and hope I can do Santiago Morning and Chile proud 4 hours ago, ashjm said: Doing very well mate, really good read Cheers mate, appreciate you taking your time to read and post. I hope to bring a bit of detail and information to how things are going on an annual basis, but feel free to ask anything about the team or save as well 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 (edited) 2027 Pre-Season 2 in, 2 out this pre-season as we had a net spend of around $400,000 bringing in attacking options Jaime Diaz and Andres Arana. However it was our outgoings that made more headlines as we cut our losses on $2,000,000 man Gonzalo Echeverria, as he scored just 9 times in 90 games for the club. Alongside that we also made our minds up on Facundo Labandeira as after his 18 goal effort in 2025, we saw little positives from him as his 3 goals in 2026 meant we decided to move toward a new approach. First Half Onto the season then and our opener couldnt have been worse. At home, against Colo Colo... lost 0-4, a thumping and hopefully not a sign of things to come. Fortunately it wasnt as we got ourselves together defensively, whilst figuring things out up-top with our new look strikeforce. Arana would score twice as we went to Union Espanola and beat them 4-0. Then a week later Nublense came to La Pintana and took 4 as well. Jaime Carreno a firm fans favourtie continued to drive the team forward, scoring in a 3-0 win over Huachipato, following that up with another as we won 5-0 at Cobresal. We appeared to have found the right blend at the right time, alas there is another side who have that blend down to a tea. Universidad Catolica have a stranglehold on the division and their 0-2 win over us before the break, ensured we had work to do in the second half of the season to catch and overtake them. Mid-Season Break We were as close as we had ever been and I pushed the board to be more ambitious, so we committed to a $3,000,000 spend in the transfer window, bringing in Chilean Enrique Martinez from Gimnasia (LP) and Peruvian Frank Palacios for over $1,000,000 a piece. There had to be some give, so out went Zurbriggen who had fallen off a cliff in recent seasons, whilst the sale of Byron Nieto to Universidad Catolica for $1,300,000 concerned many fans as we made our rivals stronger in the process. Overall the squad came out more balanced and more importantly younger. Financially we need to get back into the Libertadores to make the most of the squad, the pressure is on. Second Half So back onto the pitch and we would lose twice on the bounce, 0-1 at Colo Colo and Deportes Antofagasta as memories of recent season collapses came to the fore. However that would be it, there would be no further losses as the team turned the corner and tried to turn the screw on Catolica. Once again our defense held up as we went on to concede a team best 20 goals across the season, with Kevin Mier adding 8 more clean sheets in the final 13 games. Enrique Martinez proved to be an inspired piece of business, scoring 9 times as he helped us make the most of our solid approach to the game. Unfortunately we had too much to do and in the end we would settle for am impressive 2nd place, the best league performance for the team since the 1940s and a guaranteed place in the Copa Libertadores Group Phase for 2028. A decent Copa run as we again attempt to win a major trophy, however we come unstuck in the Semi Finals as the dominant team in Chile Universidad Catolica took us apart over the 2 legs, as they moved towards yet another domestic double. In and out, as we collapse against Colombians Santa Fe to end any hope of success abroad. The 1st leg came before the start of our league campaign and without much time to gel, we took a heavy 0-3 loss. A week later we lost 1-2 at home and that was that. Oh dear, not only do Magallanes have to watch us have our best season in over 80 years, but they also suffer the humiliating fate of relegation to Segunda Division and will now stare into the abyss of Chilean football. Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Jaime Carreno (71%) Goal of the Season - Jaime Carreno Young Player of the Season - Enrique Martinez Campeonato Nacional ANFP Player of the Year - Enrique Martinez Campeonato Nacional Player of the Year - Enrique Martinez Best Chilean Player of the Year - Jaime Carreno Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Kevin Mier, Simon Gonzalez, Jaime Carreno & Enrique Martinez Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad Catolica Campeonato Primera B Champions - San Antonio Unido Copa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Supercopa Chile Winners - Palestino Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Union Espanola & Palestino lost in 2Q / Universidad Catolica & Everton de Vina lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Santiago Morning, Colo Colo & Union La Calera lost in 1st Round / Universidad de Chile lost in 