Ecuador national football team

Ecuador
Nickname(s) La Tricolor (the Tricolor)
La Tri
Los Amarillos (the Yellows)
Association Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol (FEF)
Confederation CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach Gustavo Quinteros
Captain Walter Ayoví
Most caps Iván Hurtado (168)
Top scorer Agustín Delgado (31)
Home stadium Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito
FIFA code ECU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 12 Steady (5 May 2016)
Highest 10 (July 2012)
Lowest 63 (May 1998)
Elo ranking
Current 13 (24 March 2016)
Highest 11 (27 March 2013)
Lowest 111 (December 1959)
First international
 Bolivia 1–1 Ecuador Ecuador
(Bogotá, Colombia; August 8, 1938)
Biggest win
Ecuador Ecuador 6–0 Peru 
(Quito, Ecuador; June 22, 1975)
Biggest defeat
 Argentina 12–0 Ecuador Ecuador
(Montevideo, Uruguay; January 22, 1942)
World Cup
Appearances 3 (First in 2002)
Best result Round of 16 (2006)
Copa América
Appearances 24 (First in 1939)
Best result Fourth place (1959, 1993)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 2002)
Best result Group Stage (2002)

The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol). They play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito.

Ecuador has qualified for three FIFA World Cups in 2002, 2006 and 2014. Their best performance came in 2006 when they advanced to the Round of 16, eventually eliminated by England. They are one of two countries in South America not to have won the Copa América, the other being Venezuela. Their best performance in the continental tournament was fourth in 1959 and 1993, both times on home soil.

History

From a historical viewpoint, Ecuador have been one of the more struggling footballing nations in South America. Despite their past irregularities, however, Ecuador has risen to be a serious South American competitor in recent years.

Discarding an invitation to participate in the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay, their first participation in a World Cup qualifying campaign was in the 1962 campaign, eventually being well beaten by Argentina over two games. However, the 1966 qualifying campaign pitted the side, regarded as one of the finest teams Ecuador has ever produced, against 1962 hosts and third-place finishers Chile and a weakened Colombia side. Ecuador, featuring stars such as Washington Muñoz, Alberto Spencer, Carlos Alberto Raffo, Enrique Raymondi and Jorge Bolaños, forced a play-off in Peru before being eliminated by Chile. Other talented players to have represented Ecuador include José Villafuerte in the 1970s and 1980s.

The 1998 World Cup qualifiers saw the format for qualifying in CONMEBOL changed to a league home-and-away system. This difference made a huge impact on Ecuador's performance as they clinched several important home wins during the campaign. At the end, they achieved a very respectable 6th-place finish, just under Peru and Chile (which qualified by goal differential). The campaign also marked the emergence of several players, such as Agustín Delgado, Álex Aguinaga, Iván Hurtado, Ulises de la Cruz and Iván Kaviedes, who would set the stage for Ecuador's achievements in the next decade.

This remained the closest they had come to appearing in a finals until the qualification tournament for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Led by Colombian born manager Hernán Darío Gómez, they finished second to Argentina, and one point ahead of Brazil who went on to win the World Cup. Agustín Delgado, with 9 goals, finished joint top scorer in qualifying with Hernán Crespo of Argentina. They were drawn into Group G with Italy, Mexico and Croatia. Although they were knocked out at the group stage, they achieved a 1–0 victory over Croatia, who had come third at the previous edition of the World Cup.

A disappointing showing at the 2004 Copa América in Peru led to the resignation of Gómez, who was replaced by another Colombian, Luis Fernando Suárez. He led them successfully through the latter stages of the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing third to make the finals. In Germany, they were drawn into Group A with the hosts, Poland, and Costa Rica. Wins over Poland and Costa Rica earned La Tri qualification to the knockout stages for the first time.

Another disappointing showing at yet another Copa América in 2007 and three successive defeats in the beginning of the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign led to the end of Suarez's time in the national team. He was replaced in 2008 for Sixto Vizuete, who had previously gained recognition for winning the 2007 Pan American Games with the U-18s. Vizuete became one of the few Ecuadorians to coach the U-23 national team, and senior team, but Ecuador finished the qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in 6th place, being eliminated from the finals for the first time since 1998. They managed to turn it around in the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign where they finished in the top 4, enough to record a third World Cup appearance. On Friday, December 6, 2013 they were drawn into a balanced group compromising of top seeds, Switzerland, former champions France, and minnows Honduras.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record

Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to France 1938Did not enter
Brazil 1950Withdrew
Switzerland 1954 to Sweden 1958Did not enter
Chile 1962 to France 1998Did not qualify
South KoreaJapan 2002Group Stage24310224
Germany 2006Round of 1612420254
South Africa 2010Did not qualify
Brazil 2014Group Stage17311133
Russia 2018To be determined
Qatar 2022
Total3/2212104151011

Copa América record

  • 1916 to 1937 – Did not enter
  • 1939 – Fifth place
  • 1941 – Fifth place
  • 1942 – Seventh place
  • 1945 – Seventh place
  • 1946 – Withdrew
  • 1947 – Sixth place
  • 1949 – Seventh place
  • 1953 – Sixth place
  • 1955 – Seventh place
  • 1956 – Withdrew
  • 1957 – Seventh place
  • 1969 – Withdrew
  • 1959 – Fourth place
  • 1963 – Sixth place
  • 1967 – Did not qualify

Pan American Games record

Ecuador national football team
Medal record
U-20 Panamerican Games
2007 Brazil Panamerican Games

Minor tournaments

Ecuador national football team
Medal record
Tournament L'Alcudia
2010 L'Alcudia Tournament

Bolivarian Games

Results and Fixtures

2015

2016

2017

Players

Current squad

The following 40 players were called up for the Copa América Centenario preliminary squad.[2]
Caps and goals updated as of March 29, 2016 after the match against Colombia.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Alexander Domínguez (1987-06-05) June 5, 1987 36 0 Ecuador LDU Quito
1GK Máximo Banguera (1985-12-16) December 16, 1985 27 0 Ecuador Barcelona
1GK Esteban Dreer (1981-11-11) November 11, 1981 1 0 Ecuador Emelec
1GK Librado Azcona (1984-01-18) January 18, 1984 0 0 Ecuador Independiente
2DF Walter Ayoví (1979-08-11) August 11, 1979 111 8 Mexico Monterrey
2DF Jorge Guagua (1981-09-28) September 28, 1981 63 2 Ecuador Emelec
2DF Juan Carlos Paredes (1987-07-08) July 8, 1987 58 0 England Watford
2DF Frickson Erazo (1988-05-05) May 5, 1988 57 2 Brazil Atlético Mineiro
2DF Gabriel Achilier (1985-03-23) March 23, 1985 36 0 Ecuador Emelec
2DF Óscar Bagüí (1982-12-10) December 10, 1982 24 0 Ecuador Emelec
2DF Arturo Mina (1990-10-08) October 8, 1990 7 0 Ecuador Independiente
2DF Mario Pineida (1992-07-06) July 6, 1992 4 0 Ecuador Barcelona
2DF Cristian Ramírez (1994-08-12) August 12, 1994 4 0 Hungary Ferencváros
2DF Dario Aimar (1995-01-05) January 5, 1995 0 0 Ecuador Barcelona
2DF Robert Arboleda (1991-10-22) October 22, 1991 0 0 Ecuador Universidad Católica
2DF Luis Caicedo (1992-05-11) May 11, 1992 0 0 Ecuador Independiente
2DF José Quinteros (1990-06-20) June 20, 1990 0 0 Ecuador LDU Quito
3MF Segundo Castillo (1982-05-15) May 15, 1982 88 9 Ecuador Barcelona
3MF Antonio Valencia (1985-08-04) August 4, 1985 80 8 England Manchester United
3MF Christian Noboa (1985-04-09) April 9, 1985 63 3 Russia Rostov
3MF Jefferson Montero (1989-09-01) September 1, 1989 55 10 Wales Swansea City
3MF Renato Ibarra (1991-01-20) January 20, 1991 28 0 Netherlands Vitesse
3MF Michael Arroyo (1987-04-23) April 23, 1987 26 4 Mexico América
3MF Fidel Martínez (1990-02-15) February 15, 1990 23 7 Mexico UNAM
3MF Pedro Quiñónez (1986-03-04) March 4, 1986 18 0 Ecuador Emelec
3MF Juan Cazares (1992-04-03) April 3, 1992 12 1 Brazil Atlético Mineiro
3MF Alex Bolaños (1985-01-22) January 22, 1985 10 0 Ecuador Aucas
3MF Carlos Gruezo (1995-04-19) April 19, 1995 10 0 United States FC Dallas
3MF Ángel Mena (1988-01-21) January 21, 1988 6 1 Ecuador Emelec
3MF Fernando Gaibor (1991-11-08) November 8, 1991 4 0 Ecuador Emelec
3MF Junior Sornoza (1994-01-28) January 28, 1994 4 1 Ecuador Independiente
3MF Bryan Cabezas (1997-03-20) March 20, 1997 0 0 Ecuador Independiente
3MF Pedro Larrea (1986-05-21) May 21, 1986 0 0 Ecuador El Nacional
3MF Jefferson Orejuela (1993-02-14) February 14, 1993 0 0 Ecuador Independiente
4FW Felipe Caicedo (1988-09-05) September 5, 1988 59 19 Spain Espanyol
4FW Jaime Ayoví (1988-02-21) February 21, 1988 34 9 Argentina Godoy Cruz
4FW Enner Valencia (1989-11-04) November 4, 1989 24 14 England West Ham United
4FW Miler Bolaños (1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 12 6 Brazil Grêmio
4FW Daniel Angulo (1986-11-16) November 16, 1986 4 0 Ecuador LDU Quito
4FW José Angulo (1995-02-03) February 3, 1995 0 0 Ecuador Independiente

