All 32 teams participating in the World Cup in Qatar are introduced.
This time, we will introduce Ecuador from Group A, which outperformed Colombia, Chile, and other strong nations in the South American qualifying rounds for the World Cup and qualified for the tournament straight through, but was temporarily suspended due to allegations that members of the national team were faking their nationalities.
Basic Information
| Number of appearance | 4th |
| Highest Achievement | Round of 16 |
| FIFA Ranking | 44th |
| Capital city | Quito |
| Population | 17.76 million |
| Manager | Gustavo Julio Alfaro |
| Nickname | La Tri (The Tricolors) |
＜Results of last 6 games＞
| 6/3 | Friendly match | Nigeria | 〇 | 1-0 | H |
| 6/6 | Friendly match | Mexico | △ | 0-0 | A |
| 6/12 | Friendly match | Cabo Verde | 〇 | 1-0 | H |
| 9/24 | Friendly match | Saudi Arabia | △ | 0-0 | A |
| 9/27 | Friendly match | Japan | △ | 0-0 | N |
| 11/12 | Friendly match | Iraq | △ | 0-0 | N |
・The usual strategy for Ecuador to qualify for the World Cup is to win a series of home games in Quito, where the altitude is high, and earn points by fighting tenaciously away from home to slip into the top four in the qualifying group.
・In the South American qualifying round for the World Cup, the team lost its first game away from home against Argentina, but it won its subsequent home games against Uruguay and Colombia to accumulate “3” points, and in away games, it fought tenaciously to earn points by drawing twice against Brazil and once against Argentina. They also earned points by drawing once against Argentina and once against Brazil in away games. After the third round, the team never dropped below fourth place and qualified for the World Cup in fourth place for the fourth time in two tournaments.
・Later, there was an uproar over allegations that defender Castillo was born in Colombia and falsified his nationality, leading to a lawsuit by the Chilean soccer federation, which was eliminated from the qualifying round. Information became complicated, and at one point there was a possibility that the team would be disqualified, but in the end, FIFA avoided the Chilean side’s appeal, and the team was confirmed to go to Qatar.
| Date of a match | Local game start time | Opponent | Total match record | |
| Section 1 | November 21 | 19：00 | Qatar （49th） | 1 wins,1 draw, 1 losses |
| Section 2 | November 25 | 19：00 | Netherlands （8th） | 0 wins,1 draw, 1 losses |
| Section 3 | November 29 | 18：00 | Senegal （18th） | 0 wins,0 draw, 2 losses |
Manager
| （Name） | Gustavo Julio Alfaro |
| （Date of birth) | August 14, 1962（60） |
| （nationality) | Argentina |
| （inauguration) | August 2020 |
・Led La Tri to fourth place in World Cup and South American qualifying and back to the World Cup。
・With a coaching career spanning nearly 30 years, he is one of the most prominent coaches in South America. He has coached top teams in the Argentine League, including Boca Juniors, Huracán, Gimnasia La Plata, and Arsenal de Sarandi. During his time as manager of Arsenal de Sarandi, he won the first league title in the club’s history.
・He prefers an aggressive [4-3-3] and has transformed Ecuador into a more attacking team.
Basic Formations & Tactics
The team’s powerful and fast attack from a strong press is a weapon, but the problem is whether they can solve their serious lack of decisiveness.
＜Basic Formations＞
・If the attacking team, centered on Valencia, can get going, a place in the top 16 is not out of the question.
・In the three June matches, young defenders in their early 20s, such as Estupinan and Hincapie, were active, but the two September matches were both scoreless draws.
＜At Attack＞
・Playing left CB, the team mainly attacks from the left side, taking advantage of Hincapie, who has excellent passing sense, and the left WG, which is full of attackers with excellent breaking ability, such as Valencia and Ibarra.
・In the build-up, both SBs move up to the same position as Gruezo, Hincapie becomes the main distributor, and the ball is passed between the four defenders and Gruezo, who passes the ball to Valencia and Ibarra on the left side via M Caicedo, with Estupinan following.
