Ecuabol

Sub-20: Ecuador Qualify To The Round of 16

2011-08-08T20:16:00.000-04:00

On Saturday Ecuador faced Costa Rica for their third and decisive match of the U-20 World Cup. Ecuador needed to win this match in order to directly qualify for the round of 16 and not wait for other results.

Ecuador Jersey Source: El Comercio
Soccer Field Background Source: www.soccermastermind.com

Vizuete put the same players on the pitch for this game but made two changes. He put in Deportivo Quito's Dixon Arroyo for the suspended Ona and Barcelona's starlet Bryan De La Torre for Juan Govea.

Bryan De La Torre was a crucial component that led to the Ecuadorian victory. He participated in Ecuador's first two goals with his speed and agility. De La Torre did what Govea failed to do in the past two games, link up with his supporting defender and take turns going forward.The most important part of this game was that our forwards finally found the back of the net,especially Marlon De Jesus. This gave them confidence which they will need for the round of 16.
The two central midfielders are still struggling to support the attacking field as oppose to play a few yards from the defense. What they need to be are box to box midfielders that recover possession in the defense as well as feed the ball to the forwards with precision.
Ecuador will face the U-19 European champions France on Wednesday. Hopefully the midfield problem will be fixed by then and our forwards will continue scoring goals by then. The victory is not impossible, after all Colombia did put 4 past them and still managed to miss a penalty.

Liga Tied Yaracuyanos In Sudamericana Debut

2011-08-05T14:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Liga versed Venezuelean side Yaracuyanos for the first stage of the Copa Sudamericana. Liga were looking to play defensively so they can concede the least amount of goals possible.

At the 63rd minute, a hand ball was called in the box and Hernan Barcos put Los Albos in the lead. During the 78th minute, Colombian Edwin Chalar controlled a through ball perfectly, ran into the box and tied the game up. Liga will face Yaracuyanos again on August 17 for the return leg.

Sub-20:Ecuador Fall Against Spain

2011-08-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Ecuador faced Spain for their second match of the U-20 World Cup. Ecuador were looking to surprise Spain and receive their first victory of the tournament while La Roja was looking to seal their way to the round of 16 with at least a tie.

Ecuador Jersey Source: El Comercio
Soccer Field Background Source: www.soccermastermind.com

Vizuete did not change the line up for this game. La Tricolor played a 4-2-2-2 with John Jaramillo in the back with Mario Pineida and Eder Fuertes as wing backs and Dennis Quinonez and John Narvez in the middle. Jose Govea was called last minute after the talented Rento Ibarra picked up a last minute injury. On the other wing was Marcos Caicedo with Fernando Gaibor and Andrés Oña in the center midfield. Up front was Edison Montano and Marlon De Jesus.

The U-20 team is having the exact same problem the National team is having, they have yet to find a goalscorer. Yesterday Ecuador played well although John Narvez had some incredible blunders that almost cost us the game early on. It is a shame that right when it seemed Ecuador was going to score, the only player that was booked, Andrés Oña picked up his second yellow and Spain's opening goal came shortly after that.
It seems Ecuador is not using their main weapon to their advantage, River Plate player Juan Casares. He barely got any play time in both games. Ecuador should play with a 4-2-3-1, with Juan Casares playing in the hole to create dangerous plays like he does so well in the reserves of River Plate, even with a 4-1-2-1-2 would work.
Marlon De Jesus is a exceptional player, he has pace, agility but like Cristian Benitez, he lacks the key talent that a forward needs, scoring goals. In both games Marlon has had countless shots on goals and all of them cause the opposing goalkeeper to produce an amazing save. It seems that luck is not on his side, hopefully he will find the net against Costa Rica.
Ecuador are now forced to win against Costa Rica on Saturday if they want any chance to qualify to the round of 16. Hopefully Casares will start this game.

Suarez's Golazo Qualifies Santos To Next Round

2011-08-04T11:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Santos faced Olimpia of Honduras for the return leg of the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League. Santos were looking to avoid getting scored on since Olimpia lost 3-1 in the first leg and got the ever important away goal. While Olimpia were looking to use their home field advantage to qualify to the group stages.

At the 13th minute, Cristian Suarez stole the ball and dribbled past three players and the goalkeeper to give Los De La Comarca the lead. Two minutes later, after two headers in the box, the home side tied the game courtesy of Roger Rojas. Right before the game was about to end, defender Brayan Beckles scored for Olimpia following an indirect free-kick.

