Chile and Copa America go way back. Back in 1916, when the inaugural tournament called the South American Championship saw Chile compete against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It took Chile 99 long years to win its first Copa America in 2015 by defeating Argentina on penalties. “La Roja” then defended that title by denying Leo Messi and Argentina once more in a penalty shootout a year later at the 100th anniversary Copa America. On June 25, Argentina and Chile will face off once more at MetLife stadium in a Group A match.
Now, it’s time to look at the Chilean roster that manager Ricardo Gareca has picked for the upcoming Copa America. The most recognizable name on team Chile’s squad is Alexis Sanchez. The former Barcelona forward is now 35 years old and was mainly used as a sub for Inter Milan in Italy’s Serie A this season. Sanchez underachieved at the 2021 Copa America, where he produced neither a goal nor assist in one game. This could be one of his last Copa Americas, so Sanchez will be looking to prove he can still be an outstanding player at this competition by leading Chile in the attacking third in the United States this summer.
On the roster are five players who play for some very wealthy European and South American clubs. This includes defenders Guillermo Maripan (AS Monaco) and Gabriel Suazo (Toulouse), midfielder Dario Osorio (Midtjylland), and forwards Victor Davila (CSKA Moscow) and Eduardo Vargas (Atletico Mineiro). One of the biggest omissions from the roster is Arturo Vidal, a former Juventus midfielder who was a key part of Chile's two straight Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016. Without further ado, let’s break down what Chile will be taking with it to the United States by position.
Between the Sticks
One of the mainstays of this roster is another veteran, goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Bravo, who played for Barcelona from 2014-2017, will be Chile’s first-choice goalkeeper for this tournament, and he’s earned that right. Over a career that has spanned 20 seasons, Bravo has played for Real Sociedad, Barcelona, and Real Betis in La Liga and even had a four-year stint with Manchester City in the Premier League. Nevertheless, Bravo is 41 years old, which will make him one of the oldest players competing in the Copa America, but he does add the experience of having played in five Copa Americas. Bravo seems to be the heavy favorite to take over between the sticks for Chile at this Copa America despite his age. The reason is that the experience that the other two Chilean goalkeepers have pales in comparison. Gabriel Arias has been to each of the previous two Copa Americas, but Brayan Cortes has no Copa America experience. However, if Bravo has to vacate the net for any reason, Arias looks like he will be the second choice. In seven career Copa America starts, Arias has conceded just seven goals compared to the 13 goals in 10 matches that Cortes has conceded in World Cup qualifying.
Tried Tested, and True Backline
On the backline, Chile has depth and experience, including a tight-knit group that mostly plays in the Argentine first division. That group includes Matias Catalan, Paulo Diaz, Thomas Galdames, and Mauricio Isla. Isla is 36 years old and will be playing in his sixth Copa America, and that’s a valuable experience. In addition to Isla’s experience, Chile will have three other defenders with prior Copa America experience, Guillermo Maripan, Paulo Diaz, and Igor Lichnovsky, but none of whom experienced winning Copa America.
Gabriel Suazo is coming off a productive year for Toulouse in France’s Ligue Un. The 26-year-old established career highs in starts (27) and assists (4). The defender with the highest value on transfrmarkt.com among the Chilean defenders is Guillermo Maripan. The six-foot-three center-back has made 47 appearances for Chile including playing at the previous two Copa Americas. Clearly the big man is an aerial threat because he’s scored 11 goals over the last five seasons for AS Monaco from the backline. It will be interesting to see how this backline comes together.
In Chile’s recent friendly against Paraguay on June 11, manager Ricardo Gareca went with a backline that had Gabriel Suazo as left-back, Igor Lichnovsky and Matias Catalan as the center-backs, and wise old Mauricio Isla as right-back. With Isla, 36, Lichnovsky, 30, Catalan, 31, and Suazo, 26, it’s a backline that favors veterans over inexperienced players.
A Conservative Midfield
Onto the midfield. Chile will be bringing only one midfielder with Copa America experience with it to the United States and that is Erick Pulgar. Pulgar has two goals in 16 career Copa America starts and was a part of the 2016 championship team. Marcelino Nunez stands out because he plays for Norwich in the English Championship, where he made 27 starts this season. Nunez also has scored one goal in two 2026 World Cup qualifying matches for Chile.
The rest of the midfield group is a mixed bag. Esteban Pavez is the senior among the group at 34 years old. Diego Valdes stands out for the successful stint he’s had with Club America in the Mexican Liga MX. Valdes scored five goals in Liga MX this season so he might be an offensive threat in this Chilean midfield. Overall, Chile’s manager has selected just seven midfielders for the Copa America, which doesn’t provide it with much flexibility given that in most lineup formations, at least four midfielders are used.
A Fiery Forward Group
Once you get to Chile’s forward group, you start to recognize the players a bit more. Chile will bring a group of forwards who play for an assortment of top European clubs: Victor Davila from CSKA Moscow, Dario Osorio from Denmark’s Midtjylland, and Eduardo Vargas from Brazil’s Atletico Mineiro.
Vargas was the leading goal scorer at the 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas, with six and four goals, respectively. On top of that, Vargas has 14 career Copa America goals, which is just three behind the all-time leaders Norbert Mendez and Zizinho. Vargas dominated Copa America eight years ago now and he is now 34 years old. Does he have what it takes to strike fear into the hearts of opposing backlines like he used to?
Alas, it’s time to discuss the younger generation, and that begins with Victor Davila. Davila scored a brace in Chile’s 3-1 friendly victory over Paraguay on June 11 and looks to be in top form heading into Copa America. Chile will also bring with them Ben Brereton Diaz, who scored a goal and an assist for Chile at the 2021 Copa America. Davila (26 years old) and Osorio (20 years old) have no experience playing in Copa America but will add youth and speed to Chile's otherwise old forward group. Overall, while Chile’s midfield leaves a lot to be desired, Chile’s forward group looks deep and has a good mix of youth and experience.
Are Chile Underdogs?
While this roster doesn’t have the household names that Argentina has or that it had at Copa Americas in the past, it should have chemistry as many of the Chileans play in the Chilean Primera Division or Argentina’s premier league. According to the final 26-man roster, seven play in Chile’s topflight, six play in Argentina and four play for Colo Colo of the Chilean Primera Division.
This should make the players work together as a unit better, and they’re going to need to play smart team soccer in order to get out of their group. The group Chile is in -- Group A includes the defending champions, Argentina, Peru, and Canada. Chile opens the 2024 Copa America with a match against an experienced Peru team. From there they face Argentina on June 25 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford before closing out the group stage against Canada on June 29. There are no easy matches here, so Chile will need to be on their ‘A game’ to get out of the group and advance to the knockout stages.
Be sure to check out JerseySportingNews.com for Copa America updates
- Copa America a 'Dry Run' for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - June 26, 2024
- MetLife Matchup: Uruguay Square up with Bolivia at the Home of Giants/Jets - June 26, 2024
- Copa America Preview: Argentina clash with Chile at MetLife Stadium - June 26, 2024
About The Author
