After a dominant 6-0 win over Paraguay in a recent friendly, the US Women’s National Team is preparing to take on a Chile side with a lot of new faces joining some mainstays. In preparation for the friendly on Tuesday, I wanted to give a quick look at how Luis Mena might bring with this Chile side may bring and some players to watch out for.

Like the USWNT, Chile has left off players in leagues that are actively playing. The result is a roster comprised entirely of players in the Chilean league. The roster as announced on Chile’s Instagram account:

Big names like Cristiane Endler and Sonya Keefe are missing from the roster. The defense, in particular, sees regular starters absent in the form of Camila Saez, Fernanda Pinilla, and Catalina Figueroa. By and large, these players are not replaced by complete newbies, but the players that traditionally back them up in competitive call ups. So this will be something of an A- / B+ squad out of Chile.

A couple absences I’m surprised about come from Colo-Colo forwards Maria Jose Urrutia and Javiera Grez. I believe Urrutia’s partner is about to have twins, so that may explain her absence, but I’m not sure about Grez. I’m guessing it’s an injury, but I am not certain.

Chile tend to line up in a 4-3-3, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how they lineup in the friendly. Other options include a 4-4-2 diamond and a 3-5-2.

4-3-3

The most likely lineup that Chile will use is the 4-3-3. This is their most common lineup in recent matches, and suites a lot of their players well.

Based on recent callups, the defense is the most difficult to predict. I’d expect Luis Mena to use Michelle Acevedo wide right, but the rest of the rest of the defense is a bit in the air. Fernanda Ramirez is my main guess as a starter with Mariana Morales, Karen Fuentes, Anais Cifuentes, and Rosario Balmaceda the most likely to take up the second position in central defense. On the left, I’d predict Gabriela Garcia to start out there, but Karen Fuentes and Rosario Balmaceda could play there as well.

Centrally, I’m guessing Luis Mena will roll out the Colo-Colo trio of Yastin Jimenez as the holding midfielder, Yessenia Lopez as the box-to-box, and Yanara Aedo pulling the strings. This is how these three play for Colo-Colo, and I don’t know why Mena would move away from that formula.

Up top, I’d be surprised if Mary Valencia doesn’t get the start in the middle. She led the Chilean league in goals and finished second in scoring in last year’s Copa Libertadores. On the right side, I’d expect Vaitiare Pardo to get the start, with her teammate, Ambar Figueroa on the left.

In goal, Ryann Torrero is the natural starter.

With this lineup, I’d expect La Roja to mainly look to attack up the right side with Aedo helping pull strings. Pardo is solid at getting around defenders and to the end line, where she can look for Valencia and Figueroa in the box. Acevedo will likely be pushing up higher to aid on that side and create overloads. Overall, I feel a lot more comfortable predicting the right side more than the left side, but this is also a chance for Mena to see players against quality opposition, so all bets are off.

Jimenez and Lopez are capable at defensive responsibilities in the midfield, but I would expect them to be outmatched against the USWNT. If Chile do not come out in a 4-3-3, here are a couple more defensive approaches they may take.

4-4-2 or 3-5-2

If Chile opt for a more defensive approach, I could see them lining up in either a 4-4-2 diamond or a 3-5-2.

In the 4-4-2 Diamond, Adriana Moreno could take on the top of the diamond with the Colo-Colo trio filling out the midfield. An alternative, and even more defensive approach Mena could use, is putting Aedo as the top of the diamond with Jimenez and Lopez as the middle positions. Karen Fuentes could then be slotted into the bottom of the diamond.

Alternatively, the 3-5-2 could see some combo of the central defenders playing a three-back with Garcia and Acevedo as wingbacks. Both Colo-Colo and Universidad de Chile has played in a 3-5-2 from time to time, but I don’t believe Chile has used it of late.

In both cases, I’ve guessed that Pardo would partner Mary Valencia up top, but that’s way more of a guess than in the 4-3-3. Valencia’s strength is as a poacher, so I could see keeping a player like Pardo with her up top. Pardo can drop back or drift out wide to help Aedo with the buildup and passing/crossing, while Valencia occupies the box. But Pardo is only 18 years old, so she may sit behind others.

There are two players I will really have my eye on in this match, and they play at opposite ends of the field.

Mary Valencia - 22 years old - Striker - Colo-Colo

Mary Valencia had an excellent 2025. She scored 30 goals for Colo-Colo during the 2025 league season and a further 5 goals in the Copa Libertadores. She is the quintessential poacher. She makes great runs, sniffs out opportunities, and always puts a shot on target. Her downside is that she’s only serviceable in other areas. She’s not going to beat a lot of players on the dribble. Aside from decent hold-up play, she’s not going to participate in complicated buildups. For Colo-Colo, that’s fine. They’re the best team in Chile, by far, and they’ve got a good amount of talent at the continental level. They provide her the service she needs. At the international level, she’s had less production because the overall quality of competition is higher. Granted, she’s also typically subbing on for Sonya Keefe, so she gets fewer minutes, but the international level has been a trickier ask for her. A match against the US will be a tall task, but it will give her a chance to put her strengths against a higher level of competition. I’ll be looking her see how her movement, strength, and hustle trouble the US defenders.

Michelle Acevedo - 23 years old - Right Back - Colo-Colo

Michelle Acevedo is that classic full back that can get up and down the wing. She can hug the touchline and put in a pin-point cross or drift toward the box and help with combination play. Defensively, she has pace and decent positioning skills, so she can be difficult to beat to the end line. She’s on the smaller side, a diminutive 5’1’', and that may hurt her against pacier wingers with more height. Overall, I suspect Chile will look to the right side for the bulk of their attacks, and Acevedo will be key to making that approach. I could absolutely her and Pardo forming a decent partnership on that right side. Both players are young, and they’ll be challenged against this US side, but I’m excited to if they can create some danger on that wing.

I’m also excited to see Pardo, but I’m just less certain she’ll play significant minutes. Obviously I expect her to play as I’ve put her in my projected lineups, but that’s far less certain than these two.

The match is this Tuesday, January 27th at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, CA. It is scheduled for a 7pm local (10pm eastern) kickoff, and you can catch the match on TBS, HBO Max, Universo, and Peacock.

Overall, I expect the US to handle this Chile side like they handled Paraguay. Even with some big names missing, this Chile side should put up more of a fight, but the group’s big names are getting up there in age. This is a good chance for some young players to really step up against difficult opposition, but I think Chile will find the US a step too far. It may not end 6-0, but I would expect the US to put up a multi-goal victory.