Ecuador is ranked sixth in the CONMEBOL Rankings and twenty-eighth in the FIFA Rankings. Their largest victory came in 1975; they beat Peru 6-0. This is their third world campaign overall; Ecuador’s best performance came in 2006, when they made it as far as the Round of 16.
Ecuador took the final automatic qualifying spot in CONMEBOL on virtue of goal difference from Uruguay. They finished fourth in their qualifying group, emerging with seven wins and four draws from 16 games. Ecuador’s home form was extremely good; they only dropped two points. Away from home, they failed to pick up a single win.
Player to Watch and a Glance at the Roster:
Ecuador’s player to watch is none other than Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia who is not coming into the World Cup on the back of his best campaign. He will in all likelihood want to put United’s 2013-14 campaign behind him and focus on the World Cup. Ecuador’s hopes will partially rest on his shoulders.
Aside from him, other players to watch in Ecuador’s squad are the Fortuna Düsseldorf player Cristian Ramirez, the Stuttgart player Carlos Gruezo and the Dynamo Moscow man Cristian Noboa.
All about….Coach Rueda:
Reinaldo Rueda is a true academic; he was a Professor before he was a coach. In football, his achievements at youth level impressed everyone in Columbia especially when he led the Columbia U-20 to third place in the FIFA Youth Championships in 2003.
TV Listings:
Ecuador has been placed with France, Switzerland and Honduras in Group F. ESPN and ESPN3 will be broadcasting their matches live to viewers; for more information, please visit the Ecuador team page.
