Socceroos Preview: What you need to know about Ecuador
As the Socceroos prepare to face Ecuador in a pair of international friendlies in Sydney and Melbourne, KEEPUP previews the South American visitors.
After their memorable run to the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup Round of 16, the Socceroos are back on home soil for back-to-back international friendlies against Ecuador.
It is a chance for the Australian public, in Sydney on Friday and Melbourne on Tuesday, to celebrate a team that defied the odds in Qatar last year.
But it is also a big test for Graham Arnold’s side against the world no. 41 as they begin their next cycle which focuses on next year’s AFC Asian Cup and the road to the 2026 Cup.
KEEPUP takes a look at the South American visitors and outlines what you need to know.
Their squad
The glaring absence in the travelling squad to Australia is striker and captain Enner Valencia, who will miss the Socceroos games due to a knee injury. He is Ecuador’s all-time leading goalscorer with 38 goals, and scored two of the country’s three goals at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Of the squad that featured at Qatar 2022, 17 are involved in the trip Down Under. There are also two debutants included – defenders Joel Ordonez and William Pacho, who is set to join reigning UEFA Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt.
Goalkeepers: Alexander Dominguez (LDU Quito), Hernan Galindez (Aucas), Moises Ramirez (Independiente del Valle)
Defenders: Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders), Pervis Estupinan (Brighton and Hove Albion), Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen), Joel Ordonez (Club Brugge), William Pacho (Antwerp), Diego Palacios (Los Angeles FC), Angelo Preciado (Genk), Felix Torres (Santos Laguna)
Midfielders: Alexander Alvarado (LDU Quito), Marco Angulo (FC Cincinnati), Moises Caicedo (Brighton and Hove Albion), Jose Cifuentes (Los Angeles FC), Alan Franco (Talleres), Angel Mena (Leon), Jhegson Mendez (Sao Paulo), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton and Hove Albion), Junior Sornoza (Independiente del Valle)
Forwards: Michael Estrada (Cruz Azul), Kevin Rodriguez (Independiente del Valle)
Their coach
Socceroos fans will know Ecuador’s head coach very well. Former Qatar boss and Spaniard Felix Sanchez is now at the helm following his appointment earlier this month.
Sanchez – who spent 10 years at Barcelona’s fames La Masia as a youth-team coach – has been appointed on a four-year contract, through until the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada after succeeding Gustavo Alfaro.
Interestingly, Sanchez’s Qatar went up against Ecuador in the group phase of last year’s showpiece tournament.
Qatar lost their opening match against Ecuador and only scored one goal in three matches as they became the first host nation since South Africa in 2010 to fail to advance to the second round of the World Cup.
Sanchez did enjoy great success across his five-year tenure with Qatar, who won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, after defeating Japan in the final, while Arnold’s Socceroos lost to the United Arab Emirates in the quarter-finals.
With Sanchez at the helm, Qatar were also invited to the 2019 CONMEBOL Copa America and 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where they sensationally reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions the USA.
Their star players
This new generation of Ecuador national team players includes an array of talent, with three standouts.
Moises Caicedo
He is the golden boy of Ecuadorian football and one of the most sought-after players in the world.
The 21-year-old midfielder joined Brighton and Hove Albion from boyhood club Independiente del Valle in 2021 amid reported interest from Manchester United and he has not looked back.
A consistent performer for the Seagulls and Ecuador since his international debut in 2020, he was close to joining Premier League rivals and leaders Arsenal for a reported £70 million (A$128m) in January and even requested a transfer before re-signing with Brighton.
Chelsea were also linked with a move for 28-time international Caicedo, who has helped Brighton to seventh in the standings and an FA Cup semi-final against United.
“Only if they wanted half the player,” Brighton CEO Paul Barber joked to The Beautiful Game podcast when asked about Arsenal’s rumoured bid.
“For us in January selling Moises [Caicedo] wasn’t a good move because first of all he’s one of our best players in the first half of the season and secondly we were in a great position in the league, we were still in the FA Cup, we still had a lot of football to play and we want to try and achieve our best ever finish in the Premier League.
“If we do achieve that, there’s a chance we can qualify for European competition so the stakes for us in the second half of the season were higher than ever and Moises is a big part of that.
“But he’s also a young player who is still learning his game and he’s in a far away country from where he was born and therefore we also have a responsibility to try and do the best for the player long-term as well as in the short term for us and we felt that was best served by keeping Moises with us, trying to do the best we can for the rest of this season and then what will be in the future will be.
