Road to Rio: Ecuador moves on from tragedy

Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its “32 teams in 32 days” series, SPORTSNET.CA will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up to the draw on Dec. 6.

The sudden and tragic death of Christian Benitez in July sent shock waves through the soccer world and almost derailed the country’s World Cup aspirations, as Ecuador mourned the loss of arguably their most talented and popular player. The 27 year-old striker died from cardiac arrest a day after debuting for Qatari club El Jaish. He played his last game for La Tri in June – a 1-0 defeat to Peru – and Ecuador failed to win their next three matches as the ripple effect stemming from his untimely passing weighed heavy on the hearts and minds of his teammates. Luckily, the nation rallied together and was able to secure a World Cup berth. In a show of gratitude and respect for his service, the Ecuadorian Football Federation retired Benitez’s number 11 jersey from the national team.

Programming alert: Watch the World Cup draw from Brazil on Dec. 6 live on all four main Sportsnet channels. | TV schedule

How they got here: After a rather inconsistent start in South American qualifying – six points from four matches – a five-game unbeaten run (11 points) built a solid cushion and a sizeable gap between themselves and the trailing pack. Unfortunately, everything unravelled pretty quickly after that and only two points were earned from their next four matches. To make matters worse, Uruguay capitalized on their competitor’s poor form and managed to all but erase the massive point advantage Ecuador had previously accumulated. It went down to the wire, but La Tri eventually secured a World Cup berth through an emphatic victory with one match to spare.

Key result: Jefferson Montero’s lone goal in the pivotal encounter against Uruguay on the penultimate day of qualifying stamped Ecuador’s ticket to Rio. The monumental victory was celebrated in the streets of Quito well into the early hours of the following morning. It might have been a different story had the match not been played in the high altitude of Ecuador’s Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa.

Star player: The captain’s armband says it all, and Antonio Valencia wears it proudly. His leadership and experience goes unmatched, as the highly decorated Manchester United winger has significantly raised the bar within the squad and provides a greater standard of quality that is beginning to rub off on his teammates. The national team has benefitted tremendously from Valencia’s seven years in the Premier League, and judging by his current form, he won’t be leaving England any time soon.

Player on the bubble: Edison Mendez has amassed over a century of caps in 13 years for the national team – currently third on Ecuador’s all-time list – and represented his country in both of their World Cup appearances (2002 and 2006). However, a third World Cup might be a bridge to far for the aging midfielder. When final roster selections will be made, Mendez will be 35 years-old, and experience alone might not be enough to get him on the plane headed to Brazil.

Team strengths: You wouldn’t normally consider Ecuador as defensive specialists, though, only group winners Argentina and runners-up Colombia conceded less goals in qualifying. The key to success is playing to your strengths, and if they stick to their game-plan of counterattacking football, Ecuador is quite good at frustrating their opponents into submission.

What they have to work on: Of all the qualified teams in South America, Ecuador scored the least amount of goals (20). That just won’t cut it on the world stage, especially with only three matches to stake your claim for a place in the knockout rounds. Someone will need to step up in a major way and fill the net if El Tri are to match their previous best result of a spot in the second round (1-0 defeat to England in 2006).

World Cup history