2nd Round Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 (edited) 2028 Pre-Season It has been a successful era under Fabian Poblete but he hands over the reigns to Osvaldo Jimenez as we move forward looking to take the next step in our development. With a new man in charge, he immediately set out to impress the fans by loosening the financial restraints, allowing us to spend over $4,000,000 on domestic based players. However it would be the loss of Jaime Carreno that made the major headlines at the club as he chose against renewing his contract and took leave of the club for the 2nd time. It was a huge blow and hole to fill once more. So, our incomings were focused on bringing a domestic core to the squad. Unfortunately we were suckered in to spending a club record $2,400,000 on Jorge Figueroa from Universidad Catolica. Figueroa was attracting large amounts of attention from Europe and to that end, we believed we could get the best out of him for a year and turn a healthy profit... hindsight will prove a wonderful thing. First Half We began slowly and never really got out of 2nd gear, doing enough to be in and around the Top 5, but never doing enough to break into the Libertadores fight. Our usual defensive strength came unstuck as Kevin Mier who kept 22 clean sheets last season, would only keep 4 in the 1st half of the season as we couldnt find the right formula that saw us finish as Runners Up last time out. Mid-Season Break Nothing to see here, no further investment was made as although the bank balance looked healthy, we wanted to make the most of what we had. At this stage Jorge Figueroa had yet to score for the club, making more appearances off the bench than from the start. Second Half For once we came out of the break on a positive note. Deportes Puerto Montt took 5, San Antonio Unido 4 and then Union Espanola 3 as 4 wins on the spin shot us back into the mix. The jitters then began to take hold, Campeon in waiting Everton would beat us, before we then saw 'La U' spank us on our own ground 0-5. From there we would win just one more game in our run in and although there was a smattering of draws, our final day 0-1 home loss to Colo Colo summed up everything that our season was.... new home, disappointing and enough but not enough. Our first year at the William Marin Arena would see us win 10 of our 12 games, the opener at the ground was a 2-0 win over San Antonio Unido with Andres Arana scoring both. Note 3 of our 'home' games are played at the home of our opponent every year to allow for bigger attendances.. Colo Colo, Universidad Catolica and Universidad de Chile. As for our plan to cash in on Figueroa... his 5 goal return (3 of which from the spot) from 24 appearances, leaves us without the expected windfall on the horizon. A thrilling win over O'Higgins was all we could take from this years Copa as Universidad Catolica eased past us in the 3rd Round as we suffer an early exit. A trophy, maybe not one of the major ones, but one of the three on offer in Chile. For the first time Santiago Morning are Supercopa Chile winners as we open the season beating Universidad Catolica to etch our name into the history books. A tough Libertadores group played out as we expected. We beat Emelec (ECU) twice with ease, but with Racing Club and Boca Juniors were too strong and although we picked up a point against both, there was little else to celebrate as we wind up proud but 3rd. 3rd place means another crack in the Copa Sudamericana. Once again we slumped to a heavy loss on the road, losing 0-3 in Gimnasia (LP). The return was about salvaging pride, although it was close to being more as our 2-0 win gave us a thrilling but fruitless finish in our brief foray once more. No where to be seen.... Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Enrique Martinez (61%) Goal of the Season - Yerko Galdames Young Player of the Season - Enrique Martinez Campeonato Nacional Young Player of the Year - Frank Palacios Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Frank Palacios Campeonato Primera Champions - Everton de Vina Campeonato Primera B Champions - Cobresal Copa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Supercopa Chile Winners - Santiago Morning Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Palestino lost in 2Q / Cobresal lost in 3Q / Universidad Catolica & Santiago Morning lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Colo Colo & Nublense lost in 1st Round / Universidad Catolica, Cobresal, Union Espanola & Santiago Morning lost in 2nd Round / Everton de Vina lost in 3rd Round Edited September 4, 2020 by bestbrother Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 2029 Pre-Season A book balancing pre-season for us as we made a net profit of around $2,500,000 in the transfer market, selling Enrique Martinez for a club record $3,500,000 to Chinese outfit Hebei. We would also lose highly rated Yerko Galdames for nothing to Colo Colo, a bit of bad