Are Ecuador the dark horses of this World Cup?

 Every World Cup, a team no one fancies pull off upsets that stun the world. Morocco in 2022, Croatia in 2018, Costa Rica in 2014 and many more. That team arrives with little talk and fanfare and leaves the world talking. As the world's biggest tournament begins, Ecuador seem well positioned to be that team. They qualified easily finishing second in the South American qualifiers and have of the most disciplined defences in international football. With a 19 game unbeaten run and a squad packed with players playing for the Europe's elites, Ecuador can be a genuine dark horse.

Not Your Typical South American Team

When you think of South American teams you think of exciting direct football, wingers making the crowd get up on their feet, world class attacking midfielders and the occasional centre back who scores from 30 yards out. But if you are expecting the flair associated with South American football from this Ecuador team you will be disappointed. No side that qualified from South American scored fewer goals than Ecuador but Sebastian Beccacece has built one of the hardest teams to break down in the world. They conceded only 5 goals in qualifying and consist of two Champions league finalists in Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapie in defence. The team is incredibly drilled in using both back three and a back four depending on the circumstances and Moises Caicedo in midfield rarely allows opponents to dictate play. The only question is if they can score enough goals to turn the draws into wins. But as Beccacece argues, "All you have to do is score one more than the opposition." The model worked for Morocco in 2022 and Greece in the 2004 Euros so why can't it work for them now?

Sebastian Beccacece's Impact

Beccacece has changed the fortunes of Ecuador 

Sebastian Beccacece arrived six games into qualifying but his impact has been incredible. He never made it as a player but after meeting Jorge Sampaoli in 2002, he worked alongside him as his assistant for more than 15 years. The duo was part of Chile's era of success when they lifted their first ever Copa America title. After his resignation, he worked at various South American clubs before moving to Elche and then Ecuador. He recognized that the national team needed to be built upon a strong defence and did just that. No international team is as comfortable off the ball as Ecuador and as compact as them. They can be compared to Mikel Arteta's Arsenal who saw huge success in Europe this season. He has also brought a sense of belief in the national team and has lost just 1 game so far as Ecuador's manager which was away to Brazil. A 1-0 win against Argentina in the qualifiers is the biggest result of his Ecaudor team so far. But if the signs are right, they will get even bigger results at this year's World cup.

Hincapie, Pacho and Caicedo - The Elite Trio

If you tell someone that a team has Hincapie, Willian Pacho and Caicedo as their defensive players, you would say that team is a Champions league level team. Willian Pacho is one of the best centre backs in the world as Beccacece calls him "The new Van Dijk", Hincapie was part of Europe's best defence this season and if you are a regular Chelsea watcher you know how good Caicedo is. These three are not only Ecuador's star players but also the leaders in the team along with Enner Valencia. They are the players that the others look up to and they are perfectly capable of stopping the world's best attacks. With a defensive spine as good as this no team is going to relish the challenge of facing Ecuador.

The star trio for Ecuador this World Cup

Ecuador have a tough group. They face Germany and Ivory Coast in the group stages. But with 32 of the 48 teams going through to the knockout stages, don't be surprised if they progress easily. Along with their incredible defence, they have the evergreen Enner Valencia up front and the highly rated Kendry Paez in attack. John Yeboah is coming on the back of an impressive season for Venezia. They may not have the star power of the favourites but if they can navigate through the group stage, expect Ecuador to pose a threat to the giants. 



By Parth Gokhale