Chile at Mexico
International Friendly
Tuesday, Oct. 16 | 8:45 p.m. CT | UniMas
Estadio Corregidora | Queretaro, Mexico
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Gutierrez will conclude his October stint with the Chile Men's National Team on Tuesday when La Roja venture to Mexico for a marquee friendly against El Tri at Estadio Corregidora in Corregidora. Kickoff is set for 8:45 p.m. CT with a live Spanish broadcast airing on UniMas.
Gutierrez was an unused substitute on Friday as Chile suffered a 3-0 friendly defeat to Peru at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. He will now look at Tuesday's matchup with Concacaf giants Mexico as an opportunity to make his first appearance for La Roja since October 2017, having collected 35 career caps since debuting in 2010.
Guided by head coach Reinaldo Rueda, Chile are two-time defending Copa America champions but have just two wins to show from seven matches in 2018. Gutierrez was part of the 2015 La Roja side that won its first of two straight Copa America titles, with the second coming the following summer on American soil. The Sporting KC midfielder is part of a 24-man squad highlighted by FC Barcelona's Arturo Vidal and Manchester United's Alexis Sanchez, the latter of whom was unable to play Friday in Miami Gardens due to a visa travel issue in the U.S.
Sitting at No. 12 in the latest FIFA rankings, Chile is set to battle a 15th-ranked Mexico side that bowed out of the World Cup Round of 16 for the seventh straight tournament. El Tri finished second in their group at the 2018 World Cup this summer, defeating former champions Germany in the process, before exiting at the hands of Neymar and Brazil. Interim head coach Ricardo Ferretti steered Mexico to a 3-2 friendly win over Concacaf rivals Costa Rica on Thursday, with Victor Guzman, Henry Martin and Raul Jimenez among the goal scorers.
Gutierrez, who has seven goals and two assists this season for Sporting KC, will rejoin his club following Tuesday's contest. Manager Peter Vermes' side is set to embark on a pivotal two-game road swing in the Western Conference this week, visiting eighth-place Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 9 p.m. CT Wednesday and leaders FC Dallas at 4 p.m. CT Sunday. Both games will air live on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports GO, ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish).
Chile Roster
Goalkeepers (3): Brayan Cortes (Colo-Colo), Fernando de Paul (Universidad de Chile), Lawrence Vigouroux (Swindon Town)
Defenders (8): Gary Medel (Besiktas), Mauricio Isla (Fenerbahce), Eugenio Mena (Racing), Enzo Roco (Besiktas), Paulo Diaz (Al-Ahli), Guillermo Maripan (Alaves), Igor Lichnovsky (Cruz Azul), Alfonso Parot (Rosario Central)
Midfielders (7): Arturo Vidal (FC Barcelona), Matias Fernandez (Necaxa), Felipe Gutierrez (Sporting Kansas City), Erick Pulgar (Bologna), Lorenzo Reyes (Atlas), Diego Valdes (Morelia), Victor Davila (Necaxa)
Forwards (6): Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United), Nicolas Castillo (Benfica), Junior Fernandes (Alanyaspor), Angelo Sagal (Pachuca), Angelo Henriquez (Universidad de Chile), Ignacio Jeraldino (Audax Italiano)
