 Under his guidance, the team competed in the 2010 Copa Libertadores, being eliminated in the group stage, but had an impressive run in the local competition, finishing first in the 2010 tournament first stage, earning them a spot in the 2010 Copa Sudamericana and 2011 Copa Libertadores preliminary stage.That year, Emelec faced Liga de Quito, who finished in first place in that year's second half, but ended up losing.On 15 December 2010, Sampaoli was presented as manager of Universidad de Chile.