Hello, I've never posted on these boards before. I am interested in league football in Ecuador. I am curious to know how popular the league is in Ecuador, and how popular it is among immigrants and Ex pats in the U.S. Do Ecuadorians at home follow the league, do they care about it, or do they follow bigger teams in bigger leagues? What's attendance at league games like? What about television audience? do people watch games from the league at home? What about in the U.S.? Is there any scope to watch games here? Would Ecuadorians be interested to see league matches from home? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I can read spanish fairly well so please feel free to answer in english or spanish. Thanks!
i live in the U.S and try to keep up with the ecuadorian futbol league watching the games on cable tv or on the internet.... Teams like LDU Liga de Quito, Barcelona, el Nacional, Deportivo Quito, Deportivo Cuenca have the bigger following. Personally, I like to watch teams like Macara, Azogues, Liga de Porteviejo and Manta. I also follow the teams in other soccer leagues around the world such as the Premier League and Mexican League in which Ecuadorian nationals are playing. I wish the MLS would import Ecuadorian players...It would make the MLS much stronger.
One thing you will never see a South American do is turn their back on their own clubs for a wealthier, more popular club, likely located across the ocean. South Americans, just like me as a European, will always stay loyal to their roots and support their team of origins first and foremost. That's the way it should be with people from every Continent.
Thanks, but you don't know what you're talking about. But Latin American football fans, like their european counterparts, routinely and mostly "turn their backs" on the local club for example to follow the bigger more successful club. Colo Colo in chile, Boca in argentina, Barcelona in Ecuador, Saprissa in Costa Rica, are just 4 examples that people from all over those nations follow their clubs. I am close to many venzuelans, and those of whom that are soccer fans don't care about Venezuelan football, they follow club football in argentina. Thank you for your faux sociology. Let me suggest you spend some time on this side before you draw non sense conclusions. Now, can maybe a few folks who understand football in ecuador give me some useful information?
LOL. Did I make you mad there did I? Anyways I do know South American football very well thank you, and even if say a South American does turn their back on their home club (which is rare) to support say Boca Juniors, then the majority of time their home club will still stay very close to their heart, as it should. This however is not the case too much of the time with people from USA, Canada, and Asia, who completely turn their back on their home clubs, this to be a glory hunter to the richer, more popular, and succesful Euro Clubs. For some reason these people just have to be associated with the best and well known, but in the mean time their own leagues desperately need their support to help them grow.
Most venezuelans don't like futbol because unlike the rest of south america there number 1 I'm pretty sure is baseball.
Yes, idiocy steams me. And you are correct about the US, canada and Asia. But your european and latin american exceptionalism on this topic is ridiculous and just wrong. I would suggest you check attendance records in Chile for example. I've been to futbol matches in chile. Nobody goes to see games that don't involve colo colo, La U and catolica. Colo Colo is everywhere in Chile, in every city and town that has its own team. Spend some time in Puerto Montt and I challenge you to find one symbol of the home team. You can't. And if you knew anything about the game on this side, you would also know that most hondurans and guatamalans follow the mexican league more than their own. Again, if anyone can help me with some real information on the topic, rather than some kumbaya dopey cliches, I'd appreciate it.
I, as an Ecuadorian and South American, agree with you. You are very on point as a matter of fact. But we South Americans are also interested in euro clubs... not for nothing, but without us, euro clubs would lose their edge and attraction to a significant degree.