Jaime Gives Pachuca Victory

2011-08-04T11:19:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Pachuca faced Cruz Azul at home for the third round of the Mexican Apertura. Pachuca were looking to get their first home win of the tournament while Cruz Azul were looking to continue their winning streak.

At the 85th minute Ayovi headed in a corner by Rogelio Chávez Martínez to give Los Tuzos the three points. Jaime has scored 2 goals in three games so far.

Quito Wins By The Minimum In Sudamericana

2011-08-04T11:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Deportivo Quito faced Anzoategui at home for the first stage of the Copa Sudamericana at home. Los Chullas were looking to prove that Ecuador futbol was superior to Venezuela who La Tricolor seems to have a hard time beating.

At the 61st minute Maximilian Bevacqua scored a beautiful diving header following a corner kick to score the only goal of the match. Los Chullas will play the return match on August 16.

Sub-20: New Tri, Same Problem

2011-08-01T22:28:00.000-04:00

Yesterday La Tricolor debuted in Colombia for the U-20 FIFA World Cup against Australia. After the horrible results of the Copa America, the Ecuadorian people put all their hopes on the promising U-20 to bring success.

Ecuador Jersey Source: El Comercio
Soccer Field Background Source: www.soccermastermind.com

Vizuete lined up the team with his classic 4-4-2, which seemed more like a 4-2-2-2. John Jaramillo in the back with Mario Pineida and Eder Fuertes as wing backs and Dennis Quinonez and John Narvez in the middle. Jose Govea was called last minute after the talented Rento Ibarra picked up a last minute injury. On the other wing was Marcos Caicedo with Fernando Gaibor and Andrés Oña in the center midfield. Up front was Edison Montano and Marlon De Jesus.

Ecuador was superior to the Sooceroos for most of the match but Mark Birighitti made sure not to let all the efforts by La Tricolor to go on. The problem with the U-20 team is that they play too offensive minded and leave the back too exposed. It seemed like for most of the match, Ecuador was playing with four forwards, leaving Ona and Gaibor to play close to the defense. This in turn made their participation in the attacking half of the midfield non-existence. The inclusion of River Plate startlet Casares seemed too late. Following a few exceptions, Ona and Gaibor played more defensively and did not support of the offense. The weakest point of Ecuador seems to be the left backs because they rarely went up to support the offense and their defending left to be desired.
On the positive note, Marlon De Jesus played very well, it seems that he has grown past that horror blunder he had in the U-20 South American tournament. John Narvez seemed like he has an exceptional future with Ecuador. He was strong, confident and often fed the ball ti the midfield very elegantly.
La Tricolor were too confident with the 1-0 result and did not bother to assure the victory by scoring another goal and the end result was Australia's last minute goal. Now Ecuador will face powerhouse Spain on Wednesday who did not play well but managed to score four goals past Costa Rica. Hopefully Ecuador will be with all guns blazing by then and produce a shocking result.

Ayovi Gives Pachuca Tie

2011-08-01T11:27:00.001-04:00

In yet another match of the 2nd round of the Mexican Apertura, Pachuca visited Puebla. Puebla were looking to get their first home win while Pachuca were looking to collect their first points of the tournament.

At the 19th minute, Colombian Duvier Riascos ran into the box and his left foot effort ended up into the back of the net. During the 32nd minute, Luis Garcia doubled the lead for the home side. A defensive error by Puebla left Enrique Esqueda to get one back for Pachuca. Eight minutes before the end of the game, Mauro Cejas crossed the ball into the box and Jaime Ayovi headed in the equalizer.

Chucho Provides America Tie

2011-08-01T11:13:00.002-04:00

Yesterday America faced Toluca for the second round of the Mexican Apertura. Las Aguilas were looking to grab their first away win while Los Diablos Rojos were looking to celebrate their first home win of the tournament.

At the first minute of the match, a defensive error by America left Ivan Alonso to score the first goal of the match. During the 21st minute, Benitez grabbed the ball from half field and dribbled his way into the box and set up Vicente Vuoso perfectly who scored the equalizer.

Suarez Scores In Santos Thrashing

2011-07-31T11:19:00.000-04:00

Santos faced Atlante for another match of the second round of the Mexican Apertura. Santos were looking to continue their good form at home while Atlante were looking to beat Santos something they haven't been able to do in over 5 years.

