BOTH Evertons are playing on the Pacific coast against big-name opposition this week. You may know all about our game against Real Madrid. The other Everton were in Santiago playing Chile’s top club, Colo Colo.

How are they getting on in Chile? To answer that question, they’re doing particularly well. Since gaining promotion back to the Chilean top-flight, they have surprised a few with some pleasing performances, notably beating arch-rivals Santiago Wanderers three-nil in the league, and doing the double over them in the cup in just a matter of a few days, two-one and two-nil.

The league system is not a straightforward one. The Chilean Primera Division consists of two single-round tournaments per season; the Apertura and the Clausura. There is an overall table that adds up both and sums up an average. This year, a temporary shortened version of the Clausura tournament was introduced to allow for a restructuring period while the league settled on a new way forward for the league.

A new format for the Chilean football league was decided last spring, with the league cutting down from 18 teams to 16 within two years. The outcome was to follow a more traditional European schedule, with the Apertura tournament running from late-July to December and the Clausura tournament from January to May.

I may have lost you already, but the good news is that Everton are safe from relegation, regardless of what happens in the Apertura, mainly down to the strong performance in the recent tournament in which Everton finished sixth.

Everton started well; remaining unbeaten in their first six games. Then, a bit of poor form followed with the Ruleteros losing five out of six. Everton managed to stop the rot with an impressive three-nil domination of rivals Santiago Wanderers which got their season back on track. The Ruleteros then finished the season winning their last three games confirming their sixth place finish.

After a short break, the Chilean season resumed in the form of the Copa Chile in July; this is the equivalent to the FA Cup here in England. Everton have only won it the once, back in 1984. The cup competition uses a similar format to the Champions League; eight groups of four teams that play each other twice. Group six consisted of Everton, Santiago Wanderers, Union la Calera and San Luis.

Everton saw off the first double header seeing off Union la Calera home and away, and followed it up with an emphatic double over arch-rivals Santiago Wanderers, home and away. Everton had qualified through to the knockout stages at this point, and so in the last two remaining games against San Luis, they fielded a weakened team resulting in two loses. Santiago Wanderers needed neighbours Everton to do them a favour by beating San Luis in order to qualify. Instead, San Luis won which knocked out Wanderers, to the humour of the Evertonians!

A week later saw the start of the Chilean domestic season return in the form of the Apertura tournament. Of course optimism was high with the rich vein of form. But soon Everton did what Everton are probably best at and lost the opening game of the season at their temporary home in Quillota by two goals to nil. Obviously it’s only one game into the season, but many saw this as a game the Ruleteros should be winning. The second game is on Sunday (4th) evening away at Colo Colo, the country’s glam club. You can keep up to date with how they are getting on by following our Twitter and Facebook pages.

As you may already be aware; Everton’s home, the Sausalito, is under redevelopment and is coming along nicely with work expected to be finished early next year. Evertonians in Chile are hoping that the game to re-open the new stadium should be a re-match of the Brotherhood Cup; Everton v Everton. But that is unlikely with it possibly getting in the way of our season, and the World Cup looming. Possibly for 2015 though?

It would be great to get a repeat of the Brotherhood Cup match over in Chile. On Sunday 4th August it was three years since the game, which attracted 25,934 Evertonians. Time flies, eh. Vamos Everton!

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Reader Comments (13)

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Paul Kelly
1 Posted 04/08/2013 at 06:31:52
Good report, Tom, (love their kit) got lost with their league format, read it twice, still confused, will read it again at a later date.

Going to watch them is on my bucket list, seriously, any info on to how much you'd have to pay to make it happen?

Chris McGinn
2 Posted 04/08/2013 at 07:15:53
Thanks for the update Tom.
Always good to hear how the Chilean Everton are doing.

Hope it goes well tonight, I'll be checking Twitter.

Tom P Owen
3 Posted 04/08/2013 at 14:30:08
Paul #884 maybe this article will help; http://lonestarchile.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/new-league-format-decided/

Chris #890 The game kicks off at 11 pm this evening and it is being televised in Chile so hopefully there should be available links/streams to watch the game.

Roman Sidey
5 Posted 04/08/2013 at 16:11:37
Oh how I hate those Santiago Wanderers. Good to see us screwing them over.

In all seriousness, Getting down to Vina to see CD Everton is on my list of things to do before my stint in North America ends.

Michael Kenrick
7 Posted 04/08/2013 at 16:31:58
Roman, you'll have end your stint in North America first, methinks...

Them's in South America, as of course you already know!

John Shearon
8 Posted 04/08/2013 at 19:22:17
Nice piece Tom. Who would have thought that in the one weekend both Evertons would be playing continental champions in the same hemisphere.

Let's hope we stuff Colo Colo - as obnoxious as Real Madrid in every sense.

Jimmy Milner
9 Posted 04/08/2013 at 19:57:40
Nice work Tom, wouldn't it be great for a tour out there for the re-opening of the ground. South American Tour 2014
Tom P Owen
10 Posted 05/08/2013 at 17:50:18
Colo Colo 0-1 EVERTON

Great result for Everton last night winning 1-0 away to Colo Colo at the Estadio Monumental in Santiago. Goalkeeper Gustavo Dalsasso put in a man of the match performance to keep out Colo Colo who had numerous chances to score.

Everton made it hard for themselves when striker Romero got himself sent off early on in the 29th minute. Everton fought well and in the 69th minute, Juan Lescano was through on goal and slotted home to score what was the winning goal.

Justin Packett
11 Posted 05/08/2013 at 21:33:23
Great report Tom, that would be good to see another Brotherhood Cup take place, in South America. It would be interesting to see how many Toffees would make the journey!
Alan McGuffog
12 Posted 05/08/2013 at 22:42:26
Stayed in Vina del Mar a couple of years ago as part of my retirement treat of a trip to Chile. Had a good look around the Stadium in Sausalito and was shown round the club house by Jorge Miranda (?)... one of the stalwarts of the Ruleteros from years gone by.

Was all over town, and nearby Valparaiso, trying to find a top for my son. Yeah, I could get Colo feckin' Colo and Universidad Catolica (and Manchester United) but Everton... they looked at me like I was asking for directions to Eldorado.

Sound familiar?

Roman Sidey
13 Posted 09/08/2013 at 03:38:40
Michael, thanks for the geography tips. I just figured being in the "American hemisphere"...

It's a lot easier to get to Chile from Canada than from Australia, is all.

Roger Helm
14 Posted 09/08/2013 at 22:37:55
If their ground is being redeveloped, perhaps they could play their home games at Goodison?
Ross Edwards
15 Posted 09/08/2013 at 22:40:08
Good to see that Coca Cola were beaten by the Chile Toffees, bring on Pepsi next!

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