In December 2007, after the departure of Jorge Garcés to Deportes Concepción, the club reached an agreement with Jorge Sampaoli of Sporting Cristal, who took over the work for direct from the club's bench. Sampaoli made a successful season during the Apertura 2008, with talented players like Jean Beausejour and Carlos Carmona, still below of Universidad Católica in the 3rd place and being eliminated in the playoffs by Universidad de Chile. In the Clausura, making a similar season, the team was eliminated by Palestino in the quarter-finals. The next year, Sampaoli was fired after a game with Universidad de Concepción, due to a bad results, not qualifying after to the play-offs in the Clausura and being eliminated before during the Apertura, after a 6–1 defeat with Unión Española for the quarter-finals at the Estadio Santa Laura.