At the 17th minute Daniel Ludena picked out Cristian Suarez perfectly in a cross who dribbled the goalkeeper and scored the first goal of the match. A few minutes after the start of the second half, Oribe Perlata dribbled past a defender and passed the ball to Colombian International Carlos Quintero who doubled the lead for the home side. During the 84th minute a nice plat between the Santos offense left Carlos Ochoa to score the last goal of the match. Yet another player Rueda failed to call up is showing results.

Ayovi Scores in Monterrey Comeback

2011-07-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Monterrey faced newly promoted side Tijuana for the second round of the Mexican Apertura. Monterrey were looking to continue their good start of the tournament while Tijuana were looking to grab their first win.

At the 25th minute, Colombian international Dayron Moreno scored a beauty of a goal to give the away side the lead. A few minutes later Richard Ruiz Toledo picked out Joe Corona Crespin who headed in the goal that doubled the lead. During the 40th minute Neri Cardozo crossed the ball to Sergio Santana who got one back for the home side. Nine minutes later Fernando Arce brought down Santana in the box and Luis Perez scored the subsequent penalty. At the 71st minute a cross by Humberto Suazo managed to get to Ayovi who whipped it into the back of the net to give Los Rayados the lead. A minute later Ex-Lyon player Cesar Delgado who tucked in the fourth goal. Yet again Ayovi shows he is an exceptional player playing in the offense rather than the defense.

Rojas Shines in Morelia Victory

2011-07-29T13:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Monarcas faced Tempête FC of Haiti for yet another match of the Preliminary Round of the CONCACAF Champions League. Monarcas were looking to use the home advantage to close up the round as quickly as possible.

At the 15th minute, Rojas picked out Joel Adrian Huiqui in the box who headed the ball into the back of the net. During the 63rd minute nref4 was brought down in the box and Miguel Sabah scored the subsequent penalty to double the lead. Four minutes later Rojas was picked out in a cross and Joao blasted it home. Three minutes after that Rojas launched the ball perfectly to Angel Sepulveda who headed in his cross. At the 76th minute a failed attempt to block the ball by Guerry Romondt left Jaime Lozano to score an easy goal to end the game 5-0. Rojas is yet another player Rueda failed to call up for the disastrous Copa America we had.

Plata Gives Victory to Toronto

2011-07-29T13:25:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday Toronto FC faced Real Esteli of Nicaragua for the Preliminary Round of the CONCACAF Champions League. Toronto were looking to score as much goals as possible so they can play more defensively during the return leg and hopefully qualify to the next round.

At the 56th minute Joao controlled a cross and dribbled his way into the box and managed to take the ball into the back of the net. 16 minutes later Plata curled in a free-kick to pick up his brace. During the 81th minute, a horrible blunder by Milos Kocic left Calero Rudel to score an easy goal and give Esteli the ever important away goal. Joao Plata is yet another exceptional player that Rueda chose not to call up hopefully he will have a chance to play for his colors.

GOTW: Olmedo vs Liga De Quito

2011-07-26T14:36:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the Ecuadorian Copa Credife Serie A started again on its second phase with a bang. This weeks game of the week has to go to the surprise victory of Olmedo over the power house Liga De Quito. Honorable mentions to Emelec's thrashing over Imabubura and Deportivo Quito's clear victory over Manta.

Olmedo were looking to play defensively and at least get one point out of this game. While Liga were looking to go with all guns blazing to score a few past Olmedo and start the second phase on the right foot.

At the 45th minute Murillo crossed the ball into the box and poor marking by Marlon Ganchoso left Sebastián Ramúa to tap it in. During the 78th minute, Pedro Gamez was brought down in the box by Diego Calderon and Christian Gomez scored the subsequent penalty to bring the people of Riobamba into ecstasy.

The surprise victory left the all powerful Liga De Quito with a bad start of the second phase and with Olmedo with 3 crucial points so that they can remain in the maximum tier of the Ecuador soccer league. It seems what Liga lacked was a finisher who could put the ball into the back of the net, luckily for the upcoming games they will have available the resigned Claudio Bieler who can partner up with Barcos very nicely.

Dream Debut For Benitez

2011-07-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

Today was the first match-day of the Mexican Apertura. Las Aguilas wanted to start on the right foot and win at home while Queretaro wanted to spoil the party.