business on our part as just a year earlier we rejected a $1,500,000 bid from the same club. Income highly rated stopper Marco Guzman, as he had recently broke into the National team setup. Whilst we finally got our hands on Eduardo Soto from Colo Colo a player we had been chasing for a couple of years since he burst onto the scene domestically. Alongside all this, the board have put into place an expansion to the new stadium. This will bring us upto 13000+ capacity and hopefully allow us to continue to push forward in the coming seasons. First Half We managed to survive a tough start unscathed, drawing with Campeon' Everton and than at Universidad de Chile, as we began life without a few of last seasons key players. A 5 game winning run came next, 4 of which on the road as we found joy by using Claudio Rojas and Andres Arana as our strike pairing. There would be a couple of defeats before the break, but we would sign off by hammering Huachipato 4-1 and as we have done before, sat healthily in the top 3 with a real chance of kicking on. Mid-Season Break We held our position here, the club is slowly leaking money and with no more plans to upgrade any in house facilities, we will be looking to sell to buy more often than not. However the board were happy to keep this squad together, to try and get over the hump and bring back silverware once more. Second Half Like a greyhound out of the traps, we raced back into form, first stuffing Everton 5-3, before winning another 6 on the spin, as our defensive strength came to the fore with a gaggle of 1-0 wins. At this stage we were just 1pt off Universidad Catolica and well ensconced in a 3-way battle with them and 'La U' for the title. Sadly we got the yips, 1 point from 6 in home games against Palestino and Nublense hurt us. A useful draw at Catolica helped them more than us, before we saw our hopes go up in smoke by losing to relegation threatened Curico Unido 0-3. Hope for 2nd place and an automatic Libertadores Group placing soon vanished, as although we went to Colo Colo and won 2-0, we again collected just 1 pt from 2 home games to see our season fizzle out in a respectable 3rd place, but oh so close to so much more. On a league wide note, Universidad de Chile would win their first title since 2017 and their first since the change of format to a European style season I cant explain what happened here, our Copa efforts are getting worse year on year, this time we managed to lose 0-4 at home to Palestino to leave us on the outside looking in once again. A repeat tie with the team that dumped us out at this stage in our first effort in the Sudamericana. No guessing what happens next? We lose 2-3 on aggregate to Tolima as we dont ever seem to be ready for the early fixtures. No where to be seen.... still..... Best XI not generated by game? Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Andres Arana (61%) Goal of the Season - Claudio Rojas Young Player of the Season - Alexis Viale Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Marco Guzman, Agustin Catalan, Alexis Viale & Andres Arana Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad de Chile Campeonato Primera B Champions - Santiago Wanderers Copa Chile Winners - Union Espanola Supercopa Chile Winners - Universidad Catolica Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Universidad de Chile & Huachipato lost in 2Q / Universidad Catolica & Everton de Vina lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Union Espanola, Deportes Antofagasta & Santiago Morning lost in 1st Round / Everton de Vina lost in 2nd Round / Colo Colo lost in 3rd Round Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 (edited) Edited September 5, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 2030 Pre-Season We would lose our strike force this pre-season as Claudio Rojas chose to sign a pre-contract with Everton, whilst we cashed in on Argentine Andres Arana for $2,000,000 as we balanced the books after 4 additions. Chilean Internationals Mario Santos, Jonathan Castagnoli and Camilo Sesma would come in, whilst we also gambled on Brazilian wideman Jose Marcilio to make the adjustment to Chilean football. First Half This was probably our worst start to a top flight campaign, as after 10 games we found ourselves embroiled in a relegation battle, losing 7 of our opening fixtures as a new look forward line failed to fire. Then May arrived and we travelled to bottom club Audax Italiano and things finally clicked into place, a 6-0 away win setting us up for a return to form. We would go on a mini unbeaten run until the break, easing us clear of the bottom 2. Mid-Season Break Once again we held our ground, not dabbling in the transfer market as again it would be a case of sell to buy, something we are not prepared to do at this stage. Second Half We had to continue our improvement in order to squeeze into the Sudamericana race, yet once again we struggled to score with goals coming at a