list of ecuadorians in MLS * Ariel Graziani[17] – New England, Dallas, San Jose – 1999-2002 * Eduardo Hurtado – Los Angeles, MetroStars, New England – 1996-2000 * Fausto Klinger – MetroStars – 2001 * Martin Klinger – MetroStars – 2001 * Roberto Miña – Dallas – 2005-06 * Wellington Sánchez – MetroStars, Los Angeles – 1998 * Petter Villegas – MetroStars, DC United – 1996, 1999-2002
Hey, welcome to our board, and thanks for your interest in Ecuadorian football. We, like every other country in south america (EXCEPT Venezuela becuase soccer is just becoming popular over there, and baseball is their national and biggest sport) are very loyal and passionate about our teams and our league. So yes we do care and a lot, we are fanatics. I'm a good example, I live in Ecuador and I am just one in millions of big football fans that would be the majority in my country. We prefer the Ecuadorian league a thousand times more than any of the top leagues in the world. We know those leagues are better but since we are born we immediatelly identify with some team and start following a team. Our main interest is here at home. There are big rivalries and teams with big followings. I watch all the national games that I can while I watch only the biggest international league games and MOST important for us, games where our players play So yes, we do care a lot. In every social event here or in everyday life you talk about our league and our teams. Our league is also growing a lot and theres a big market. The attendance is great for some games and decent for others....and improving. For instance a team that just got promoted just filled its stadium to around 20.000 when they played one of the big clubs here, about a week ago. Hell, I even watch the national B league games when I can lol... The top teams in fan numbers are in this order: Barcelona LDU Emelec Nacional D.Quito D Cuenca Those teams are also the most popular teams I would say, but ranking them in order of importance would spark controversy and would be biased so I won't do that hehe... One last thing....actually GW isn't such an ignorant about our football and was more accurate with his thoughts than you, so don't slack him off
Yep like I said in my reply just before, GW is pretty accurate with his views about us and our football
LOL, LOL, LOL. You sir are talking crap, and you will see from what the great Ecuadorian people on this board are saying, that pure loyality is the majority of time present in South American football. It is very rare that you will find a plastic glory hunter, who links onto clubs simply based on how good their stats look, in South America. Even if a South American did decide to be a bit plastic, and therefore make a rich, successful, popular Euro Club their main team, then their home club will the majority of time stay very close to their heart. And what I have said in this post so is the same in Chile, so dont even try to associate the Chilean people with the unusual acts of USA and Asian Soccer fans. South Americans are real football fans, and I can only assume that by your disappointment in what I am saying that perhaps you are a glory hunter, who has turned your back on your home club and league, and that your home league is probably a league that so desperately needs your support.
Most popular top teams in Ecuador: 1) Barcelona S.C. 2) C.S. Emelec 3) LDU Quito 4) El Nacional 5) Dep. Quito 6) Dep. Cuenca
Thank you for this informed response. I am really just on here trying to get information, because what I have found is that in Central America, excpet for Costa Rica people are more interested in MExican football by and large. In Chile, if it's not Catolica or Colo colo, there is very little interest. Again, Travel throughout Chile and I defy you to see anything other than the images of Colo Colo and occassionally La U. Even in Mexico, (I know, it's not south america) you tend to see more support for the popular clubs than the local clubs. Since I've never been to Ecuador, and there is some exciting news to be announced about Ecuador football in the next few weeks, I was trying to get a true sense of football in your country.
You argue generalities against specifics. Tell me, how many fans do you think there are of Colo Colo in a town like Puerto Montt, hundreds of miles south of Santiago, and how many fans of the local club? And why don't you see any Puerto montt kits being sold, but you do see Colo colo kits for sale? I'm enjoying being lectured, however, by a fan of one of the biggest spending clubs in the world. Finally, regarding the US, our league is new. Many native born americans who follow soccer have long fans of Euro teams, and usually premiership teams. So it's hard to build an attachment with new teams and new traditions that are quite different than the teams fans have supported for the rest of their lives. Similarly, with foreign born latin americans, it is difficult for them, apparently, to build an attachment with an MLS team. I find that many of the latin americans here tend to be less involved with the home league, but are rabid about the national team from back home. So, I know you don't seem to feel that knowledge and experience should inform the drivel that comes from your mouth, but everything above is just fact.