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up during the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Norberto Araujo INJ (1978-10-13) October 13, 1978 4 0 Ecuador LDU Quito v.  Paraguay, March 24, 2016
DF John Narváez (1991-06-12) June 12, 1991 1 0 Uruguay Fénix 2015 Copa América
DF Luis Romero (1984-03-15) March 15, 1984 0 0 Ecuador LDU Quito 2015 Copa América preliminary squad
MF Joao Rojas Lopez (1997-08-16) August 16, 1997 0 0 Ecuador Aucas v.  Colombia, March 29, 2016
MF Juan Diego Rojas (1993-03-08) March 8, 1993 0 0 Ecuador River Plate Ecuador v.  Colombia, March 29, 2016
MF Jonathan González (1995-03-07) March 7, 1995 4 0 Mexico León v.  Venezuela, November 17, 2015
MF Osbaldo Lastra INJ (1983-08-10) August 10, 1983 6 0 Ecuador Emelec v.  Bolivia, October 13, 2015
MF Ely Esterilla (1993-02-06) February 6, 1993 0 0 Ecuador Barcelona v.  Bolivia, October 13, 2015
MF Joao Rojas (1989-06-14) June 14, 1989 34 2 Mexico Cruz Azul v.  Honduras, September 8, 2015
MF Fernando Hidalgo (1985-05-20) May 20, 1985 13 0 Ecuador LDU Quito 2015 Copa América preliminary squad
Notes

Player records

Bold indicates player has been active within one year for the National team.
Caps and goals updated as of March 29, 2016.

Most caps[3]
Pos Player Career Caps Position
1 Iván Hurtado 1992–2014 168 DF
2 Édison Méndez 2000–2014 111 MF
3 Walter Ayoví 2001– 111 MF
4 Álex Aguinaga 1987–2004 109 MF
5 Ulises de la Cruz 1995–2010 101 DF
6 Luis Capurro 1985–2003 100 DF
7 Giovanny Espinoza 2000–2012 91 DF
8 José Francisco Cevallos 1994–2010 89 GK
9 Segundo Castillo 2003– 88 MF
10 Cléber Chalá 1992–2004 86 MF
Top goalscorers[4][5]
Pos Player Career Goals Caps AveragePosition
1 Agustín Delgado 1994–2006 31 71 0.44 FW
2 Eduardo Hurtado 1992–2002 26 74 0.35 FW
3 Christian Benítez 2005–2013 24 58 0.41 FW
4 Álex Aguinaga 1987–2004 23 109 0.21 MF
5 Felipe Caicedo 2005– 19 59 0.33 FW
6 Édison Méndez 2000–2014 18 111 0.16 MF
7 Iván Kaviedes 1998–2013 17 57 0.30 FW
8 Raúl Avilés 1987–2003 16 55 0.29 FW
9 Ariel Graziani 1997–2000 15 34 0.44 FW
10 Enner Valencia 2012– 14 24 0.59 FW

Players with 50 or more caps

Previous squads

Copa América
FIFA World Cup

Retired numbers

Following the death of Christian Benítez, the Ecuadorian Football Federation has retired his jersey number 11 from the national team. According to the Federation's president, Luis Chiriboga, to honor Christian Benítez the number would no longer be used by any other team player.[6] However, due to FIFA regulations the number had to be reinstated for the 2014 World Cup squad.[7]

Historic Kits

The standard Ecuadorian uniform maintains the colours of the national flag, being the tricolor, yellow, blue, and red.[8] The alternate colours of the uniform are white and blue, this being based on a flag once flown by Ecuador based on the flag of Guayas. Its crest has remained the same since its inception in 1927 with variations placing Ecuador on top of the crest.[9]

