U. Catolica is a Santiago institution founded in 1937 and known as La Católica, Los Cruzados and UC. The club’s blue-and-white identity is defined by La Franja, the horizontal chest band that distinguishes its traditional home shirt. This team page brings together the latest recorded squad, coaching chronology, player movement and competition participation while placing the professional side within the wider Cruzados sporting and university tradition and its Chilean football history.
U. Catolica Upcoming matches by league
Primera División
-
- Regular Season - 24
U. CatolicaNo H2HA. Italiano
-
- Regular Season - 25
Union La CaleraNo H2HU. Catolica
-
- Regular Season - 26
U. CatolicaNo H2HUniversidad de Chile
-
- Regular Season - 27
U. CatolicaNo H2HDeportes Limache
Copa Chile
-
- Round of 16
Union La CaleraNo H2HU. Catolica
-
- Round of 16
U. CatolicaNo H2HUnion La Calera
U. Catolica Last matches by league
Primera División
Copa Chile
CONMEBOL Libertadores
Super Cup
CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Friendlies Clubs
U. Catolica Team Roster
U. Catolica’s recorded squad contains 33 players: six attackers, 13 defenders, 11 midfielders and three goalkeepers. F. Zampedri is included in the listed attacking group, with C. Montes, D. Corral and D. Valencia also named. The defensive unit features G. Medel, E. Mena, B. Cerezo and N. L’Huillier, while F. Zuqui, J. Giani, J. Martínez and M. Palavecino are among the midfield options. V. Bernedo, F. Valdes and D. Melo complete the goalkeeping group. Shirt numbers range from 1 to 48 in the listed roster, reflecting a broad numbered squad.
position Goalkeeper
Vicente Bernedo García-Huidobro
Francisco Antonio Valdés Rios
Dario Esteban Melo Pulgar
position Defender
Bryan David González Guzmán
Eugenio Esteban Mena Reveco
Ignacio Andres Pérez Gutierrez
Sebastián Andrés Arancibia Flores
Cristian Alejandro Cuevas Jara
Gary Alexis Medel Soto
Erwin Branco Ampuero Vera
Agustín Eugenio García Basso
Tomás Pablo Asta-Buruaga Montoya
Juan Ignacio Díaz
Bernardo Humberto Cerezo Rojas
F. Daza
Nicolás Ignacio L'Huillier Wielandt
J. Salas
D. Bermudez
position Midfielder
Carlos Agustín Farías
Justo Giani
Fernando Rubén Zuqui
Matías Tomás Palavecino
Alfred Jeafran Canales Céspedes
Jimmy Antonio Martínez Ruiz
Juan Francisco Rossel Corozo
Jhojan Manuel Valencia Jiménez
Martín Alejandro Gómez
Diego Corral Contreras
M. Contreras
position Attacker
Fernando Matías Zampedri
Clemente José Montes Barroilhet
Diego Martín Valencia Morello
N. Giron
N. Pino
A. Perez
Last U. Catolica Coachs
The most recent recorded appointment is Daniel Óscar Garnero, who began on 1 January 2025; the available chronology does not establish that he remains in the role. Tiago Nunes is listed from March 2024, after Nicolás Núñez’s period from July 2023 to March 2024. Ariel Holan appears from May 2022 to July 2023, alongside an earlier Rodrigo Valenzuela entry beginning in April 2022. The sequence reflects several recorded coaching changes without confirming a current holder.
