Jun 28, 2024, 8:01 PM ET
The Chilean National Team has not added victories or goals in its first two appearances in the America Cup 2024 and, after falling to Argentina on the second date, The only result that helps them qualify is the victory against Canada.
In addition, lThe team led by coach Ricardo Gareca will have to find its way back to scoring goals, as happened in the international friendlies played in Europe, against Albania and France (5 goals) and the last one in Santiago against Paraguay, with a 3-0 in favor.
However, When it comes to playing for points, La Roja has a worrying scoring deficit. Of the five most recent duels, between South American qualifiers and the two matches of the current intercontinental competition, the goal tally in favor is zero.
The lack of goals has been one of the problems that the current coaching staff has yet to solve, despite having scored in all the friendly matches. The situation was evident against Peru and was reinforced against Argentina, where Chile had only three shots in the 90 minutes, and The clearest chances came from the feet of Rodrigo Echeverría, the team’s holding midfielder.
If we look at the statistics in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, The national team is second to last in conversions, with only 3 goals in 6 games, just above Paraguay (1) and the bottom of the table, Peru (1).
This Saturday, the Chilean national team will face an opponent that has shown that it is capable of keeping a clean sheet. It did so in its most recent victory against Peru (1-0), also in a friendly against France on June 9 (0-0), and even against Argentina, where it put up a fight and only succumbed 2-0 in the second half.
The challenge is posed for Gareca and his team: they must return to goal and maintain the advantage if they achieve it to continue with the hope of advancing in the Copa América that is being played on North American soil.
