Unión Española

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Unión Española
Full nameUnión Española S.A.D.P.
Nickname(s)La Furia (The Fury)
El Rojo (The Red)
Hispanos (Hispanics)
FoundedMay 18, 1897; 126 years ago (1897-05-18) as
Centro Español de Instrucción y Recreación
GroundEstadio Santa Laura
Capacity19,000[1]
OwnerJorge Segovia
ChairmanArturo Juarros
ManagerMiguel Ponce
LeagueChilean Primera División
2023Primera División, 10th of 16
WebsiteClub website

Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional

Primera División de Chile
. It has a branch of women's football, and competes in national tournaments with its lower categories. Acclaimed as one of the four great of Chilean football, it is one of the longest-lived teams in the country.

Unión Española has won

1975
.

In July 2008, the club was purchased by the Spanish entrepreneur and owner of SEK University, Jorge Segovia. Segovia purchased all rights federative, the lower divisions, the pass of the players and the logo of the club, for a fee of 2.5 billion Chilean pesos (US$1.25 million).

Home games have been played at the

Estadio Santa Laura
since their 1922 opening. After Segovia's arrival in May 2008, the stadium was remodeled at a cost of 4 billion pesos. In 2009, the stadium was renamed as Estadio Santa Laura–Universidad SEK.

The club's traditional rivals are

Primera División Chilena behind Santiago Wanderers
that was founded in 1892.

History

Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons

Unión Deportiva Española squad champion of the Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago in 1925

The team was founded as Centro Español de Instrucción y Recreación on 18 May 1897 by a group of Spanish immigrants resident in Chile. In 1918 two other teams were founded: Club Ciclista Ibérico and the Club Ibérico Balompié. Both clubs merged in 1922, becoming the club, Unión Deportiva Española. The club operated as titular team in the

Estadio Santa Laura
.

In the first seasons of the club, Unión Deportiva Española participated in the championship of the Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago. In this tournament the club won his first two consecutive titles in the Copa Chile, in the seasons of 1924 and 1925. The team was led by his captain, the Spanish defender Juan Legarreta.

In 1927, following the merger of the National Football Federation occurred the year before, the championship was called Liga Central de Football. Because of the participation of too many clubs, league was divided into two categories in 1927 and 1928: the Serie A and Serie B. The club also was in the Serie A. In 1928, Unión Deportiva Española was awarded its second title, after winning the Liga Central de Fútbol.

In May 1933, Unión Deportiva Española with Colo-Colo, Santiago Badminton, Audax Italiano, Green Cross, Magallanes and Santiago National, were the clubs that founded the Professional League of Chile, part of the Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago. In the Apertura Championship of the same year, Unión achieved the runner-up, after lossing the final against Colo-Colo, in a 2–1 loss. In the Official Championship, the club finished in the fourth place of eight teams.

In the next year, with the final fusion of Centro Español de Instrucción y Recreación and Unión Deportiva Española, in 1934, the club take definitely the name of Unión Española (being re–founded symbolically on 9 December 1935).

In 1939, Unión only played one match in the Primera División 1939 (against Colo-Colo), under the name of Central, in the first week of the tournament. Because the Spanish Civil War of this year, the club's leadership entered in recess for one year. In the next season, Unión had a youth squad during the Primera División tournament of 1940, but the team finished in the tenth place. In 1943, Unión won his first professional title in the Primera División.

After the runner-up achieved in 1945, 1948, in 1950, the team once was runner-up, after lossing the Championship play-offs against Everton for 1–0, with a goal of René Meléndez. Unión once win the Primera División title in 1951 under the Spanish coach Isidro Lángara. This title was the second in Unión Española's history.

Golden Age

Leopoldo Vallejos, goalkeeper of Unión Española during 1972 and 1975

Under the Argentine

Copa Libertadores 1971
, the club finished first in the group stage, qualifying for the semi-finals, but Unión was eliminated in the group in the last position. Whilst in the local tournament, Unión finished in the third place. In the next season, the club once again was runner-up against Colo-Colo and qualified to Copa Libertadores.

In the season of 1973, with the arrival of the coach

Copa Libertadores 1973
, finishing in the last position of the group stage.

On the next season, the coach Luis Santibáñez went to Deportes Ovalle, but he returned to the club in June 1974. In the tournaments Unión had a regular season, finished in the fourth place of the Primera División of 1974 and finishing in the last position of the group stage of Copa Libertadores. However, Unión won the Copa Libertadores play-offs and qualified to the Copa Libertadores of the next year.

One of the most successful seasons of Union Española's history was the 1975 season, winning the national tournament and the runner-up achieved in the Copa Libertadores against Independiente of Avellaneda. In the season of 1976, the squad of Unión Española was totally dismantled, because of offers for their players by other clubs. On the Primera División tournament, Unión finished in the first place with Everton, and both clubs had to play a Championship play-off, that Unión lost. In the Libertadores play-offs, Unión did not qualify to the tournament, after a finish in the third position. However, in 1977, Unión was champion of the tournament.

Irregular years

The years 1980s were irregular season for the Hispanic club. In 1983, Unión made a poor season finishing in the 20th place of 22 teams, meaning the relegation to the

Cobresal
.

After an irregular season in 1987, one of maximum idols of the club Honorino Landa died. Because his dead, was performed a cup in his honor, called "Copa Honorino Landa". The cup was played against Universidad Católica, and the club was defeated by Católica for 3–0. In the same year, the club finished in the twelfth place of 16 teams. In 1988, Unión achieved the runner-up of the Copa Chile, after lossing against Colo-Colo.

