Rarely in word football would two teams with the same name compete against each other. However, when Everton FC welcomed Chilean outfit Everton de Vina del Mar to Goodison Park for a pre-season friendly August 2010, the Toffees and our South American namesakes did just that.
It began in 1909, when the Toffees, alongside Spurs, were invited to South America to participate in a number of friendly matches in Argentina and Uruguay. Professional football was still in its infancy in the region, and when Everton FC and Spurs played out a 2-2 draw at the Sociedad Sportiva Stadium in Buenos Aires history was made, with the first match in the Americas between two professional sides.
The Toffees would beat Argentinian side Alumni, as well as Argentinian and Uruguayan League XI’s, before recording a 4-0 win in a re-match against Spurs. The English visitors caused a stir amongst a growing number of football enthusiasts in South America, and just five days after Everton’s victory, on June 24th, 1909, our Chilean namesake was founded.
Initially based in the port city of Valparaiso, before moving five miles up the coast in 1942 to Vina de Mar, a resort famous for its casinos, Everton Chile grew from their roots as an amateur side, to become the country’s sixth most successful football club, with four Primera Division titles to their name, in 1950, 1952, 1976 and 2008.
Though the club’s shared a name, 8,000 miles of the Atlantic separated the two Evertons, and so had little opportunity to compete against each other. That was until 2010, when Vina de Mar made the journey to Goodison Park to compete in the Brotherhood Cup, a one-off competition between the two sides to celebrate their unique connection. Everton (English) would beat Everton (Chilean) 2-0 with goals from Jermaine Beckford and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
Perhaps one day the Toffees will make the trip over to the Estadio Sausalito for a unique re-match.