At the 27th minute a shot by Benitez ricochet on a defender and ended up in the back of the net. Right before the end of the first half, following a through ball, Benitez lobbed the ball over a defender and doubled the lead for America. Right before the match was about to end, a free-kick was blocked by Armando Navarrete but Franco Niell nicked it into the net. I should be happy to see Benitez being successful in his club team, but it makes me sad how he can't seem to deliver when he plays for his own country...

La Tricolor's Report Card

2011-07-17T12:21:00.000-04:00

Image Sources: footballkitnews thebusinessofu
Edits Made By Me

After the failure that was Copa America for tricolor, below is what I feel the performances of the most prominent players through the tournament for Ecuador. It was mostly bad performances with a few exceptions:

Marcelo Elizaga

Image Source: Futboladicto.com

Played very well defending the three posts. Despite being one the oldest players in this tournament, showed he can still dive like he is in early 20s. Had many crucial saves, especially against Paraguay. Only had a mild blunder against Brazil but an overall solid performance.

Final Grade: B+

Necier Reasco

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

Just like when he played against Paraguay, Canada, Mexico,etc. Neicer has shown his best years are far gone. I still don't full understand why Rueda insisted on putting him when people like Geovanny Nazareno did a much better job. He rarely supported Mendez in the midfield and defended horribly. This is definitely a spot that Ecuador needs a replacement in.

Final Grade: F

Fricso Erazo

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

One of the few players that seemed to have played well in this tournament. Erazo was confident in the back, clearing many dangerous balls and helping in the attack when he could.It needs a little work on his marking but has huge potential.

Final Grade: B

Norberto Araujo

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

It is sad to see that the players that really showed love for their shirt were not even born in Ecuador. Araujo played like in his best years in Liga De Quito. He rarely let anybody past him and constantly fought with all his mite for the ball.

Final Grade: B+

Walter Ayovi

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

Something that has been known all along has been confirmed in this tournament, Ayovi cannot play as a left back effective. Sure he has played in that position in his club Monterrey and has scored great goals but what Ecuador needs is a left back that can attack AS WELL as defend, something that Ayovi can't seem to do. He can be easily dribbled and even when he does attack, he does not seem to do much. This is another position Ecuador need to find a replacement in as well as a more suitable captain.

Final Grade: D-

Edison Mendez

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

Kinito still showed he had traces of talent left from his younger days but he also showed that his prime is far gone. Mendez is lacking creative play-making skills, something that can be attributed to his age, he still displays talent but it is time to look for replacement for him as well.

Final Grade: C-

Cristian Noboa

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

El Zar is another of those few players that play well in La Tricolor. He showed he can play the holding role as well against Brazil. His quick passes and dribbling helped create the little spark in the midfield that La Tricolor showed in this tournament.

Final Grade: B

Segundo Castillo

Image Source: Times Union

Effective at his job which is recuperating the ball and feeding it to the rest of the players however Castillo needs to learn how to pass the ball and not just blast it out of a dangerous zone because it ultimately gives the possession back to the opposing team.

Final Grade: C

Michael Arroyo

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

Failed to show what he is capable of in this tournament. Gambetita showed little sparks of talent against Brazil but never really felt comfortable in any part of the field he was put, luckily Ecuador has many talented players that can take his place, the likes of Joao Rojas, Joffre Guerron and Jefferson Montero.

Grade: D+

Cristian Benitez

Image Source: Yahoo Sports

I believe his under-par performance under Rueda can be attributed to the role he was give to play. Under Rueda Chucho tracked back into the midfield to re cooperate the ball, sometimes he even went as behind as helping out in the defense. It seemed that Rueda wanted Chucho play like Wayne Rooney does in Manchester United but he failed to see the Benitez has little experience doing this and lacks the physical presence to do it. Against Brazil we has given a wider role which gave him more room to dribble and exchange places with Caicedo easily however he failed to mark Maicon effectively.

Final Grade: C-

Felipe Caicedo:

Image Source: Sun Sentinal

Has the potential to be the top goalscorer of the country. His physical prowess is something that can mix perfectly with the fast paced Chucho but unfortunately Benitez was too busy tracking back and not going back in the front to partner Felipe. He was left literally alone in the front with two or three defenders marking him. Felipe did a good job playing as a lone striker in his club Levante, however in his club he got constant support from his wingers as well as the second striker who assisted him, this is something Ecuador never made available. Scored a brace against Brazil in which he played in a more club friendly formation.

