Fernando Vergara

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Fernando Vergara

| image = San Luis - Unión Española, 13-09-2015 - Fernando Vergara.JPG

| caption = Vergara with Unión Española in 2015

| full_name = Luis Fernando Vergara Meyland

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|5|13|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Santiago, Chile

| height = 1.82 m

| position = Forward

| currentclub = Universidad de Concepción (manager)

| years1 = 1988–1989

| years2 = 1990

| years3 = 1991

| years4 = 1992

| years5 = 1993

| years6 = 1994

| years7 = 1995–1998

| years8 = 1998–1999

| years9 = 1999

| years10 = 2001

| years11 = 2002

| clubs1 = Audax Italiano

| clubs2 = {{ill|lt=Brüttisellen|FC Brüttisellen-Dietlikon|de|FC Brüttisellen}}

| clubs3 = Universidad de Chile

| clubs4 = Fernández Vial

| clubs5 = Colo-Colo

| clubs6 = Deportes Antofagasta

| clubs7 = Colo-Colo

| clubs8 = Rayo Vallecano

| clubs9 = Colo-Colo

| clubs10 = Universitario

| clubs11 = Unión Española

| nationalyears1 = 1996–1997

| nationalteam1 = Chile

| nationalcaps1 = 6

| nationalgoals1 = 3

| manageryears1 = 2005

| managerclubs1 = Barnechea

| manageryears2 = 2005–2006

| managerclubs2 = Instituto Nacional

| manageryears3 = 2007

| managerclubs3 = Magallanes

| manageryears4 = 2008–2009

| managerclubs4 = Huachipato

| manageryears5 = 2011

| managerclubs5 = Deportes La Serena

| manageryears6 = 2011–2012

| managerclubs6 = Deportes Iquique

| manageryears7 = 2014

| managerclubs7 = Deportes Temuco

| manageryears8 = 2014

| managerclubs8 = Cobreloa

| manageryears9 = 2015

| managerclubs9 = San Marcos

| manageryears10 = 2015–2016

| managerclubs10 = Unión Española

| manageryears11 = 2016–2017

| managerclubs11 = Deportes Antofagasta

| manageryears12 = 2018–2019

| managerclubs12 = Deportes Puerto Montt

| manageryears13 = 2020–2021

| managerclubs13 = Magallanes

| manageryears14 = 2021–2022

| managerclubs14 = Universidad de Concepción

}}

Luis Fernando Vergara Meyland (born 13 May 1970), known as Fernando Vergara, is a Chilean football coach and former player. Nicknamed El Zamorano de los Pobres during his career, he played as a forward.

Playing career

A product of Audax Italiano youth system, in 1990 he played for Swiss side {{ill|lt=FC Brüttisellen-Dietlikon|FC Brüttisellen|de|vertical-align=sup}} before returning to Chile and joining Universidad de Chile.{{cite web |title=Beccacece entre los tres técnicos en Chile que no fueron jugadores profesionales |url=https://www.deportes13.cl/t13/noticia/deportes13/futbol-nacional/beccacece-entre-los-tres-entrenadores-del-futbol-chileno-que-no-fueron-jugadores-profesionales |website=Deportes13 |publisher=Canal 13 |access-date=4 August 2022 |language=es |date=26 January 2016}}

In 1997, he had a trial with English Premier League club Crystal Palace and then had talks with Everton, but nothing came of either of these approaches and Vergara never played a competitive game in England.{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/pounds-15m-platt-ponders-boro-move-1244396.html | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Rupert | last=Metcalf | title=pounds 1.5m Platt ponders Boro move | date=8 August 1997}}

Vergara obtained a total number of six caps for the Chile national team, scoring three goals between 1996 and 1997.

Managerial career

Following his playing career, Vergara became a football manager and led Huachipato FC to the quarter-finals in the 2008 Torneo Clausura.{{cite web|publisher=Cooperativa.cl|title=Fernando Vergara está confiado en su escuadra|url=http://www.cooperativa.cl/prontus_nots/site/artic/20081113/pags/20081113002843.html|language=Spanish|date=13 November 2008}}

In 2021–22, he led Universidad de Concepción in the Primera B de Chile.{{cite web |title=Universidad de Concepción presentó a su nuevo entrenador |url=https://tntsports.cl/nacional/Universidad-de-Concepcion-presento-a-su-nuevo-entrenador-20210927-0012.html |publisher=TNT Sports |access-date=30 September 2021 |language=es |date=27 September 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Ortega |first1=Pablo |title=Lleva dos años sin dirigir y dio un giro: “Los técnicos con más trayectoria van quedando relegados” |url=https://chile.as.com/futbol/lleva-dos-anos-sin-dirigir-y-dio-un-giro-los-tecnicos-con-mas-trayectoria-van-quedando-relegados-n/ |website=AS Chile |access-date=9 May 2024 |language=es |date=9 May 2024}}

Other works

From 2009 to 2010 Vergara worked as a football commentator for the channel Canal del Fútbol.{{cite web |title=Panelistas de "En el nombre del fútbol" harán la previa del Mundial en la Universidad San Sebastián |url=https://www.universia.net/cl/actualidad/orientacion-academica/panelistas-nombre-futbol-haran-previa-mundial-universidad-san-sebastian-409521.html |website=www.universia.net |access-date=4 August 2022 |language=es |date=11 August 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

He has served as coach for a football academy which helps children to play in the United States. He also has a sporting events production company.

Since March 2024, he performs as co-host of the program Fútbol y Parrilla (Football and Grill) on YouTube alongside the former footballer Ian Mac-Niven.{{YouTube|id=tLRQ3K3tODo|title=Fútbol y Parrilla - Capítulo 1 - Claudio Borghi, Esteban Paredes, Leonardo Monje}} {{inlang|es}}. 7 March 2024.

Career statistics

class="wikitable" ! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	4 January 1997	Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile	{{fb\|ARM}}	7–0	Win	Friendly
2.	4 January 1997	Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile	{{fb\|ARM}}	7–0	Win	Friendly
3.	17 June 1997	Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba, Bolivia	{{fb\|ECU}}	2–1	Loss	1997 Copa América
colspan="15"\|Correct as of 7 October 2015[https://www.rsssf.org/intldetails/1997ic.html 1997 MATCHES INTERCONTINENTAL][https://www.rsssf.org/tables/97safull.html Copa América 1997]