Unión Española facts for kids
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| Full name | Unión Española S.A.D.P. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | La Furia (The Fury) El Rojo (The Red) Hispanos (Hispanics) |
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| Founded | May 18, 1897 as Centro Español de Instrucción y Recreación |
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| Ground | Estadio Santa Laura | ||
| Capacity | 19,000 | ||
| Owner | Jorge Segovia | ||
| Chairman | Arturo Juarros | ||
| Manager | Miguel Ponce | ||
| League | Chilean Primera División | ||
| 2024 | Primera División, 6th of 16 | ||
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Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club from Santiago, Chile. They play in the top Chilean league, called the Primera División de Chile. The club also has a women's football team and youth teams. Unión Española is known as one of the "four great" teams in Chilean football. It is also one of the oldest teams in the country.
Unión Española has won the Primera División seven times. This makes them one of the most successful clubs in Chile. They have also won the Copa Chile twice. In South American tournaments, Unión Española has played in the Copa Libertadores nine times. They even reached the final of the Copa Libertadores in 1975, finishing as runner-up.
In July 2008, a Spanish businessman named Jorge Segovia bought the club. He bought all the rights to the club, including its youth teams and logo. This was a big change for Unión Española.
The team has played its home games at the Estadio Santa Laura since 1922. After Jorge Segovia bought the club, the stadium was updated. In 2009, it was renamed Estadio Santa Laura–Universidad SEK.
Unión Española has traditional rivals. They play against Palestino, a team started by people from Palestine living in Chile. They also play against Audax Italiano, a team with Italian roots. These games are called the Clásico de Colonias, which means "Diaspora Derby". Unión Española is also the second oldest club in the Chilean Primera División. Only Santiago Wanderers, founded in 1892, is older.
Club History
How it All Started: Foundation and Early Wins
The club began on May 18, 1897. It was first called Centro Español de Instrucción y Recreación. It was started by Spanish immigrants living in Chile. Later, in 1918, two other clubs were formed: Club Ciclista Ibérico and Club Ibérico Balompié. These two clubs joined together in 1922. They became a new club called Unión Deportiva Española. This club played its games at the Estadio Santa Laura.
In its early years, Unión Deportiva Española played in the Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago championship. They won their first two titles in a row in the Copa Chile in 1924 and 1925. The team was led by its captain, a Spanish defender named Juan Legarreta.
In 1927, the league changed its name to Liga Central de Football. The league was split into two groups, Serie A and Serie B, because there were so many teams. Unión Deportiva Española played in Serie A. In 1928, they won their second title, the Liga Central de Fútbol.
In May 1933, Unión Deportiva Española joined other big clubs like Colo-Colo to create the Professional League of Chile. This was part of the Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago. In the first tournament that year, Unión finished second. They lost in the final to Colo-Colo. In the main championship, they finished fourth out of eight teams.
In 1934, the original Centro Español de Instrucción y Recreación and Unión Deportiva Española officially merged. This is when the club officially became known as Unión Española. In 1939, the club took a break for a year because of the Spanish Civil War. They came back in 1940 with a young team. In 1943, Unión Española won its first professional title in the Primera División.
After finishing second in 1945 and 1948, they were runners-up again in 1950. They lost the championship play-off to Everton. In 1951, Unión won the Primera División title again. This was their second title, led by Spanish coach Isidro Lángara.
The Golden Age: A Time of Great Success
Under coach Nestor Isella, Unión Española finished second in the Chilean Primera División in 1970. This allowed them to play in the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 1971. They did well in the group stage, reaching the semi-finals. In the next season, they were runners-up again and qualified for the Copa Libertadores once more.
In 1973, with coach Luis Santibáñez, Unión became champions of the Primera División for the second time. Their player, Guillermo Yávar, was the top goal scorer.
The 1975 season was one of the best in Unión Española's history. They won the national tournament. They also reached the final of the Copa Libertadores, finishing as runner-up against Independiente from Argentina. In 1976, many players left the team. Unión finished first in the league with Everton, but lost the play-off for the championship. However, in 1977, Unión became champions again!
Ups and Downs: The Irregular Years
The 1980s were not as steady for the club. In 1983, Unión had a tough season and almost moved down to the Second Division. But they were saved by a special rule. In 1988, Unión finished second in the Copa Chile, losing to Colo-Colo.
In 1989, the club played in the Winter Cup. This tournament kept teams active during the Copa América 1989. Unión Española won this cup, beating Huachipato 2–0 in the final.