Quit exagerating will you? We all know that obviously Club de Deportes Puerto Montt do sell shirts, and that they do have fans. You make it sound like nobody wants them and that they dont deserve to exist. The majority of the locals also do keep this team close to their heart, even if it may not be their main team. Like I said before though South Americans are all real football fans, who are very loyal and passionate towards their home clubs, and it is very, very rare that they turn their backs on their own. No matter which league their home club may be sitting in, wherever it be 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, they will be behind their club 100%, and will class them as their number 1. Only a very tiny minority in South America are plastic glory hunters to the rich, successful, popular clubs of Europe, or even the South American equivalents. If you knew football you would know what I am talking about, but because you are likely a USA American, born and bred, and have therefore been brought up heavily around the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Nascar, UFC, and even WWE Wrestling, then you will more likely always be considered a newbie to the sport of Soccer. I suggest though that you exit the USA for a while and visit such passionate Soccer Countries such as the South Americas, Mexico, England, Scotland, Main Land Europe etc, and then my friend you will see for yourself what passionate loyality in Football is all about.
hey man, so I see you disagree about the 2nd and 3rd spot in the popularity ranking. Emelec used to be always 2nd but that has changed. LDUQ is now second and Emelec third. I saw a program on local TV a few months ago where they had surveyed people all over the nation and the results put LDUQ in second place now, and relegated Emelec to 3rd. Their fan base has been growing a lot in the past 10 years cause all the youngsters in the sierra are becoming fans of them.... I guess what matters to you and I is that Barce is the only true idolo
You are wrong. They do not sell puerto montt shirts. Same thing in Temuco, same thing in other smaller cities in Chile. PEriod. I know, because I've tried. I wanted a Huachipato kit when Jonny Walker, the american, was goalkeeping there. Can't get it. I've spent a few weeks in Chiapas, when Jaguares were in the top division. Again, you can find pumas, not Chiapas. Same thing in Costa Rica, Saprissa and Alajuela only. You come from a place where there are virtually no latinos, and you've apparently spent very little time, if any, either in Latin America or the United States (where latin american culture is easy to find). So you may have grown up with football to a greater extent than I have, but you have grown up clueless about anything outside your very limited pasty demographic, so you will always be a newbie when it comes to anything related to matters outside the bleak northeast of england. As for your "close to your heart" argument... that's fine. Whatever. I have a friend from Southend who is a liverpool fan who, when southend makes a cup run, roots for them, but doesn't go to the games. And southend could certainly use the support. Your island is full of people like this.
Wow I find it strange to say the least that you didn't find those shirts. But I haven't been in either Chile or Costa Rica so I can't say... As for Ecuador, you will find those shirts here. 5 minutes away from my house there is a big sports shop and you will get most of the shirts home and away from most of the teams in the first division and some of the teams of our second division. The few ones you don't find it's because they are only sold in their towns which are smaller towns and they only sell them over there. But 100% confirmed that ALL of the first division team official shirts are available and some of the second division.
Again, thank you. And I hope no one is offended by what I'm saying, because I don't know very much about Ecuador football, as I said at the outset. I am only responding to a person who lives in the North of England, supports the biggest club in his region, and has felt free to offer lectures based on no information and only ignorance when I was really just looking for some information. There's a major airport in Liberia, Costa Rica. and in the town their local club Liberia plays. I asked around to find out if there was going to be a game while I was in the area, people didn't have a clue. You walk into shops right around the stadium and still, you only see Saprissa, Saprissa, Saprissa. I think I saw one shop with something Liberia related. This is not a criticism. It's just what I've observed.
Wow the crap that comes out of your mouth is amazing. And that first paragraph about only a couple of team shirts being available in the Country in which they relate is just silly beyond belief. What planet are you living on?, because its certainly not the planet Earth. And as far as you saying that I am clueless regarding anything football related outside of the North East of England, well if you knew me and my life then you would be laughed at heavily for saying that. Anyway, the bottom line is, is that the majority of South Americans are passionate and loyal Football fans, who support their home club first and foremost. This is evident from what people have been telling you here on the Ecuador board, and will tell you if you visit the other South American nations boards, or if you actually visited the Countries for yourself. If you disagree with what I have just said in this last paragraph, then sorry buddy but you know absolutely nothing about South American Football.