“Moises is a top, top class player and he has the potential to be anything he wants to be, anywhere he wants to be and therefore this isn’t the one and only transfer window where Moises is going to be a popular attraction for other clubs.
“He’s such a lovely kid, a lovely person as well as a terrific footballer and we’re really happy that he settled back down and as I said, his chance will come in the future to be whatever he wants to be and we’re all very confident that it will happen for him.”
Piero Hincapie
The 21-year-old is part of an exciting crop of emerging centre-backs in football, alongside the likes of RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Jurrien Timber of Ajax.
When it comes to apprenticeships and developing, there are not many better clubs than Bayer Leverkusen, where Hincapie arrived as a 19-year-old after impressing for Ecuador at the 2021 Copa America.
Hincapie – linked with LaLig juggernaut Real Madrid, and Premier League duo Newcastle United and Tottenham – has gone from strength to strength at a Bundesliga club that has unearthed Kai Havertz, Toni Kroos and now Florian Wirtz.
Able to also play left-back, he has been likened to Bayern Munich counterpart Lucas Hernandez, though the 24-cap international himself has modelled his game around two legendary figures.
“On Fridays, when we travelled by bus for seven or eight hours to play for Independiente del Valle, I watched a lot of videos of Puyol and Sergio Ramos,” Hincapie, who is playing under legendary midfielder Xabi Alonso this term, told Scouted Football.
“I watched the videos so I wouldn’t get bored on the bus, and that’s when I realised that I really liked Puyol. He had a special way of playing, perhaps less technical than Ramos, but he was a leader and captain. One of the best centre-backs I’ve ever seen.”
Pervis Estupinan
The full-back is one of three Ecuadorians at Brighton, alongside international teammates Caicedo and Jeremy Sarmiento.
Estupinan brings a wealth of experience to Ecuador and Brighton, having also played in LaLiga.
During his time with Villarreal in Spain’s top flight, he won the 2021 UEFA Europa League after Unai Emery’s side stunned Manchester United in the final.
Named in the 2021 Copa America Team of the Tournament, Estupinan was lured to Brighton by former boss and current Chelsea coach Graham Potter this season but he has continued to impress under Roberto De Zerbi.
The 25-year-old has started 19 of 22 games this season as Brighton dream of European football.
“Since we have added points and climbed the ranks, our goal is to continue climbing and finish the season in European positions,” he told ESPN.
“Hopefully we can achieve it.”
Their form
Ecuador qualified for the 2022 World Cup after finishing fourth behind Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in CONMEBOL.
Quarter-finalists at the 2021 Copa America, Ecuador bowed out of the group phase in Qatar, where the South American nation finished two points adrift of the top two – Netherlands and Senegal on four points in Group A.
Overall, Ecuador have only lost one of their past 10 fixtures and that loss came in the final group game at the World Cup – a 2-1 defeat to Senegal.
Before that, Ecuador drew 1-1 with the Netherlands and defeated Qatar 2-0 and the run also includes a 1-1 draw against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in World Cup qualifying.
If we go back a little further, they have only lost two of 18 matches dating back to October 2021.
Their history against Australia
Ecuador and Australia have only met once before, and it was in London nine years ago.
With Ange Postecoglou in charge, the Socceroos lost 4-3 to Ecuador at The Den in London back in 2014.
Tim Cahill scored a quick-fire brace and Mile Jedinak converted a penalty to give Australia a 3-0 lead inside 32 minutes before Ecuador used a four-goal second half to top the Australians, who had substitute goalkeeper Mitch Langerak sent off early in the second half.
Australia line-up: Mat Ryan (Mitch Langerak), Matthew Spiranovic, Ivan Franjic, Jason Davidson, Curtis Good (Alex Wilkinson), Mark Milligan, Mile Jedinak, Tommy Oar (Dario Vidosic), Tom Rogic (Brad Jones), Tim Cahill (Oliver Bozanic), Mathew Leckie.
Ecuador line-up: Adrian Bone (Alex Dominguez), Jorge Guagua, Gabriel Achiller (Fricson Erazo), Oscar Bagui (Jefferson Montero), Walter Ayovi, Cristian Ramirez (Juan Paredes), Segundo Castillo, Antonio Valencia, Christian Noboa, Felipe Caicedo (Fidel Martinez), Enner Valencia (Edison Mendez).
