Ecuador is located in the northwest of South America, its domestic altitude is like a roller coaster, from flat ground to 6272 meters, Ecuador team is also known as the "home of the plateau" in the world football. Ecuador's passion for football is no less than that of any country in South America, and their strength cannot be underestimated. However, with their highland home advantage, they will go to the desert flat to show their strength, can this little-returned, starry team show off in Qatar?
Team overview
At the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, the organizers invited almost all South American countries to participate, but Ecuador refused the invitation at the time, but they did not expect that this refusal made them wait until 2002 to participate in the World Cup for the first time. They reached their first World Cup finals in 2002 and reached the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where they faced England in the quarterfinals and fell under David Beckham's full moon scimitar to take a place in the backdrop of the World Cup scene. In 2014, Ecuador, who again qualified for the World Cup finals, stopped in the group stage.
The Qatar World Cup is Ecuador's fourth peak tournament in world football, and in the Qatar World Cup qualifiers, Ecuador performed amazingly in the group stage, finishing third in South America, second only to Brazil and Argentina to the finals, showing a considerable degree of "dark horse" temperament. It is worth mentioning that Ecuador also has a devil's home stadium, which is located in the highland area 2800 meters away at an altitude, and the teams that play against Ecuador here often suffer from their ability to adapt well to the highland climate here.
Previously, Ecuador was likely to be unable to participate in the World Cup, the Chilean Football Federation and the Peruvian Football Federation accused Byron Castillo of falsifying birth information, until FIFA finally determined that the player was eligible to participate, and Ecuador's hanging heart could finally be put down.
Head coach and core players
Ecuador's head coach is 60-year-old Argentine Alfaro, who has a lot of experience as the head coach of San Lorenzo, Rosario and Boca Juniors, and has been the head coach of Ecuador since 2020 and led Ecuador to the World Cup finals. Alfaro is unpredictable and will adjust his formation in time according to the situation of his opponents, and will be a key opportunity for him to show himself at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Enna Valencia is a former striker who plays for West Ham United in the Premier League and currently for Everton FC in the Premier League. Valencia have scored 33 goals for Ecuador and are the team's all-time top scorer. Valencia have always been irreplaceable in the team, having played at Serie A Lazio and can play in the middle and wing, and are the spiritual leader of the team.
Moisés Caicedo is a professional midfielder who currently plays for Brighton and Albion Club. Caicedo is undoubtedly Ecuador's biggest player and is the heart of Brighton's midfield in the Premier League. The talented midfielder, who has both attack and defense, is considered to be one of the most likely young players to "make a hit" in the World Cup. FIFA also praised him, praising Caicedo on his official website for "getting the attention of the entire world football". Caicedo will be a big player for Ecuador.
World Cup advantages and disadvantages and scenarios
Ecuador is in Group A with hosts Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands, who will also be featured in the World Cup opener. This group is not a small difficulty for Ecuador, and the opening match against Qatar will definitely be under a lot of pressure, while the Netherlands and Senegal are obviously more prominent in this group, so it may be a bit difficult for Ecuador to qualify.
The home stadium at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters is one of the important aids for Ecuador to qualify, but in Qatar, Ecuador, which has almost never felt the desert climate in late autumn, is likely to be "unsatisfied", and it is really difficult to predict how much combat power can be exerted. Ecuador has a wide distribution of players, playing in the middle and lower reaches of La Liga, and teams in Major League Primad. Although Ecuador is not as talented as Brazil and other South American teams, the team as a whole is very strong, and the players are very flexible and physically strong on the field, which is their winning weapon and their capital against the world's best teams.
Alfaro, who dares to use newcomers, brings vitality to the team, and they are undoubtedly the more promising future for Ecuadorian football. Ecuador, with an average age in their early 25s, may be one of the most rational teams in this World Cup, and their physical strength and tough style of play will create the conditions for their upset. How will this young force perform in the World Cup in Qatar? We'll see.
World Cup Group A Schedule:
Round 1:
2022/11/21 00:00 Qatar vs Ecuador
2022/11/22 00:00 Senegal vs Netherlands
Round 2:
2022/11/25 21:00 Qatar vs Senegal
2022/11/26 00:00 Netherlands vs Ecuador
Round 3:
2022/11/29 23:00 Netherlands vs Qatar
2022/11/29 23:00 Ecuador vs Senegal