premium. We found our way back by beating Everton 3-0, then doing Audax Italiano by the same score a week later. Our fate sat in our own hands and although we lost 0-1 against Colo Colo, back to back away wins to end the season saw us nick 7th place, with Castagnoli coming good, scoring a hat trick in a 4-3 win at Curico Unido, whilst we clinched our spot with the same man scoring a brace to beat Santiago Wanderers 2-0. We didnt lose yet we failed to lift the Copa, falling short in our 3rd Final under my tenure. Our run wasnt spectacular, drawing at least 1 leg from each tie all the way to our Final against Palestino. So here we are in another Final but this time not against Union Espanola... surely its our time. Well the 1st leg ended goalless, whilst in the return we tied 1-1 after falling behind. The tie went to penalties and who would bottle it? Santiago Morning, Frank Palacios and Mario Ponce both missed and Palestino would lift the Copa with a 3-4 penalty shootout win. Its almost heartbreaking, as we fall in the 3rd Qualifying round after pushing Argentine gigantes' River Plate to the limit. We had demolished Monagas to get here, then kept River to just an 0-1 loss at El Monumental. Then back home, we turned it on and raced into a 3-0 lead within 30 minutes. Everything was falling our way... then we let it slip. River showed their class to fight back to 3-2 and then hold out to knock us out on away goals. We rarely get far in this competition and although we beat Talleres Cba. in the 2nd Round, we then saw Danubio (URU) come to Santiago and hammer us 0-5 to all but end another continental run. We salvaged a little pride drawing 1-1 in the return leg, but we cant take much from that. No where to be seen.... still.....STILL.... Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Mario Ponce (38%) Goal of the Season - Osvaldo Jadue Young Player of the Season - Jorge Figueroa Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Alexis Viale & Johnathan Castagnoli Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad de Chile Campeonato Primera B Champions - Rangers de Talca Copa Chile Winners - Palestino Supercopa Chile Winners - Universidad de Chile Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Santiago Morning & Union Espanola lost in 3Q / Universidad de Chile & Universidad Catolica lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Colo Colo lost in 1st Round / Universidad Catolica, Huachipato & Everton de Vina lost in 2nd Round / Santiago Morning lost in 3rd Round / Palestino lost in Q/Final 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) 2031 Pre-Season Probably the biggest transfer window of any Chilean team.. ever! We would spend over $10,000,000 renovating the squad, as we pushed boundaries and took a gamble that we can make a profit on any future fees. However this season showed how that can backfire, Jorge Figueroa who you may remember we signed in order to re-sell quickly at a profit? Well he walked away this year on a free transfer to Atletico Tucuman, a sign, if any, of the financial tightrope you can walk in South America. We did bring back a former player in Yerko Galdames (again a player who left us for nothing) in a $1,200,000 deal. In total 6 players all signed for 7-figure sums, 8 new faces in total. First Half All that investment and a slow start for us, drawing 4 of our first 6, leaving concerns over what direction the club is taking on the pitch. We turned things around a little, but it wasnt great, 5 wins 3 defeats saw us consolidate at the top end, but no where near the title race and still a few spots of getting back into the Libertadores. Mid-Season Break We would spend again in the mid-season break, another $1m transfer as the push on multiple fronts continued. We would raise funds here, selling off Chilean talent for inflated fees, neither of which overly troubled me in doing such deals. Interesting to note that Michael Tapia has been the first real 'success' from our academy, the full back commanding a $1,000,000 fee, even though he rarely featured for the club (3 starts, 6 apps). Second Half Things had to improve here and although Colo Colo edged us 0-1, we would win 6 of our 7 games on our return, riding the hot boot of Castagnoli and surprisingly Agustin Catalan who will remember his hat trick in our 3-1 win over Antofagasta. Our hopes of a Top 3 placing soon vanquished on the back of a 5 game winless run, that began with 3 draws and then saw us lose sloppy games against Universidad Catolica (2-0 up) and bottom half side Union La Calera. It left us needing to win out to nick 4th and that would give us a Libertadores spot due to Colo Colo winning the Copa Chile. Cobresal were beaten 1-0, relegated Rangers battered 4-0, before a final day thriller almost caught us out as a 4-0 lead soon turned 4-3 and we had to cling on to beat San Antonio Unido and secure our top 4 finish. A tough season due to our deep Copa Sudamericana run which