Like in the 62 and 98 edition of the World Cup, Chile found itself the victim of a superior Brazilian team.  Chile tried to play an organized game against the quick striking Brazilians but could not keep it together for more than 40 minutes.  All it took was 4 minutes of imprecision, late in the first half, for Brazil to strike twice in a game that was hotly contested.  The Chileans never recovered and despite moving forward for the full 90 minutes Chile never got a goal.  The final score 3-0 is a testament to the effectiveness of a Brazil team that does not need to implement its rhythm on a game to score plenty of goal.

Chilean coach, Marcelo Bielsa, who by now is all but a revered god in Chile for qualifying for South Africa made a huge mistake by not including neither Matias Fernandez or Jorge Valdivia in the starting 11.  Because of this absence, the “offensive” minded team found itself without a midfield player connecting the back team with the forward; Suazo, Beausejour and Gonzalez.  This resulted in an offense incapable to getting into the rival’s penalty area when they recuperated the ball, which meant Suazo was forced out of the box to try to find the ball.  By the time Bielsa corrected his mistake in the second half, the game was 0-2 and Valdivia tried in vain to lead a comeback. 

This is a sad yet forseeable end to Chile’s play in South Africa.  Sad because Chile seemed to be a team capable of much more given the play showed in the opening round.  Perhaps a lesser rival than the king of soccer (Brazil) might have given Chile a real chance of playing in the final 8 or 4, but against a stronger Brazil team there was very little hope from the start.  As I wrote in my opening column, Chile repeated its performance of 1998 by bowing out to Brazil in the round of 16.   Chile has no one to blame but themselves.  Had they capitalized on the many occasions generated against Honduras and Switzerland they could have faced a much more beatable Portugal team and their fate might have been different.  Moreover, a more disciplined game against Spain could also have secured top spot in the group and avoided their continental cousins.   The final outcome is disappointing for a team billed as ”highly offensive” with rising stars, such as Alexis Sanchez and an established goal scorer like Humberto Suazo, to not have any of its offensive play-makers score in the World Cup.  I expected Sanchez to have a breakout performance, but he played an average tournament, showing flashes of brilliance but never coming close to scoring.  Suazo barely played, whether that was due to injury or a decision by Bielsa is unclear.  Fernandez was inexplicably left to rot on the bench in the last game and Valdivia only played his natural position(he played in other games as a forward, a position he never plays) for a gran total of 45 minutes in the entire tournament.  Marcelo Bielsa has some explaining to do before bolting to Mexico, where a rumored 10 million dollar contract awaits him.

Not all is lost however.  Chile played with one of the youngest teams in South Africa.  The base of the team is on average 24 years old and most of the 23 man roster will be returning for the next World Cup.  If Chile can find 2-3 players to solidify and add depth to its defense it will make the Brazil World Cup in 2014.  Hopefully this time they won’t face eachother.  It would be nice to watch a World Cup where Chile is not eliminated by Brazil in the rd of 16. The experience of South Africa is a good one.  2 games were won for the first time since 1962 and the players got their “feet wet” at the biggest stage posible.  As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and Chile can exit Sout Africa with its head held high and eyes set on a bright future.

Another 1-0 victory put Chile in a favorable position going into the last round of games on friday.  It took the Chileans 75 minutes to break the tough Swiss defense, who held on admirabley with 10 men for nearly 60 minutes of the game.  The goal came from substitute left forward Mark Gonzalez after a nice cross in by substitute forward Esteban Paredes.  The Swiss found themselves down a man after Valon Behrami became the first Swiss player to be sent off in a FIFA World Cup match in the 31st minute for wipping his hand at a rival’s face.  Even before the booking, Chile had began to dominate the game with ball control, the Swiss were content with waiting in their end with 8 defencemen manning 2 stout lines.  After the booking it was a monologue as Chile took complete control of the ball and attacked until finally breaching the Swiss defense that had held Spain off the scoresheet.  It is evident that the Swiss’ game is defense.  Even when they were down 0-1 , the Swiss looked more interested in protecting their net than going for the equalizer.  Chile had 2 more chances to add on a couple of goals that would have all but clinched them a berth into the round of 16, but again like in game 1, their forwards were out of touch.  The Swiss’ lone chance to score in the entire game came late on a counterattack when a beautiful give and go play resulted in a player having a clear shot at the net from near the penalty spot but sent it a meter wide of the Chilean keeper.

