Luis Fernando Vergara Meyland (born 13 May 1970), known as Fernando Vergara, is a Chilean football coach and former player. Nicknamed El Zamorano de los Pobres during his career, he played as a forward.

Fernando Vergara
Vergara with Unión Española in 2015
Personal information
Full name Luis Fernando Vergara Meyland
Date of birth (1970-05-13) 13 May 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth Santiago, Chile
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Universidad de Concepción (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1989 Audax Italiano
1990 Brüttisellen [de]
1991 Universidad de Chile
1992 Fernández Vial 26 (8)
1993 Colo-Colo
1994 Deportes Antofagasta 21 (4)
1995–1998 Colo-Colo
1998–1999 Rayo Vallecano
1999 Colo-Colo
2001 Universitario
2002 Unión Española
International career
19961997 Chile 6 (3)
Managerial career
2005 Barnechea
2005–2006 Instituto Nacional
2007 Magallanes
2008–2009 Huachipato
2011 Deportes La Serena
2011–2012 Deportes Iquique
2014 Deportes Temuco
2014 Cobreloa
2015 San Marcos
2015–2016 Unión Española
2016–2017 Deportes Antofagasta
2018–2019 Deportes Puerto Montt
2020–2021 Magallanes
2021–2022 Universidad de Concepción
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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A product of Audax Italiano youth system, in 1990 he played for Swiss side FC Brüttisellen-Dietlikon [de] before returning to Chile and joining Universidad de Chile.[1]

In 1997, he had a trial with English Premier League club Crystal Palace and then had talks with Everton, but nothing came of either of these approaches and Vergara never played a competitive game in England.[2]

Vergara obtained a total number of six caps for the Chile national team, scoring three goals between 1996 and 1997.

Managerial career

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Following his playing career, Vergara became a football manager and led Huachipato FC to the quarter-finals in the 2008 Torneo Clausura.[3]

In 2021–22, he led Universidad de Concepción in the Primera B de Chile.[4][5]

Other works

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From 2009 to 2010 Vergara worked as a football commentator for the channel Canal del Fútbol.[6]

He has served as coach for a football academy which helps children to play in the United States. He also has a sporting events production company.[5]

Since March 2024, he performs as co-host of the program Fútbol y Parrilla (Football and Grill) on YouTube alongside the former footballer Ian Mac-Niven.[5][7]

Career statistics

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# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 4 January 1997 Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile   Armenia 7–0 Win Friendly
2. 4 January 1997 Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile   Armenia 7–0 Win Friendly
3. 17 June 1997 Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba, Bolivia   Ecuador 2–1 Loss 1997 Copa América
Correct as of 7 October 2015[8][9]

Honours

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Player

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Colo-Colo

References

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  1. ^ "Beccacece entre los tres técnicos en Chile que no fueron jugadores profesionales". Deportes13 (in Spanish). Canal 13. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  2. ^ Metcalf, Rupert (8 August 1997). "pounds 1.5m Platt ponders Boro move". The Independent. London.
  3. ^ "Fernando Vergara está confiado en su escuadra" (in Spanish). Cooperativa.cl. 13 November 2008.
  4. ^ "Universidad de Concepción presentó a su nuevo entrenador" (in Spanish). TNT Sports. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Ortega, Pablo (9 May 2024). "Lleva dos años sin dirigir y dio un giro: "Los técnicos con más trayectoria van quedando relegados"". AS Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Panelistas de "En el nombre del fútbol" harán la previa del Mundial en la Universidad San Sebastián". www.universia.net (in Spanish). 11 August 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2022.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Fútbol y Parrilla - Capítulo 1 - Claudio Borghi, Esteban Paredes, Leonardo Monje on YouTube (in Spanish). 7 March 2024.
  8. ^ 1997 MATCHES INTERCONTINENTAL
  9. ^ Copa América 1997
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