left us a bit short at times, however our aims had been reached and we may now have one more crack before trying to balance the books a little as we are running a $4,500,000 net debt (with some hefty bills to come). Probably our biggest hope for winning a trophy, but we would fall early as although we beat Audax Italiano in a dramatic penalty shoot out, there was no way past Universidad Catolica as we watched them coast on toward the Quarter Final. Drama, tension, penalty shootouts, away goals, thousands of miles of flights.. the Copa Sudamericana had it all and we were right in the middle of it. We began by squeezing past Goias of Brazil via penalties 4-3, even though we would miss the first of the shootout. Peruvians Municipal were our next victim, holding them at their patch before piling on at home to keep our run alive. In the 3rd Round we paired off with another Brazilian team as we would chuck away at 2-0 lead at Ceara to lose 3-4 thanks to an injury time strike. Back home, we again led 2-0 and although Ceara pulled a goal back, Castagnoli (who would go on to have a huge tournament) wrapped it up to give us a 6-5 aggregate win and a spot in the Quarter Finals. Atletico Tucuman (ARG) would then come a cropper against Castagnoli as he scored a brace in our 2-0 home win in the 1st leg. Off to Argentina we went and it was that man again, 2 more for Castagnoli as we took a 2 goal (4-0 lead) in the tie. Tucuman would rally, but we never lost control and as thrilling as 3-3 on the night was, we kept the dream alive. Into the Semi Finals and it would be Independiente Medellin. Home first and again Castagnoli scored, but this time it was an equaliser as we left with a tinge of disappointment drawing 1-1. Things got interesting in the 2nd leg, we went 2-0 up and knew that Medellin would need 3 to knock us out. Well that wouldnt stop them, 37 minutes and its 2-1... we fought tooth and nail to hang on, but in the 88th minute the tie was levelled from the spot. It was disputable but we had to hang on from the ensuing onslaught. Backs to the wall, we cleared everything that came our way... then.... FINAL WHISTLE. 2-2 on the night, 3-3 on aggregate, away goals in our favour and a place in the Copa Sudamericana FINAL! Arguably the biggest day in the clubs history (certainly in recent memory) came as we would face Brazilians Athletico Paranaense. The tie would be played in Chile, at the National Stadium but there was little advantage. The occasion was too much for us and before we knew it the tie was over, the Brazilians were 0-2 up and we had barely begun. We rallied but had no answer, the long season took its toll and there would be no doubt once the 3rd rolled in. A fairy-tale with a damp squid of an ending, we are getting used to losing Finals... always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Oh, whats this.. Magallanes are back in Primera B and at one point held a healthy spot in the playoffs. That didnt last, but still, they are within touching distance. Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Jonathan Castagnoli (34%) Goal of the Season - Patricio Gatica Young Player of the Season - Jonathan Castagnoli Campeonato Nacional Manger of the Year - Winner Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Agustin Catalan Copa Sudamericana Golden Boot - Jonathan Castagnoli Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad Catolica Campeonato Primera B Champions - Deportes Iquique Copa Chile Winners - Colo Colo Supercopa Chile Winners - Universidad de Chile Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Cobresal & Palestino lost in 3Q / Colo Colo lost in Group Phase / Universidad de Chile lost in 2nd Round Copa Sudamericana - Universidad Catolica lost in 2nd Round / San Antonio Unido & Union Espanola lost in 3rd Round / Santiago Morning RUNNERS UP Edited September 7, 2020 by bestbrother 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) 2032 Pre-Season The focus was on trying to balance the books a little, but once an opportunity appeared to sign Chilean International Matias Perez from Colo Colo, we again spent more than we could afford. We would let go of Mario Ponce this pre-season, selling him to Everton (CHI) after 200+ games and 7 years at the club. First Half A mixed bag of winning runs and away defeats. as all 5 of our losses in the first half of the season came on the road. It was that inconsistency that kept us out of the top 3 race, but with 8 wins to go with those defeats, we put up enough points to easily slot into 4th with an eye on a place in next years Copa Libertadores. Mid-Season Break The break came with a shock announcement, as the club found itself with a new President, but from Caracas (VEN) as our Chilean heritage appeared to be moving out of the club. The new money cleared our debts and allowed us to spend $2,300,000 on Brazilian teenage sensation Jorge Wagner from Vasco de Gama. However we did lose Patricio Gatica, selling