・The form is established in which the player carries quickly to a deep position through individual skill and crosses from the side to be met by Estrada or Plata. The team’s attack from the left is also effective when a long feed to the right is made, allowing Plata to run.
・When the ball is won without committing a foul, a speedy short counter is launched. Again, side attacks are the main focus, and the team quickly develops from the ball winning position to the near side, with many players running in to score on crosses from breaking through vertically.
＜At Defense＞
・When the ball is lost during an attack, the team immediately presses the ball holder in order to re-attack from a re-acquisition. Because they charge hard at their opponents, they also commit many fouls. They would rather commit a foul than be forced to invade their own territory, but they also receive a lot of cards for this. This is a point to watch out for in the World Cup, which is a short-decision tournament.
・When the opponent is in possession of the ball, either Franco or M. Caicedo will move down a bit, and both wingers will drop down to midfield to form a [4-2-3-1] type formation. In this formation, the three midfielders man-mark the key players in the attack and prevent them from entering the penalty area.
・The team chases the ball gently from the front and aggressively tries to win the ball when it enters the middle third, but even at this time, fouls are frequent. The consensus is to stop the opponent’s attack as far away from the goal as possible, because if the midfield is breached, the defense will fall behind, and it is easy to get into trouble in front of your own goal due to poor coordination.
Star players（Top 3）
Moisés Isaac Caicedo （MF/Brighton）
・”Candidates for the next generation of stars”
・He is one of the most sought after midfielders in the Premier League today.
・Defensively, he presses aggressively and makes clean tackles to win the ball without getting fouled. He has shown tremendous growth over the past few years, and his overwhelming running ability allows him to cover a wide area and control the midfield. Off the ball, he moves into space both offensively and defensively, effectively confusing opponents.
・When there is room, he actively participates in the attack. He will drop down to the final line to receive the ball and contribute to the build-up by providing accurate passes. If there is space in front of him, he can run in and try to score a goal.
Piero Martín Hincapié （DF/Leverkusen）
・ “Great CB who could end up at a mega club”
・He joined Leverkusen last summer at the age of 19 and quickly established himself as a regular.
・He is mainly a CB, but can also play left back. Although he is not tall for a CB at 184cm, he has a good sense of danger and is good at playing in all situations. He also plays an important role in attack with his accurate long feeds.
・He plays a central role in the Ecuadorian national team’s defense. After conceding 29 goals in the qualifying round in Russia, he reduced the number of goals to 19 in the qualifying round in Qatar, contributing greatly to the defensive stability of the team.
Pervis Josué Estupiñán （DF/Brighton）
・”Super-aggressive SB”
・A dynamic side player with a strong cross game. He has the stamina and speed to repeatedly move up and down the pitch, as well as strong physical strength.
・Last season, he played 41 official games for Villarreal, which finished in the top four of the Champions League.