In 1989, the club disputed the

Huachipato
, however, Unión won the game by 2–0, crowning champion of the contest.

In 1992, arrived

Estadio Nacional
.

In 1997, Unión Española completed a century of history. In this season, Unión was relegated for first time in its history to the Second Division, now called

Primera B and the coach Acosta leave the club, because the relegation. For the season 1999, the directive hired to the coach Juvenal Olmos
.

2000s

Sebastián Miranda, Unión Española's captain during the seasons 2009–10

Unión Española returned to the Primera División in 2000 with a then-record 70 points. In the Primera División, Unión finished in the fourth place. Because the departure of Juvenal Olmos to Universidad Católica, the former player Leonardo Véliz arrived as coach in 2001.

The team was under the coach,

Cobreloa
.

Because the departure of the coach Fernando Carvallo to

Fernando Díaz Seguel
, with Díaz Seguel as the coach, Unión Española was champion of the Torneo Apertura 2005, winning the sixth title in Primera División in its history.

Because the title obtained in the Apertura 2005, Unión played the

Copa Libertadores 2006. In this international tournament, Unión failed to qualify to the second stage. The club was ubicated in the third position with 8 points alongside Argentine club Newell's Old Boys
, but Newells had more goal difference making that Unión was eliminated of the tournament. However, in the national tournament, Unión made a poor season, finishing in the thirteenth place of the Annual Table.

In the next season, Unión Española made a regular season on

Torneo de Clausura
, the team worse totally his performance finishing in the eighteenth place of the Clausura and nearly going to the promotion play–offs after finishing sixteenth place in the Annual Table.

In 2008, under the Argentine

Primera B
, after an aggregate result of 5–4.

In the next season, the club made a notable season in the

Copa Sudamericana 2009, but in the play-offs the team was runner–up of the tournament against Universidad de Chile, on a 2–1 aggregate result. Because the first place obtained in the Apertura, Unión qualified to the Copa Sudamericana 2009, the club defeat to La Equidad on 3–2 aggregate, qualifying to the Round of 16 against Vélez Sársfield
, but the team nearly qualified to the quarter-finals, after a loss of 5–4 on the aggregate.

2010s

In the

Caracas
in the third position with 7 points.

Unión won the Apertura Tournament of 2013, after defeating Colo-Colo 1–0 on the final match. Although they tied with Universidad Católica, they won the tournament by goal difference.

Club facts

Players

Current squad

Current squad of Unión Española as of 1 May 2021 (edit)
Sources: ANFP Official Web Site

No. Position Player
1  CHI GK Alonso Montecinos
2  CHI DF Kevin Contreras
3  CHI DF Valentín Vidal
4  CHI MF Milovan Celis
5  ARG MF Diego González
6  CHI DF Luis Pavez
7  CHI MF Bryan Carvallo
8  CHI MF Pablo Aránguiz
9  CHI FW Vicente Conelli
10  ARG MF Emiliano Vecchio
11  CHI MF Ariel Uribe
13  CHI GK Martín Ballesteros
14  CHI MF Ignacio Núñez
16  CHI DF Simón Ramírez
17  CHI MF Felipe Massri
No. Position Player
18  CHI DF Nicolás Peñailillo
19  URU FW Valentín Adamo
20  ARG FW Franco Frías
21  CHI FW Juan Carlos Garrido
22  CHI FW Bastián Yáñez
23  CHI FW Tomás Tolosa
24  CHI FW Gabriel Norambuena
25  URU GK Franco Torgnascioli
26  CHI DF Bastián Roco
28  CHI DF Jonathan Villagra
29  CHI DF Stefano Magnasco
30  CHI DF José Tiznado
32  CHI MF Claudio Espinoza
33  CHI MF Sebastián Leyton
34  PAR FW Fernando Ovelar

Manager: Ronald Fuentes

2024 Summer Transfers

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
-- GK Uruguay URU Franco Torgnascioli (from Everton)
-- DF Chile CHI Bastián Roco (from Huachipato)
No. Pos. Nation Player
-- DF Chile CHI Nicolás Peñailillo (from Unión La Calera)
-- DF Chile CHI Diego González (from Boca Juniors)

Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
5 MF Argentina ARG Emanuel Cecchini (to Audax Italiano)
9 FW Argentina ARG Leandro Garate (to Huracán)
10 DF Uruguay URU Rodrigo Piñeiro (to Vélez Sarsfield)
18 FW Chile CHI Thomas Rodríguez (to Audax Italiano)
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 GK Chile CHI Sebastián Pérez (back to Universidad Católica)
33 DF Uruguay URU Manuel Fernández (to Coquimbo Unido)
35 GK Uruguay URU Nicolás Guirín (Released)

Managers

Current staff

Position Name
Coach Chile Jorge Pellicer
Assistant coach Chile Francisco Quiroz
Fitness coach Chile Felipe Prieto
Goalkeepers' coach Chile Matías Fernández
Physician Chile Cristián Carmona
Physiotherapists Chile Felipe Suárez - Chile Pablo Celis

Historical Managers

Honours

League

  • Primera División de Chile
     (first tier)
    • Winners (7):
      2013–T
    • Runners-up (10):
      2017–T
  • Primera B (second tier)

Cup

Continental

References

  1. ^ "Estadio Santa Laura-Universidad SEK". estadio seguro. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.

External links

Official website
News sites
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