Union La Calera

1954–1970: Beginnings

The club was founded on 15 April 1955. It was following the merger between five local clubs: Tifón, Minas Navío, Cóndor, Cemento Melón and Calera Comercio. Nevertheless, the club's foundation was recorded on 26 January 1954.

2011 Torneo Apertura

Unión La Calera began the 2011 season hiring eight players: Jonathan Domínguez (forward from Unión San Felipe), Rodrigo Flores (goalkeeper from O'Higgins), Ángel Carreño (midfielder from Deportes La Serena), Jorge Ampuero (defender from Unión Española), Ramón Ignacio Fernández (from Argentinian powerhouse Estudiantes de La Plata), Braian Rodríguez (from Peru's top-tier Club Deportivo Universidad de San Martín de Porres), Claudio Muñoz (from Universidad de Concepción) and Luis Jiménez Barrera (from Deportes Melipilla).

Regular Phase

They debuted in the 2011 Torneo Apertura on 30 January with a 1–1 draw with Santiago Morning. In this match the scores were from Paraguayan striker Ever Cantero for Santiago Morning and an own-goal from Edgardo Abdala. The next week on 6 February, the Uruguayan Braian Rodríguez (the striker from San Martín de Porres) scored Calera's first goal in top-tier in a 1–0 home win over Unión San Felipe. Besides, it was the club's first goal scored by a team's player after its 24 year-absence in Primera from 1987 season (considering Abdala's own goal). On 12 February, for the third week, they surprised everyone after beating 2–1 to Universidad Católica as local in Nicolás Chahuán Nazar Municipal Stadium. The goals for Calera were scored by the defender Claudio Muñoz in the 39th minute (who precisely played in Universidad Católica between 2004 and 2007, prior to play in Universidad de Concepción) and Diego Cuéllar in the 75th minute, who netted the tie-breaker goal after Hans Martínez's equalizing goal in 66th minute. Thereby, Unión La Calera broke the small unbeaten Universidad Católica had in the first two games (a 0–2 away win over Deportes Iquique and a 3–1 victory against Audax Italiano). Nevertheless, on 19 February, now Calera's short unbeaten was broken by Cobresal which defeat 3–1 the team in El Salvador with a hat-trick of Joel Soto. The goal for Calera was of Alejandro Risso. The following week the team was recovered from the 3–1 defeat with Cobresal, beating 2–0 to Deportes La Serena at Nicolás Chahuán Nazar, but after this victory, an important triumph was against Cobreloa in Calama with a goal of Ramón Fernández in the 17th minute. This victory meant the team's climb to the league table's first place, being there with thirteen points next to Universidad Católica. The next matchday, Católica and Calera remained as table's leaders after both teams won to Universidad de Concepción (Calera; 2–0) and Palestino (Católica; 1–2).

On 11 March, Unión La Calera had to play with giants Colo-Colo at the Estadio Monumental in the capital city of Santiago. However, the team was defeated in a 2–0 loss with goals of the Argentinian Lucas Wilchez and Chilean international José Pedro Fuenzalida. The next matchday, on 20 March, Unión La Calera defeated 3–1 as local to Audax Italiano, thereby confirming its second place behind Universidad Católica. The team began losing with a goal of Bryan Carrasco in the 20th minute, but the score of Braian Rodríguez through a penalty, gave encouragement so that later Octavio Pozo and Jorge Ampuero contribute with goals.

Since the 10th week after a 3–1 loss to Unión Española, the team went into a losing streak until the end of the regular phase which finished in the seventeenth week. Since there, Unión La Calera draw then with Palestino (with a goal of Braian Rodríguez in 90th minute), lost with Universidad de Chile by a 2–0 score, again 2–0 with O'Higgins the next week (13th) and in the 15th matchday (after a 0–0 draw Huachipato in the 14th week) lost 1–0 to Deportes Iquique with a score of defender Juan González Calderón. Only a 2–0 win over Ñublense with a twice of Braian Rodríguez in the 16th matchday, and a 1–1 away draw with Santiago Wanderers in regular phase's final matchday, secured the team's classification to the playoffs (the qualified were eight teams out of a total of eighteen). The team finished in the sixth position with 25 points over Unión San Felipe with 24 points (7th) and Colo-Colo with 23 points (8th).

Background and Results

The favorite to win the championship was Universidad Católica which finished in the regular phase's first place. Nevertheless, Católica (after winning to Unión La Calera in the semi-finals) lost to Universidad de Chile in the final's second leg, where Universidad de Chile won 4–1, reversing the first leg's 0–2. For its part, Unión La Calera already without the surprise sensation which generated in the tournament's early part, defeated to Unión Española in the quarterfinals for then repeat a 2–1 triumph over Católica in the semifinals first leg. Unfortunately, in the next leg, the team was eliminated after losing 1–0 in Santiago.