In 1992, Nelson Acosta became the coach. He led Unión to win the Copa Chile 1992. Marcelo Vega was the top scorer in that tournament. They won the Copa Chile again in 1993, beating Cobreloa.
In 1997, Unión Española celebrated 100 years. But in this same year, they were moved down to the Primera B (Second Division) for the first time. Coach Acosta then left the club.
The 2000s: A New Century of Football
Unión Española returned to the Primera División in 2000. They finished fourth in the league that year. In 2005, with Fernando Díaz as coach, Unión Española won the Torneo Apertura 2005. This was their sixth Primera División title!
Because they won in 2005, Unión played in the Copa Libertadores 2006. They did not make it past the first stage. In 2008, the club was bought by Jorge Segovia. The team had some struggles that year and almost went down to the Second Division again.
In 2009, the club had a great season in the Torneo de Apertura 2009. They finished first in the regular part of the season. They reached the play-off final but finished as runner-up to Universidad de Chile. This also helped them qualify for the Copa Sudamericana 2009. They won their first match but were later knocked out in a close game.
The 2010s: More Victories
In the Primera División Chilena 2010, Unión finished fifth. This allowed them to play in the Libertadores play-offs. They won these play-offs, qualifying for the 2011 Copa Libertadores First Stage. They won their first match in the tournament but did not make it out of the group stage.
Unión won the Apertura Tournament in 2013. They beat Colo-Colo 1–0 in the final match. They tied with Universidad Católica in points but won the tournament because they had a better goal difference.
Club Facts
- 85 Seasons in Primera División: (1933–1938, 1940–1997, 2000–)
- 2 Seasons in Primera B: (1998–1999)
- 13 Times in Copa Libertadores (1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1994, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2021)
- 4 Times in Copa Sudamericana (2009, 2018, 2019, 2022)
- 1 Time in Copa Ganadores de Copa (1970)
- Biggest Primera División win — 14–1 against Morning Star (1934)
- Biggest Primera División loss — 0–6 against Santiago Morning (1954)
- Biggest Copa Chile win — 7–0 against Municipal La Pintana (2011)
- Most goals scored (Primera División matches) — 132, Honorino Landa (1960–1965, 1969, 1973)
- Highest home attendance — 76,118 against Colo-Colo (January 7, 1990) (at Estadio Nacional)
- Primera División Best Position — Champions (1943, 1951, 1973, 1975, 1977, 2005-A, 2013-T)
- Copa Chile Best Season — Champions (1992, 1993)
Players
Current Squad
Current squad of Unión Española as of 1 May 2021 ()
Sources: ANFP Official Web Site: http://www.anfp.cl/club/51/union-espanola
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- Teams in the Chilean Primera Division can have up to seven players who are not Chilean citizens. Also, only five foreign players can be on the field at one time. If a team has more than seven foreign players in the squad or five on the field, they can be penalized by the ANFP. The club's current squad has all its spots for foreign players filled, including two Argentine players, one Palestinian, and one Uruguayan player.
Managers
Current Staff
| Job | Name |
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| Coach |  Jorge Pellicer |
| Assistant coach | Francisco Quiroz |
| Fitness coach | Felipe Prieto |
| Goalkeepers' coach | Matías Fernández |
| Physician | Cristián Carmona |
| Physiotherapists | Felipe Suárez - Pablo Celis |
Honours
National Titles
- Primera División de Chile
- Winners (7): 1943, 1951, 1973, 1975, 1977, 2005–A, 2013–T
- Copa Chile
- Winners (2): 1992, 1993
- Copa Invierno
- Winners (1): 1989
- Campeonato de Apertura
- Winners (1): 1947
- Supercopa de Chile
- Winners (1): 2013
- Primera B de Chile
- Winners (1): 1999
International Achievements
- Copa Libertadores
- Runners-up (1): 1975
Regional Titles
- Copa Chile of the Asociación de Football de Santiago
- Winners (3): 1920, 1924, 1925
- Copa Unión of the Asociación de Football de Santiago
- Winners (1): 1920
- Campeonato de Apertura of the Asociación de Football de Santiago
- Winners (1): 1925
- Primera División of the Liga Central de Football de Santiago
- Winners (1): Serie A 1928
- Torneo Metropolitano de Chile
- Winners (1): 1970
- Copa Arauco of the Second Division of the Asociación de Football de Santiago
- Winners (3): 1919, 1922, 1923
Images for kids
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Leopoldo Vallejos, a goalkeeper for Unión Española from 1972 to 1975
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Sebastián Miranda, a captain for Unión Española from 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Unión Española para niños
