COLUMBUS – The Columbus Crew have acquired forward Gonzalo Tapia from São Paulo of Brazil's top-flight league, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, via loan through the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, which includes a club option for a permanent transfer. Tapia will occupy an international roster slot pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa.
"Gonzalo is a talented and hard-working player who brings quality and competition to our attack," said Crew General Manager Issa Tall. "We believe he has the attributes to make an immediate impact to the team. We're excited to welcome Gonzalo to Columbus and look forward to integrating him into the group and seeing the contributions he'll make." The Recoleta, Chile, native initially joined São Paulo on loan from Argentina’s River Plate in 2025 before making the move permanent in 2026. During his time with the Tricolor, Tapia registered eight goals and added one assist in 48 matches. Prior to joining São Paulo, Tapia made seven appearances for River, recording 200 minutes.
A CD Universidad Católica academy product, the forward made his professional debut for Los Cruzados on Sept. 5, 2020, and scored his first career goal on Jan. 19, 2021. Tapia posted 22 goals and 10 assists in 117 contests across all competitions, including Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. Tapia helped Universidad Católica earn back-to-back Chilean Primera División titles in 2020 and 2021, and scored a brace in the 2020 Supercopa de Chile championship match against Colo-Colo on March 21, 2021.
At the international level, Tapia has earned 12 caps for the Chilean National Team, tallying three goals and two assists since making his senior debut on Sept. 10, 2024, against Bolivia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Tapia represented Chile at the Under-17 through U-23 levels, starting 14 of 20 matches and recording eight goals and three assists. He additionally represented Chile at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil and making four appearances (three starts), recording one goal and two assists during the competition.
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew acquire forward Gonzalo Tapia on loan from São Paulo, announced on Aug. 5, 2026. The loan runs through the 2027 MLS Sprint Season and includes a Club option for the permanent transfer.
Name: Gonzalo Andrés Tapia Dubournais
Position: Forward
Height: 5’10”
Born: Feb. 18, 2002, in Recoleta, Chile
Citizenship: Chile
Acquired: Via loan on Aug. 5, 2026
Previous Experience: CD Universidad Católica (2020-24), River Plate (2025), São Paulo (2025-26)