Players List
| Name | Age | Club team | Representative Results (Goals) | |
| Alexander Domínguez | 35 | LDU Quito | 66 caps | ・He uses his height and long limbs to make safe saves. |
| Hernan Galindez | 35 | SD Aucas | 11 caps | ・Very strong at shooting from close range. |
| Wellington Moisés Ramírez | 22 | Independiente del Valle | 2 caps | ・Highly dependent on physical ability, but very responsive |
| Robert Abel Arboleda | 31 | Sao Paulo FC | 32 caps（2） | ・Build a solid defense with accurate and sharp tackles and high scoring headers. |
| Pervis Josué Estupiñán | 24 | Brighton | 26 caps（3） | ・High offensive performance, but defensively challenged |
| Ángelo Smit Preciado | 24 | Genk | 24 caps | ・His weapons are breaking through vertically using his speed and sharp crosses. |
| Piero Martín Hincapié | 20 | Leverkusen | 21 caps | ・Experienced South American champion in the club’s U-20 category. |
| Xavier Ricardo Arreaga | 28 | Seattle Sounders | 17 caps（1） | ・Strong in the air, one of the best CBs in MLS ・I’ve heard that he is referred to in the clubs as “the president” because of his ability to lead. |
| Felix Eduardo Torres Caicedo | 25 | Santos Laguna | 16 caps（2） | ・Covers large areas with abundant athleticism and uses his long limbs to retrieve the ball |
| Diego José Palacios | 23 | Los Angeles FC | 11 caps | ・Free dribbling to break through and pinpoint crosses to create opportunities |
| Byron Castillo | 24 | León | 10 caps | ・Confusion surrounds allegations of place of birth ・SB with attacking ability such as dribbling and speed |
| William PACHO | 21 | Royal Antwerp | 0 | ・A CB talent showing a mature play in Belgium ・ Good at interception, strong in aerial battles ・High left leg deployment power |
| Jackson POROZO | 22 | Troyes | 10 caps | ・CB who boasts overwhelming strength in aerial battles by taking advantage of his physical strength ・Showed good cooperation with Incapie in September’s match |
| Carlos Armando Gruezo | 27 | Augsburg | 44 caps（1） | ・Crushes opponents with tough tackles and encourages quick offensive and defensive changes ・Serves as a defensive watchdog at the bottom of the midfield |
| Ángel Israel Mena | 34 | León | 43 caps（7） | ・Winger dazzles opponents with dribbling with a delicate touch |
| Jhegson Sebastián Méndez | 25 | Orlando City | 30 caps | ・Facilitate offensive and defensive changes with bold offensive moves and passes from ball possession |
| Gonzalo Jordy Plata | 22 | Real Valladolid | 28 caps（5） | ・Winger with excellent killing power ・Sharp dribbling to take the opposite side of the opponent and create opportunities |
| Moisés Isaac Caicedo | 21 | Brighton | 23 caps（2） | ・Youngest of 10 siblings |
| Romario Andrés Ibarra | 28 | Pachuca | 22 caps（3） | ・Physicality and speed like a rugger man are used up front to close in on the goal. |
| Alan Javier Franco | 24 | Atlanta United | 22 caps（1） | ・Can keep the ball in tight areas and make effective passes and middles |
| Joao Rojas | 25 | Monterrey | 8 caps | ・Aiming for goal from a sharp cut-in |
| José Adoni Cifuentes | 23 | Los Angeles FC | 8 caps | ・Scatter passes over a wide area to create opportunities |
| Jeremy SARMIENTO | 20 | Brighton | 9 caps | Skillful dribbling is a weapon, and a talent that can be used anywhere in the second row |
| Enner Remberto Valencia | 33 | Fenerbahçe | 72 caps（35） | ・Unshakable ace with the most points in the national team ・He boasts an exceptional scoring sense and comes down to the midfield to contribute to game-making. |
| Michael Steveen Estrada | 26 | Cruz Azul | 34 caps（8） | ・He has good physical strength, technique and speed to score goals on his own. ・Six of the eight goals scored by the national team were scored in the qualifying rounds of this tournament. |
| Ayrton Preciado | 28 | Santos Laguna | 27 caps（3） | ・Excellent ball retention and last pass to create opportunities |
| Leonardo Campana | 22 | Inter Miami | 12 caps | ・Precise positioning and calm finishing work are his strong points. |
| Jordy Caicedo | 25 | UANL Tigres | 10 caps（2） | ・Bold breakthroughs using his huge frame and skillful footwork accentuate his boldness. |
| Djorkaeff REASCO | 23 | Newell’s Old Boys | 3 caps | ・Attacker who excels in off-the-ball movement using mobility ・It is attractive to outwit the opponent and take the goal from any form |
| Kevin RODRIGUEZ | 22 | Imbabura SC | 1 caps | ・The top scorer in the second division of Ecuador who was called up by surprise ・Move around a wide range and create a starting point for attacks in post play |
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