Chile have an established reputation as one of the powerhouses of American football and they will fancy themselves as one of the favourites to win this year’s tournament.
Having qualified for the knockouts in the past six editions, Chile will be looking to make their 7th consecutive knockouts appearance this year when they square up against Argentina, Peru and Canada in the group stage.
With the tournament set to kick off on June 20, Soccernet.football takes a look at seven players who could potentially shine for La Roja in The United States.
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7. Cesar Perez
Perez is one of Chile’s bright prospects who represents a new generation of talent. The 21-year-old midfielder has shown immense potential with his technicality, vision and composure on the ball.
Perez will be hoping for an opportunity to show that he can perform on the grand stage for Chile. However, it is very likely that head coach Ricardo Gareca will opt for his more experienced compatriots in the starting lineup.
6. Ben Brereton Diaz
Diaz is coming off the back of a difficult season which saw Sheffield United -the team he plays for in England- suffer relegation from the Premier League after finishing rock-bottom.
The 25-year-old, who qualifies to play for Chile via his mother, is a favourite among many La Roja supporters. He will offer a different dynamic upfront with his strong aerial presence and clinical finishing.
5. Cristian Zavala
The 24-year-old winger is making waves in the Chilean domestic league with Colo-Colo where his incredible pace, agility and quick feet have seen him become the nightmare of many defenders in the Primera Division.
Zavala’s speed and directness will make him a handful for opposition defenders in The United States. However, he will be competing against Dario Osorio for minutes at the tournament.
4. Dario Osorio
The 20-year-old winger already exhibits a level of maturity beyond his years and he may well be able to nail himself a starting shirt ahead of his older compatriot Zavala in The United States.
Osorio is in fine form, having notched 10 goal contributions in 24 games for FC Midtjylland and he will be looking to maintain his levels heading into the tournament. The youngster is definitely one to keep an eye on.
3. Victor Dávila
The 26-year-old striker will be heading into the Copa America with Chile after a decent debut campaign for Russian Premier League side CSKA Moscow where he notched 13 goal contributions across 35 appearances.
Dávila will offer a different dimension to Chile’s attack in The United States. He is capable of spearheading La Roja’s front line and we may also see him deployed as a supporting striker behind Eduardo Vargas.
2. Diego Valdés
Valdés will take up the role of creator-in-chief for Chile in the middle of the park. La Roja will be looking to him to dictate the tempo of games and link up play between defense and attack.
The 30-year-old attacking midfielder has also proved to be very productive in the final third with 21 goal involvements in 38 matches for Liga MX side Club America.
1. Alexis Sánchez
Sánchez, despite being in the latter stages of his career, remains a versatile and lethally potent forward. Chile will be banking on their biggest star to inspire a winning mentality in the team.
The 35-year-old center-forward, who lifted the Serie A title this past season with Inter Milan, was an integral part of the La Roja team that won two consecutive Copa titles and he will be looking to inspire this new generation to a deep run in the tournament.