1941–1945
1945–1947
1949–1953
1953-1955
1955-1966
1966-1973[10]
1973-1983
1983-1985
1985-1992
1992-1994
1994-1998
1998-2002
2002
2003-2006
2006
2007-2011
2011-2014
2014

Kit Sponsor

Uniform provider
Date Sponsor
1985-1990Adidas
1991-1992Puma
1993-1994Reebok
1994–presentMarathon

Managers

Manager Career GP W D L
Enrique Lamas August 8, 1938 – August 22, 1938 5 1 1 3
Ramón Unamuno January 15, 1939 – February 12, 1939 4 0 0 4
Juan Parodi February 2, 1941 – February 5, 1942 10 0 0 10
Rodolfo Orlandini January 14, 1945 – February 21, 1945 6 0 1 5
Ramón Unamuno November 30, 1947 – December 29, 1947 7 0 3 4
José Planas April 3, 1949 – May 3, 1949 7 1 0 6
Gregorio Esperón February 28, 1953 – March 23, 1953 6 0 2 4
José María Díaz Granados February 27, 1955 – March 23, 1955 5 0 0 5
Eduardo Spandre March 7, 1957 – April 1, 1957 6 0 1 5
Juan López December 6, 1959 – December 17, 1960 7 1 1 5
Fausto Montalván March 10, 1963 – March 31, 1963 6 1 2 3
José María Rodríguez July 20, 1965 – October 12, 1965 5 2 1 2
Fausto Montalván December 21, 1966 – December 28, 1966 2 0 1 1
José Gomes Nogueira June 22, 1969 – August 3, 1969 5 1 1 3
Ernesto Guerra April 29, 1970 – May 24, 1970 2 0 0 2
Jorge Lazo June 11, 1972 – June 21, 1972 4 0 1 3
Roberto Resquín February 18, 1973 – July 8, 1973 10 1 6 3
Roque Máspoli June 22, 1975 – March 20, 1977 19 5 4 10
Héctor Morales June 13, 1979 – September 16, 1979 8 3 1 4
Otto Vieira January 27, 1981 – February 14, 1981 2 0 0 2
Juan Eduardo Hohberg May 17, 1981 – June 14, 1981 4 1 1 2
Ernesto Guerra July 26, 1983 – September 7, 1983 6 0 4 2
Antoninho Ferreira November 30, 1984 – March 31, 1985 15 3 5 7
Luis Grimaldi November 18, 1986 – July 4, 1987 13 2 5 6
Dušan Drašković June 2, 1988 – September 19, 1993 56 17 17 22
Carlos Torres Garcés May 25, 1994 – June 5, 1994 2 2 0 0
Carlos Ron August 17, 1994 – September 21, 1994 2 0 1 1
Francisco Maturana May 24, 1995 – June 8, 1997 34 16 6 12
Luis Fernando Suárez June 11, 1997 – June 22, 1997 4 2 2 0
Francisco Maturana July 6, 1997 – November 16, 1997 7 3 1 3
Polo Carrera October 14, 1998 1 0 0 1
Carlos Sevilla January 28, 1999 – July 7, 1999 15 3 6 6
Hernán Darío Gómez October 12, 1999 – July 23, 2004 66 24 18 24
Luis Fernando Suárez September 4, 2004 – November 17, 2007 51 17 9 25
Sixto Vizuete November 21, 2007 – July 11, 2010 25 9 7 9
Reinaldo Rueda September 4, 2010 – June 25, 2014 45 18 15 12
Sixto Vizuete July 23, 2014 – January 28, 2015 4 2 1 1
Gustavo Quinteros January 29, 2015 – Present 14 7 2 5

Notes and references

  1. ↑ http://www.ecuagol.com/ecuagol/index.php?n=44540
  2. ↑ "PRE NÓMINA DE ECUADOR PARA LA COPA AMÉRICA CENTENARIO". www.ecuafutbol.org. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  3. ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/ecua-recintlp.html#app
  4. ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/ecua-recintlp.html#goals
  5. ↑ http://www.fichajes.com/jugador/j23232_felipe-caicedo
  6. ↑ "NÚMERO 11 DE ECUADOR SIEMPRE SERÁ DE CHUCHO". Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol (in Spanish). ecuafutbol.org. August 1, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Soccer-Ecuador to reinstate Benitez's number 11 for World Cup". reuters.com. 6 March 2014.
  8. ↑ http://www.ecuafutbol.org/selecciones/camisetas_40.aspx
  9. ↑ http://www.sportslogos.net/teams/list_by_league/58/CONMEBOL/CONMEBOL/logos
  10. ↑ http://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/teams/e/ecuador/old-ecuador-football-shirt-s34862.html

See also

External links

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