Final Grade: B

Humiliation In Argentina

2011-07-13T23:00:00.002-04:00

Today Ecuador faced Brazil for their last hopes of qualifying to the next round of Copa America. After the amazing tie by Venezuela, the winner of this tournament would skyrocket to second place in the group.

It seems that Rueda got the message that his job would be decided in the result of this game so he finally changed up the formation. The same in the back, Elizaga, Ayovi, Erazo, Araujo, and Reasco. Noboa and Minda were the holding midfielders while Christian Benitez was moved to play on the left side and Arroyo on the right. Felipe Caicedo placed in the same position he played in Levante as a lone striker with Edison Mendez playing as the creative attacking midfielder.

From the start of this match, Ecuador put tremendous amount of pressure on Brazil to see if they can score that way which in a way they were mildly successful. La Tricolor were controlling the ball around the opponents box, something they failed to do in the past 2 games. However this caused Ecuador to leave spaces open something that should be a sin to do with a team like Brazil. La Verde-Amarela happily invaded the open spaces, (especially Maicon) and attacked Ecuador ruthlessly. The game was not a total failure, we managed to score 2 goals albeit by help of Julio Cesar but it was clear that Ecuador are still inadequate. Hopefully the two goals by Caicedo won't save the job of Rueda, unfortunately the Ecuadorian media can be so forgiving. Ecuador have been a disaster this Copa America. Under his reign, Ecuador have yet to win a game, he fails to call up the right players and seems to not learn from his mistakes. It is better to correct the problem now before it is too late and the problem is Reinaldo.

Real Betis Aquire Montero On Loan

2011-07-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

One of the players that Ecuador need in the Copa America but was left out of the final squad, made his move in Europe. Jefferson Montero moved from Levante to recently promoted side Real Betis. He still belongs to Villareal however he will play for the Sevilla based side for the upcoming season. It still amazes me how he was not called up for the Copa America, Rueda must have a guilty conscious....

Image Source: realbetisbalompie.es

Argentino Juniors Sign La Sombrita

2011-07-11T20:12:00.000-04:00

After Jefferson decided not to renew his contract with Barcelona S.C, press speculated that he would probably move on to one of the title contending club such as Liga or Deportivo Quito. Today Hurtado shocked the country when he was loaned off to Argentina Juniors.

Image Source: marcador.ec

At 23 years of age, Sombrita will be our only defender playing abroad. The skills he would get from this club will surely help his technique. Most of all this will definitely earn him a spot in la tricolor who desperately need defenders. Best of luck to Hurtado and hopefully everything will go well so the club decides to buy him.

Ecuador Disappoints Against Venezuela

2011-07-10T11:13:00.001-04:00

Yesterday La Tricolor played Venezuela for their second match of the Copa America. After the surprise tie (2-2) of Paraguay over Brazil, the victory was crucial since who ever walked out with three points were catapulted to the top of the group.

Ecuador Jersey Source: El Comercio
Soccer Field Background Source: www.soccermastermind.com

Rueda continued to play with his ineffective 4-4-1-1 with Elizaga, Ayovi, Erazo, Araujo and Reasco in the back. Arroyo,Noboa,Castillo, and Mendez in the middle and Benitez with Caicedo in the front.

I can honestly say Ecuador is the team in Copa America that lack talent in the attacking third of the field. Out of all the teams in this prestigious tournament, Ecuador seems to have the worst attacking display. Even Mexico who are practically playing with their C squad and playing with 5 defenders are generating more threat than Ecuador. Before the game, Rueda said that the key to winning this game was possession. He was clearly proved wrong as La Tricolor had most of the possession throughout the game and still ended up losing. Ecuador never had a clear shot on goal before the goal landed. It seems like it was the first time the Ecuadorian players were seeing each others faces. Ecuador seemed lost and out of idea and never truly looked like they were going to score before the last minutes of the game. Our wingbacks are useless, Benitez failed to link up with Caicedo and the midfield failed to create dangerous situations. It is truly sad to see that La Tricolor cannot even manage to beat Venezuela. Now Ecuador has to do the impossible and beat Brazil on Wednesday. God help us.