Daniel Óscar Garnero
History
| Coach | Coach country | Coach since | Coach until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Óscar Garnero | Argentina | 1 January 2025 | |
| Tiago Retzlaff Nunes | Brazil | 1 March 2024 | |
| Nicolás Arnaldo Núñez Rojas | Chile | 1 July 2023 | 1 March 2024 |
| Ariel Enrique Holan | Argentina | 1 May 2022 | 1 July 2023 |
| Rodrigo Ignacio Valenzuela Avilés | Chile | 1 April 2022 | |
| Cristian Oscar Paulucci | Argentina | 1 September 2021 | 1 April 2022 |
| Gustavo Augusto Poyet Domínguez | Uruguay | 1 February 2021 | 1 August 2021 |
| Ariel Enrique Holan | Argentina | 1 January 2020 | 1 February 2021 |
| Gustavo Domingo Quinteros Desábato | Argentina | 1 December 2018 | 1 December 2019 |
| Beñat San José Gil | Spain | 1 January 2018 | 1 December 2018 |
| Mario Alfredo Salas Saieg | Chile | 1 December 2014 | 1 December 2017 |
| Julio César Falcioni Capdevila | Argentina | 1 July 2014 | 1 November 2014 |
| Martín Lasarte Arrospide | Uruguay | 1 June 2012 | 1 December 2013 |
| Juan Antonio Pizzi Torroija | Argentina | 1 January 2011 | 1 June 2011 |
| Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti | Chile | 1 July 1994 | 1 June 1996 |
U. Catolica Transfers
Among the recorded recent arrivals, U. Catolica added J. Díaz from O’Higgins in January 2026, while J. Martínez, M. Palavecino, B. Cerezo and J. Giani arrived as free agents at the end of 2025. G. Soto and several others are listed as returning from loans, including players returning from Tigre, Union La Calera, Deportes Iquique and Union San Felipe. Earlier entries include D. Melo as a free transfer from D. Melipilla, D. Valencia from Salernitana and E. Bello on loan from Barcelona SC. The listed movements are a partial recent view, not a complete arrivals total.
Latest player transfers from
| Player | Team from | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. García |
Racing Club
|
Free agent | 13 August 2026 |
| G. Soto |
Tigre
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| J. Díaz |
O'Higgins
|
Transfer | 8 January 2026 |
| J. Giani |
Aldosivi
|
Free agent | 31 December 2025 |
| B. Cerezo |
Nublense
|
Free agent | 31 December 2025 |
| M. Palavecino |
Coquimbo Unido
|
Free agent | 31 December 2025 |
| J. Martínez |
Huachipato
|
Free agent | 31 December 2025 |
| N. LâHuillier |
Concepción
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
| Leonardo Troncoso |
Deportes Iquique
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
| M. Tudor |
Trasandino
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
| N. Cisternas |
Trasandino
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
| N. L’Huillier |
Concepción
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
| L. Hernández |
Deportes Limache
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
| L. Munoz |
Deportes Santa Cruz
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
| J. Ortiz |
D. La Serena
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
Among the recorded recent departures, U. Catolica loaned G. Soto to Tigre, B. Gonzalez to Union San Felipe and M. Tudor to San Marcos de Arica. Other loan moves sent B. Gomez to Linares Unido, N. Letelier to Trasandino, L. Romero to Concepción and J. Ortiz to Deportes Copiapo. The entries also list free-agent departures involving Camilo Matamala, Leonardo Troncoso, L. Munoz and N. Cisternas, plus returns of E. Bello and D. Escobar to their parent clubs. T. Gillier’s free transfer to Bologna is another notable earlier departure. These records represent a partial recent view rather than a complete departures total.
Latest player transfers to
| Player | Team to | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| G. Soto |
Tigre
|
Loan | 30 June 2026 |
| B. Gonzalez |
Union San Felipe
|
Loan | 23 June 2026 |
| M. Tudor |
San Marcos de Arica
|
Loan | 13 March 2026 |
Linares Unido
|
Loan | 8 March 2026 | |
| N. Letelier |
Trasandino
|
Loan | 1 March 2026 |
Provincial Ovalle
|
Free agent | 18 February 2026 | |
|
Provincial Ovalle
|
Free agent | 17 February 2026 | |
| Leonardo Troncoso |
Deportes Iquique
|
Free agent | 28 January 2026 |
| Leonardo Troncoso |
Deportes Iquique
|
Free agent | 28 January 2026 |
| L. Romero |
Concepción
|
Loan | 11 January 2026 |
| L. Munoz |
San Luis
|
Free agent | 7 January 2026 |
| J. Ortiz |
Deportes Copiapo
|
Loan | 2 January 2026 |
|
D. La Serena
|
- | 31 December 2025 | |
| N. Cisternas |
Deportes Santa Cruz
|
Free agent | 30 December 2025 |
| D. Escobar |
Coquimbo Unido
|
Return from loan | 30 December 2025 |
Transfers Synthesis
Taken together, the recent movement record shows a mix of incoming movement and player circulation. Arrivals include a direct transfer, free-agent additions and several returns from loans, with J. Díaz joining from O’Higgins and four end-of-2025 free-agent arrivals providing the clearest incoming changes. Departures are more varied in destination and status, led by loans to Chilean clubs, free-agent exits, returns to parent clubs and an earlier free transfer to Bologna. The pattern indicates active movement between U. Catolica and clubs across Chile, with additional destinations represented by Tigre, Aldosivi, Bologna and Barcelona SC in the named transactions. Because the listed movements are a selected recent view rather than a complete transfer history, they cannot establish a complete net balance or a full total of arrivals and departures. The 33-player roster captures the club’s recorded composition, while these movements describe transitions around that snapshot.
