Live Soccer continues the Pre-Tournament Tour ahead of the Copa America and this time around, we head to Ecuador!

Led by President Rafael Correa, Ecuador is one of only two nations that doesn't have a border with Brazil in South America. The country, which sits in between Peru and Colombia, is also one of the 17 'megadiverse' countries in the world- all due to its different species of flora and fauna.

But once again, the main topic in the streets go back to the sport that captivates their majority of medium-income citizens: football. The capital of Ecuador, Quito is a World Heritage Site after being declared as such by UNESCO back in the 1970s.

One of the unique aspects of this city is that it's one of the best kept historical site in South America. Quito is also known as 'Carita de Deos' (The Face of God), which comes from it's majestic religious architecture and structures in a fantastic Andes landscape.

 

Spanish is the first language of the country, dating back to the Spanish Colonization era within the country and football earns a special place in the hearts of every Ecuadorian living in the tropical climatic nation.

Studying the Ecuadorian football history doesn't provide a definite look at their footballing level because while they can be regarded as one of the struggling footballing nations in Latin America, talent does prevail from this country.

From the era of Washington Munoz, Alberto Spencer and others, they moved on to Jose Villafuerta. But people of the current generation will probably associate the likes of Agustin Delgado to the Ecuadorian football team. After all, he holds the record for the most number of goals for the nation. Nowadays, it's all about Antonio Valencia and his exploits down that right flank.

For a country that has never won the Copa America and qualified for the FIFA World Cup only twice in their history, little success is greeted with plenty of joy and excitement on the streets. Wins over Poland and Costa Rica in their second participation in the World Cup granted them a historic entry into the knockout round and perhaps that was the greatest moment in their footballing history.

A Recap Of Ecuador's Copa America History And Record

Ecuador have a generally poor statistical record as far as the Copa America is concerned. As mentioned previously, Ecuador are one of three nations that has never won the prestigious Copa America title, with the other two teams being Chile and Venezuela. But one piece of statistic that justifies their poor Copa America record is indeed the number of times they have faltered defensively. Ecuador holds the record for conceding the most number of goals in Copa America history- letting in an incredible 296 goals within a mere 61 matches.

They only started participating in the Copa America back in 1939 despite the competition starting in 1916. However, they were consistently among the weaker teams in the tournament and certainly found it hard to compete with the rest. Their best finish of fourth place first came in 1959 when they defeated Paraguay 3-1 and drew with the mighty Argentineans 1-1 to claim three massive points that placed them in fourth. (Readers have to note that at that time, two points were given for every win while one point was given for a draw).

After that best finish, Ecuador were rather average in the following editions, finishing sixth in 1963 before once against consistently faltering at the first hurdle when the competition changed it's format. However, the 1993 edition of Copa America proved to be another successful campaign indeed. Co-incidentally, they were the host that year.

They started the competition with a massive 6-1 win over Venezuela that set Ecuador's tempo for the rest of the tournament. They topped Group A with three wins from three matches, also defeating the United States and Uruguay in the process. In the quarter-finals, a thumping 3-0 triumph over Paraguay raised hopes for a first ever Copa America title but all of them were brought back to earth as Mexico spoilt the party in the semi-finals with a 2-0 win. They also lost to Colombia by a goal in the Third Placing match but the tournament by itself was regarded as a huge success for the host nation.

Fourth Place: 1959, 1993

Quarter-finals: 1997

Fifth Place: 1939, 1941

Sixth Place: 1947, 1953, 1963

Seventh Place: 1942, 1945, 1949, 1955, 1957

Round 1: 1975, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007

Withdrew: 1946, 1956, 1959

Did Not Qualify: 1967

Did Not Enter: 1916-1937 (14 Editions)

Ecuador's 2011 Copa America Coach And Squad

Ecuador's coach:

As a football player, Ecuador's current coach Reinaldo Rueda mostly played for amateur sides. However, Rueda rose to prominence after his excellent spell in charge of the Colombian Under-20 side, where he guided them into third place at the 2003 FIFA Youth World Cup. The same year, Rueda also brought the Colombian Under-17 team to a fourth place finish at the U-17 World Cup.

As a Colombian, Rueda has been in charge of his national football team at all levels including the senior team. in 2007, he was appointed as the coach of Honduras and was a huge success with them, guiding the country into the 2010 FIFA World Cup last year. He resigned after a three year spell in July 2010 before taking charge of Ecuador in September last year.

Ecuador's 2011 Copa America 23-man squad roster:

Goalkeepers: Máximo Banguera, Marcelo Elizaga, Alexander Domínguez.

Defenders: Néicer Reasco, Norberto Araujo, Luis Checa, Walter Ayoví, Gabriel Achilier, Giovanni Caicedo, Fricson Erazo, Diego Calderón.

Midfielders: Oswaldo Minda, Segundo Castillo, Cristian Noboa, Giovanni Nazareno, Antonio Valencia, David Quiroz, Edison Méndez, Michael Arroyo.

Forwards: Jaime Ayoví, Felipe Caicedo, Cristian Benítez, Narciso Mina.

The Top Quote From Colombia's Camp Ahead Of The 2011 Copa America

Ecuadorian Football Federation President Luis Chiriboga to reporters:

"The Copa America will be very difficult. Ecuador's group is very difficult but we can succeed based on our work. People have to trust that this will be a serious team that will know how to represent us all."

Video Highlights of the Ecuador National Team