The win gives Chile 6 pts.  In other groups this would be enough to advance, but in group H it will still take in all likelihood a tie against Spain to clinch a spot, the reason for this being the goal difference between the teams.  For Chile it is simple, a win or tie against Spain clinches 1st place in the group.  A 1 goal loss to Spain couple with a 2 goal win by Switzerland over Honduras sends them home.  A 2 goal loss and any type of win by the Swiss also sends them home.  It tough luck for the Chileans who despite dominating both opponents in the opening round only find themselves with a +2 goal differential, quite a disappointment considering how lopsided the games against their rivals have been.  It will take another big game for them to advance against the team many still consider the favorites to win it all.

To make matters worse they will be taking on the favorites without 2 fundamental midfield players, Matias Fernandez and Carlos Carmona, both out for picking up their second yellow cards against the Swiss.

Chile won at the World Cup for the first time in 48 years earlier today.   The 1-0 victory over Honduras left a bittersweet taste for many Chileans. Sure it is always good to win the game and get 3 points, but Chile missed a great opportunity to take a commanding lead in the group. In a game where their goalie was barely seen, Chile could have and should have stretched the lead on several occasions. The 1 goal victory seems good now, but come next week it could be remembered as the game that cost them a shot at the next round if they are left out on goal differential. In light of the display of the Swiss it is evident that Honduras is the weakest link in the group. Spain will in all likelihood avenge their opening game loss by thrashing them.  That could put Chile in an unfavorable goal differential situation.  Next monday’s game against the Swiss will be a battle for life or death for Chile as they play for the lead of Group H.  Chile needs to win against Switzerland to avoid playing in a must win situation against a desperate Spanish squad in the last game of the 1st round.

The “Colo Colo boys” pulled through for Chile.  Vidal, Fernandez, Sanchez, and Valdivia all pitched in to make the win possible.   Arturo Vidal was a bastion of defense and security for the 80 minutes he was in play.  He rarely lost a ball and pushed his teammates forward when he recuperated the ball on defense.  Matias Fernandez set up the first goal by making a magnificent pass to Mauricio Isla, who then crossed it in for Jean Beausejour to bang in the game winner.   Fernandez nearly opened the score on a free kick in the second minute of play but the shot went a hair high over the crossbar.  He was very active in midfield, feeding his forwards and applying pressure on the Honduran defense.  Alexis Sanchez was a constant threat on the right flank.  He was a dangerous weapon for the Chileans but was not accurate in the finish nor did he make the best decisions in the numerous counter attacks he led.  He needs to fine tune his finish and get in sync with his teamates to be a complete terror to opposing teams on the pitch.  He had a great opportunity to add to the 1-0 lead but fired wide of the net in the early satge of the second half.     Mauricio Isla also played a good game on the right wing, providing constant up and down game.  Valdivia was quieter but managed to be an integral part of the attack even though he was playing out of position to supply for the injured Suazo.

Santiago born Jean Beausejour, the son of a Hatian father and Mapuche mother, scored at the 34th minute  just as Chile was really beginning to take control of the match.  The lefty finished off a nice collective play as the ball bounced off his thigh, after being crossed in, and into the back of the net.  Chile then had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 midway in the second half when Fernandez played a free kick, to the far post, that Vidal headed back into the center to an unmarked teamate (who shall remain nameless) for finishing.  Rather than kicking in a sure goal, the defensemen dove to head the ball in but was stymied by a spectacular save by the Honduran keeper.  The blunder could prove to be costly when it is all said and done.

Chile played an attractive style that will win over the casual fan.  A team that has no qualms with sending 5 and sometiems 6 men into the opposing penalty area is always fun to watch.  Chile is that team.  Unfortunately the pretty offensive play did not translate into many goals.  Chileans will rejoice to finally get that elusive W on the world stage (they drew three time in 98 vs Italy, Austria and Cameroon and had not won a game since beating Yugoslavia to finish 3rd in the 1962 World Cup), but some will lament the squandered chance of beating down a rival that was totally outclassed on the pitch.   The good news for Chile is that top goal scorer Humberto Suazo, who was sorely missed today, should be ready to go the full 90 against Switzerland on Monday.  That match is shaping up to be a struggle for the leadershipof Group H.  A tie or loss would leave Chile with one foot out of the World Cup so Bielsa’s boys will be ready to go on the offensive yet again.