Leagues U. Catolica has participated in
U. Catolica has recent recorded participation in Chile’s Primera División, Copa Chile and the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, each extending through 2025 in the available competition history. Friendlies Clubs are also recorded from 2023 through 2025. The CONMEBOL Libertadores appears in earlier records from 2019 to 2022, while the Super Cup is recorded from 2016 to 2022. Copa Paraguay is a single historical entry for 2023. The competition record therefore combines recent recorded domestic and South American participation with older continental and cup appearances.
More about U. Catolica
U. Catolica, officially Club Deportivo Universidad Católica, is a Santiago club founded in 1937 and rooted in the sporting tradition of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Commonly known as La Católica, Los Cruzados or UC, it is one of Chile’s traditional major clubs and competes within the country’s top-flight football ecosystem. Its professional section is associated with Cruzados SADP, a publicly traded corporate structure that manages the football operation while retaining links with the wider university sports institution.
The club’s visual identity is unusually distinctive. Blue and white define the traditional palette, while the home shirt is built around La Franja, a horizontal blue band crossing a white base. The crest draws on the university’s institutional and Catholic heritage, giving the football side a clear connection to its academic origin. That blend of sport, education and religious symbolism remains central to the Cruzados character.
Geographically, the club is closely tied to Las Condes in eastern Santiago and the San Carlos de Apoquindo complex, set near the Andean foothills. The historic stadium site has undergone major redevelopment into a modern multipurpose venue associated with the Claro Arena name, linking contemporary infrastructure with a long-established home. The location has helped shape a strong sense of place around the club, combining an urban Santiago base with the mountain landscape.
On the pitch, Universidad Católica’s culture has traditionally emphasized disciplined, possession-minded football, youth development and competitive expectations. Its academy has produced important Chilean players, while the senior squad has regularly combined domestic experience with South American imports. The club’s recorded competitive footprint includes sustained Primera División and Copa Chile participation, recent CONMEBOL Sudamericana appearances and earlier Libertadores entries. Together, its institutional roots, recognizable kit, academy tradition and continental reach explain the enduring stature of the Cruzados in Chilean football.
Last matches statistics for U. Catolica
| match | shots | Poss. | Pass % | Fouls | Cards | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
U. Catolica
3 - 3
D. La Serena
|
4 / 15 |
|
79 | 8 | - | 6 |
|
Concepción
3 - 0
U. Catolica
|
5 / 16 |
|
80 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
|
U. Catolica
2 - 0
Cobresal
|
6 / 16 |
|
85 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
|
Estudiantes L.P.
1 - 1
U. Catolica
|
1 / 4 |
|
72 | 12 | 2 | 4 |
|
U. Catolica
0 - 3
Estudiantes L.P.
|
1 / 11 |
|
77 | 16 | 2 | 4 |
|
U. Catolica
1 - 2
Nublense
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
Coquimbo Unido
1 - 2
U. Catolica
|
2 / 5 |
|
79 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
|
U. Catolica
3 - 2
O'Higgins
|
5 / 15 |
|
79 | 10 | 2 | 7 |
|
Everton de Vina
0 - 1
U. Catolica
|
1 / 9 |
|
0% | 9 | 2 | 6 |
|
Palestino
2 - 3
U. Catolica
|
6 / 14 |
|
0% | 22 | 4 | 4 |
Detailed statistics U. Catolica
Xtra rating history
Last rating points (most recent matches).
shots U. Catolica
Warnings U. Catolica
Passes U. Catolica
Goalkeeper saves U. Catolica
Latest start lineups U. Catolica (XI)
Palestino vs U. Catolica
Primera División 2026 - 1505528
Everton de Vina vs U. Catolica
Primera División 2026 - 1505516
U. Catolica vs O'Higgins
Primera División 2026 - 1505512
Coquimbo Unido vs U. Catolica
Primera División 2026 - 1505493
U. Catolica vs Estudiantes L.P.
CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 - 1547772
Estudiantes L.P. vs U. Catolica
CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 - 1547759
2020
1st shirt