Alarming Facts
* Ecuador have not won a game in Copa America since Copa America 2001 against Chile (2-0)
Ecuador have failed to win a game under the reign of Rueda this year.
* Yesterday was the first time Venezuela have won a game in Copa America since 1967 (3-0 against Bolivia)
* La Tricolor had 3 measly legitimate shots on goal in their past two games
* The last time Felipe Caicedo scored for La Tricolor was back in September 6th 2008 against Bolivia

Vitesse Sign U-20 Starlet Rento Ibarra

2011-07-09T10:46:00.001-04:00

After months of intense negotiation with the top clubs in Europe, Vitesse Arnhem have snapped up El Nacional starlet Renato Ibarra. The U-20 star was about to be picked by the likes of Chelsea and Villarreal but in the end he decided to play for a relatively smaller club so he can be assured play time.

Image Source: Vitesse.nl

Ibarra will be tied to the Netherlands team until 2014. Renato will participate in the upcoming U-20 FIFA World Cup which will start at the end of this month.It was a bold move for a team to sign him before the World Cup because the price for his services would have gone up if they would have waited.

Ecuador Debuts With A Stalemate

2011-07-03T21:20:00.001-04:00

Today La Tricolor made their anticipated debut in Copa America versus Paraguay. Both teams were looking to take advantage of Brazil's draw versus Venezuela and debut with a win so they could be one step into the next round.

Ecuador Jersey From: El Comercio

Rueda played his classic 4-4-2 with Christian Benitez playing a few yards behind Caicedo and Marcelo Elizaga, Walter Ayovi, Frizon Erazo, Noberto Araujo and Nesier Reasco in the back. There was a last minute change for the midfield, at first Michael Arroyo and Valencia were suppose to start together but Rueda decided to switch Mendez for Arroyo and Noboa and Castillo played in the middle.

The first forty five minutes for Ecuador were horrible, Los Guaranis kept on dominating possession and Ecuador kept on giving away the ball, the goal from the Paraguayans seemed imminent but thanks to Elizaga's heroics we went into the second half 0-0.
During the start of the second half, Valencia was subbed for Arroyo because of an injury and it seemed that Ecuador were finally getting into this game. La Tricolor started getting more touches on the ball but never seemed to get a clear chance to score. Chucho was the closest to scoring but after trying to dribble Justo Villar, the defense knocked it away from him. Elizaga was tremendous in this game, and honestly the only reason we did not get scored on. The 39 year old played like he was in his 20's.
Ecuador now set their sights on Venezuela. That match will without a doubt who will advance to the next round. Ecuador have a little less than a week to improve that style of play they never seemed to confidential execute. Rueda better deliver next match or his job maybe in jeopardy.

Joao Plata Gives Toronto FC Title

2011-07-03T00:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Toronto FC faced Vancouver Whitecaps for the final of the Canadian Championship. In the first leg, both teams tide 1-1 so now the reds were looking to use the home field advantage to win the title.

At the 20th minute, Camilo Sanvezzo curled in a beauty of a free-kick to give the away side the advantage. Right at the start of the second half, Joao was brought down in the box and the referee called a penalty. Joao's attempt was blocked at first but it had to be redone since the referee felt the goalkeeper moved ahead of time, lucky Plata scored on his second attempt to tie the game. During the 60th minute Joao dribbled passed a defender and then crossed the ball to Yourassowsky who kicked it into the back of the net. 2-1 was enough for Toronto win their 3rd consecutive Voyagers Cup.

Sub-17: Brazil Eliminates Ecuador

2011-06-30T12:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday La Tricolor faced Brazil for the round of 16 of the U-17 FIFA World Cup. Los Canarinho were looking to swiftly beat Ecuador and go on to the next round of the cup while La Tricolor were looking to surprise the world even further and stop Brazil.

At the 17th minute after a play filled with "jogo bonito", Ademilson whipped the a long range effort into the back of the net. Right before the match was about to end Leo headed in the last goal of the match followed by an indirect free-kick. La tricolor were eliminated with their head held high in this world cup by successfully qualifying to the round of 16 and putting up a fight against the powerful Brazil.

Sub-17: Ecuador Qualifies To The Next Round

2011-06-27T13:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday La Tricolor faced Burkina Faso for the decisive match of the U-17 World Cup. Ecuador needed to win in order to directly qualify to the round of 16. While the African side were looking to get their first win of the tournament.

AT the 74th minute, Jose Cevallos Jr. headed the ball to the back of the net from an indirect free-kick to score the first goal of the match. Just two minutes later, Jose Cevallos Jr set up Kevin Mercado with a one on one situation with the goalkeeper that he did not waste and doubled the lead for La Tricolor. Now Ecuador will faced the all powerful Brazil on Wednesday for the round of 16.