How They Got There:

Chile qualified directly to South Africa by finishing 2nd, behind only Brazil, in the ultra competitive CONMEBOL region.  The Chileans enjoyed their most successful qualifiers since the all vs all format was adopted for France 98.  Along the way, the Chileans won 16 of their 33pts away from Santiago, showing that this team is capable of getting it done on hostile grounds. They also defeated their rivals to the east of the Andes (Argentina) for the first time in Cup qualifier history in a now fabled 1-0 triumph in Santiago.   Chile netted 32 goals in the 18 game round robin, which made them 1 goal short of the leader Brazil.  This will only be the third appearance for Chile since 1982.  Last time around in 1998, a talented group led by the world class striker tandem of Ivan “bam bam” Zamorano and Marcelo “el Matador” Salas made the round of 16 only to be ousted by Brazil 4-1.

What to look for:

Chile boasts a young, talented, offensive squad that will sacrifice defensive integrity for goals.  Do not expect this team to enter into a defensive cocoon if it is paired against a better and more storied rival.  Many teams play not to lose (Italy), this team will play to win.  Despite finishing second in qualifiers Chile lead the region in total  wins.  This is not typical of Chilean soccer and the praise must be given to Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, who took over the team at the onset of  qualifiers and changed the Chilean mentality.  His aggressive 3 attacker scheme will make Chile an exciting team to watch.  Chile will play an aggressive attacking style, with plenty of 1 touch short passing and ball movement typical of the South American style.  The offensive mentality will leave plenty of opportunities for rivals to exploit but this team will play for the golden trophy under the maxim “live by the sword, die by the sword”.  This is a young group whose projected starting 11 age average is slightly over 25 years.

Who to look for:

Young stars Matias Fernandez (Midfield-Sporting Lisbon-Portugal), Alexis Sanchez (Forward-Udinese-Italy), Arturo Vidal (Midfield-Bayern Leverkusen-Germany), and Humberto Suazo (Forward-Zaragoza-Spain) blossomed and became hot commodities when playing for Chilean club giant Colo Colo under then coach Claudio “bichi” Borghi (newly hired coach of Boca Juniors) between 2005-2007.  This Colo Colo nucleus is complemented by Boca Junior standout Gary Medel, a take-no-prisoners defensive midfielder that can also play on the last line.  His nickname “El pittbul” is a testament to his style of play.  These young stars will carry the team in South Africa.  Another former Colo Colo standout, who later became a hero in Brazil for the followers of Palmeiras, Jorge Valdivia will also be relied on to play the all important “10″ position.  This gifted set up man has excellent field vision and is as good a passer as there is in the world.  It remains to be seen if Bielsa will go with Fernandez or Valdivia as the creative midfielder, he might also decide on fielding both of them at the same time.   Alexis Sanchez, a small but amazing talent with the ball in his feet, will need to be at the top of his game because Suazo (led the CONMEBOL in scoring during qualifiers) will be sidelined for at least the first two games with a groin injury.  Suazo’s injury came early last week as a real blow to Chilean hopes because they have no first rate replacement for Suazo at the center striker position.   He was the only pure goal scorer and his goals will be sorely missed.  The word from the medical camp suggests he should be ready for the last game of the first round vs Spain, but that is the best case scenario.

The Pros and Cons

Chile’s youthful team is loaded with individually skilled players from the midfield up.  The skill translate into lots of scoring opportunities and explosiveness that can change a game at any given moment.  The team has fully bought into Bielsa’s scheme and they believe they have the recipe for success.  The weak link on this team is the defense, which is undersized and inconsistent.  The team in general is small, only 4  players at or over 6 feet, but 2 are goalkeepers.  This could be a huge liability when facing taller European and African squads that could dominate dead ball situations.  Along with being rather small, Chile is not as athletic as its European and African counterparts. Some have tabbed Chile as a darkhorse cinderella squad based on its skills and impressive qualifying record, but without its top goal scorer in form,  I do not see a deep run very likely.  It will be interesting to see how a talented youngl group handles the pressure of their first World Cup.

Outlook for World Cup:

What appears to be a good draw for Chile in the group stages is offset by what potentially lies ahead in the round of 16.  Chile shares group H with heavy favorite Spain, Honduras, and Switzerland.  Aside from Spain, the group has no favorites.  Chile should be able to win the opener against Honduras and the second game against the Swiss might define who advances.  If Chile advances they will be the underdog against whoever emerges out of the group of death (Group G).  If favoritism prevails, Chile would qualify second in their group and face Brazil in the round of 16, in which case they will in all likelihood repeat their fate of 98.