him to 'La U' for a club record $4,000,000. Not the most popular of decisions to take but one that the player pushed for and we accepted based on the finances invovled. Second Half Our fruitless chase for a top 3 finish pretty much died in the opening month after we returned, as we lost 3 and drew 2 games to fall well off the pace. We did find some form and our goalscoring boots to end the season, winning 7 from the final 8, that included 4-1 raspings of Deportes Puerto Montt and Universidad Catolica. It was enough to claim 4th, but we will rue spurts of bad form that prevented it being a bit or a whole lot more from the league campaign. Sloppy and embarrassing, there was obviously bigger fish to fry but we fall to Primera B opposition and miss another opportunity to finally win something. Desperation is almost setting in for us as we need deep runs in the Libertadores to bring our finances back in line. We dominated Barcelona (ECU) to being our run, beating them home and away. Unfortunately we then met our fate in the 3rd Qualifying Round, slipping out after a sloppy 1-3 home loss to Sporting Cristal (PER) (more on them later), set us up for an exit. We did beat them in the return but it was never enough. Back for another crack here and there is a sense of deja-vous .... We began with an away goals win over Argentinos Jrs, although we made a meal of it in the 2nd leg, leading 3-1 in Argentina, we gave them up as our 3-3 draw was just enough. Next up would be Racing de Montevideo and we had to rally from a 0-1 loss in Uruguay, coming back to thump them at home 4-1 on the back of more Castagnoli goals. Sporting Cristal, remember them? Would be our Quarter Final opponents and we made up for our disappointment in the Libertadores by giving them 5 of the best as we appeared to have done all the hard work in the 1st leg. Back to Peru and it should have been plain sailing, but yet again we gave a team a chance, conceding twice in the final 5 minutes as we again scrapped by losing 0-3, but advancing 5-4 on aggregate. If our run warranted more drama it would come in a Semi Final encounter with Velez Sarsfield. A goalless draw at home meant we had to go to Argentina to win the tie, as 500 fans followed us in that vain hope. We would lead, right on half time via Castagnoli, but then minutes later Velez tied things up. Our backs were firmly against the wall just waiting to break, but somehow, some way we survived and made the most of the antiquated away goals rule to reach the Final for the 2nd year in a row. El Monumental in Buenos Aries would host the showpiece and if our season in the Sudamericana couldnt get any weirder, then believe this, our opponents in the Final would be the team that beat us last year... Athletico Paranaense! The Brazilians were looking to go back to back and would actually score first in the tie as we seemed a bit overawed by the occasion. However once we settled our name (for once) was firmly on the Cup. Eduardo Jara took the lead, scoring 3 as we got the sweetest revenge by romping to an emphatic 5-2 win, a historic moment for El Chago! The gap grows and grows.... Notable Achievements Fans Player of the Year - Agustin Catalan (34%) Goal of the Season - Patricio Gatica Young Player of the Season - Cristian Villarroel Campeonato Nacional Manger of the Year - Winner Campeonato Nacional Team of the Year - Agustin Catalan Copa Sudamericana Team of the Year - Marco Guzman, Agustin Catalan, Eduardo Jara, Juan Pablo Villavicencio & Jonathan Castagnoli Campeonato Primera Champions - Universidad de Chile Campeonato Primera B Champions - Audax Italiano Copa Chile Winners - Union Espanola Supercopa Chile Winners - Colo Colo Conmebol Competitions Copa Libertadores - Universidad de Chile & Santiago Morning lost in 3Q / Universidad Catolica & Colo Colo lost in Group Phase Copa Sudamericana - Everton de Vina, San Antonio Unido & Deportes Antofagasta lost in 1st Round / Palestino lost in 2nd Round / Universidad de Chile lost in 3rd Round / Santiago Morning WINNERS Edited September 11, 2020 by bestbrother 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 (edited) Annoying as I cant centre align the video, so apologies for the out of sync layout on this post. Edited September 12, 2020 by bestbrother Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucdark Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 WOW!! Awesome !!! Congrats !!! Could you put an image with the facilities info? thx!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 13 minutes ago, ucdark said: WOW!! Awesome !!! Congrats !!! Could you put an image with the facilities info? thx!! Cheers mate, its been a long time coming, but finally able to add something to the Trophy Cabinet! Here is an image, we are working on facility upgrades so hopefully things will look a bit better on that front soon. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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