2022 World Cup Team Profile: Ecuador
JAKARTA - Ecuador has a long history as one of the most troubled soccer countries in South America. However, recently La Tri has emerged as a strong competitor to South America despite their previous shortcomings.
Ecuador's national team qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after cementing their position as South America's fourth biggest team alongside Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. La Tri have qualified four of the last six World Cup finals, a better record than Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru.
Profile overview
- Full name: Ecuador national football team
- Nickname: La Tri
- Founded: 1899
- Colours: Yellow, Black and Gray
- Federation: FIFA
- Head coach: Gustavo Alfaro
- Captain: Enner Valencia
- Top scorer: Enner Valencia (35 goals)
- Most caps: Ivan Hurtado (168)
- Stadium: Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado
- FIFA Code: ECU History in World Cup qualifiers
Ecuador did not qualify for the 1930-1938 World Cup and qualified for the 1950 World Cup for the first time but withdrew. La Tri also did not participate in the 1954 and 1958 World Cups and failed to qualify for the world's most prestigious football competition from 1962 to 1998.
They qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2002 after finishing second in the CONMEBOL (South America) qualifying zone. Four years later, after finishing third in the standings, this team qualified for the second time to the World Cup. However, in the 2010 edition, they finished sixth in South America and thus failed to appear for the third successive World Cup. They only returned in the 2014 edition before being knocked out again from the 2018 edition.
Ecuador qualified for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar by finishing fourth in the CONMEBOL competition. In a 10-team group, Chile finished seventh, with Peru - who then lost to Australia in the intercontinental play-off - and Colombia finishing ahead of them.
In May, the Chilean Football Federation (FFCh) protested claims that Ecuador used illegitimate player Byron Castillo throughout the CONMEBOL zone qualifying phase.
The FFCh even claim they have evidence that Castillo was a player born in Tumaco, Colombia, in 1995, rather than General Vilamil Playas, Ecuador, in 1998, as the official documents show.
Castillo dropped eight of Ecuador's 18 games in the South American qualifying phase, where they finished fourth in the final standings with 26 points to earn one of four automatic tickets to the 2022 World Cup finals.
Chile requested that the six points earned in the match be awarded to them, a situation that had threatened the Ecuadorian national football team to lose their place in Group A.
However, in early June, FIFA, rejected Chile's protests and ensured Ecuador retains the right to play in the 2022 World Cup finals later this year in Qatar.
Nickname
Ecuador is also known as La Tri (The Tri) because of their yellow jersey.
Team captain
Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays for Fenerbahe in Turkey and the Ecuador national team. Valencia has won 70 caps for La Tri since making his international debut in 2012.
He took part in the 2014 World Cup and Copa América in 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2021. Valencia is Ecuador's all-time top scorer with 35 goals, and he shares the record for most goals scored in World Cup finals with three goals with Agustin Delgado.
Profile overview
- Full name: Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra
- Date of birth: November 4, 1989
- Age: 32 (as of June 2022)
- Place of birth: Esmeraldas, Ecuador
- Height: 174 cm
- Position: Striker, winger
- Current team: Fenerbahce
- Jersey number: 7
Coach
Gustavo Julio Alfaro is an Argentine former footballer who is now the manager of the Ecuador national team.
Profile overview
- Full name: Gustavo ulio Alfaro
- Date of birth: August 14, 1962
- Age: 59 (as of June 2022)
- Place of birth: Rafaela, Argentina
- Height: 175 cm
Provisional squad for the 2022 World Cup
With the current squad, the level of expectations for La Tri is times higher than before. The names of the following players were called up during the CONMEBOL zone 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The squad will form the framework for La Tri at the upcoming World Cup tournament in Qatar.
Goalkeeper
- Jorge Pinos
- Hernan Galindez
- Wellington Ramírez
Defender
- Luis Fernando León
- Robert Arboleda
- Xavier Arreaga
- Pervis Estupiñán
- Byron Castillo
- Félix Torres
- Angelo Preciado
- Diego Palacios
- Piero Hincapié
Midfielder
- Danny Cabezas Bazan
- Carlos Gruezo
- Sebastián Méndez
- Joao Rojas López
- José Cifuentes
- Alan Franco
- Gonzalo Plata
- Moises Caicedo
- Michael Carcelen
- Djorkaeff Reasco
Striker
- Renato Ibarra
- Enner Valencia
- Romario Ibarra
- Ángel Mena
- Michael Estrada F
- Jeremy Sarmiento
- Jordy Caicedo
SEE ALSO:
Ecuador national team at the World Cup
In the final match against Croatia in the 2002 World Cup, Edison Méndez's second half goal ensured a 1-0 consolation victory. Despite finishing last in their group, La Tri could get rid of Croatia, who previously finished third at the 1998 World Cup.
La Tri will play in their fourth World Cup in 2022, having competed in 2002, 2006 and 2014. In CONMEBOL qualifiers, they finished fourth, just two points clear of Peru. After finishing fourth in this year's World Cup qualifiers, they earned a final automatic place for South America at the 2022 World Cup.
At the 2022 World Cup, Ecuador occupies Group A with hosts Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands. Here is the schedule for their group stage matches:
Monday, November 21, 2022
Senegal vs Netherlands: 17.00 p.m. GMT+7
Qatar vs Ecuador: 23:00 p.m. GMT+7
Friday, November 25, 2022
Qatar vs Senegal: 20.00 p.m. GMT+7
Netherlands vs Ecuador: 23:00 p.m. GMT+7
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Netherlands vs Qatar: 22.00 p.m. GMT+7
Ecuador vs Senegal: 22.00 p.m. GMT+7
FIFA World Ranking
Currently: 46 (as of March 2022)
Highest: 10 (June 2013)
Low: 71 (November 2017)
Trophies
Canada Cup 1999
Pan American Games: 1st place, gold medalist (2007)
2007 South American Tournament: 2nd place, silver medals (4): 1978, 1982, 1990, 2010. 3rd place, bronze medal: 2014
South American U-20 Championship: 2019
Bolivarian Games
1st place, gold medalist (2): 1965, 1985
2nd place, silver medalist (3): 2009, 2013, 2017
3rd place, bronze medalist (2): 1938, 2005
Ecuador's Best Footballer
Jose Cevallos (1994-2010, 89 caps, goalless)
Ulises de la Cruz (1995-2010, 101 caps, six goals)
Edison Mendez (2000-present, 108 caps, 18 goals)
Agustin Delgado (1994-2006, 71 caps, 31 goals)
Alex Aguinaga (1987-2004, 109 caps), 23 goals)