2022 WC Qualifiers

You're right.

That project has been something they invested in since 07 or 08. By the time I saw the facilities in 2011, it was pretty evident this team was charting a totally unknown path within the Ecuadorian footballing world.

 

This is a good point, but their investment in youth development pales in comparison to what IDV has done. You can see it from the infrastructure. IDV's Centro the Alto Rendimiento was built to replicate what the best clubs around the world do - from dorms, gyms, a school, and many other "creature comforts" necessary to allow their young men to really maximize training, recovery, and general human development. Aucas and UC are just really good at scouting, but their infrastructure still hasn't changed much from the 90s...it's really badly outdated. Liga is the in-between. They were the first team in Ecuador to hire youth psychologists, but they've been lapped many times by IDV. They have good fields (and lots of them), but their infrastructure is dated, too...it's not a horrible system by any means, but it's not at a true international caliber. Honestly, it doesn't need to be either. The model is different.

Remember that IDV and the rest of the clubs run on different business models and missions. IDV wants to be a talent/player factory that just happens to be highly competitive and will done day be so firmly rooted in the system that they turn into the institution. Their inherent motive is profit. It's the reason why they developed a youth system for over a decade before seeing huge returns on investment, and the reason why they accepted so many seasons at the lower rungs of the Tabla de Posiciones. It also helps that the club, back then, was new and in a small town that nobody paid real attention to. It was methodically set up by entrepreneurs who wanted to do something different.

Contrasting with Liga and Aucas (notably)- both teams with long histories in the league. In Liga's case, a regular contender for titles, with a huge following, a big stadium, and lots of overhead expenses. Aucas, a historic team with a sizeable fan base, their own stadium, and a singular focus to win a title. Both teams are run like pseudo-companies through shareholders and a board of directors, but they have 1 family or company that holds the majority voting power. Their accountability standards are different - to fans, most notably, but also to service their debts...which are large. I think it's doubtful that we'll see Liga, Aucas, or anyone try and copy IDV's model because it'd be such a huge resource spend. Most clubs in Ecuador struggle to keep up with payroll and sometimes force pay cuts. Sometimes they need to find a new sponsor to float the squad and rely on prize money from tournaments to keep the lights on. How many times have we heard Esteban Paz come out saying "we don't have money"? They're very fiscally conservative and averse to risk. It's unlikely the Paz family will actually bankroll big development because the ROI is speculative.

Here's where things, IMO, boil down to the real facts. IDV is the country's most financially solvent club with the most stable and nonpolitical management/admin staff in the whole Liga Pro. Their business model should easily bring in anywhere from 5-15 million (per year) in transfer fees, and the team should be pretty competitive for a long time at the senior level, and the youth teams will be absolute beasts for the forseeable future. The revenue potential they can bring (without tourney prize money) would be something unseen in Ecuadorian football, and I don't think others will replicate it. No fan base would accept such a huge investment in youth with little material return on senior team performance. We get a new coach and there's no patience for even a 2-game run of bad results. The clubs wouldn't risk fan and sponsor mutiny. The model for Liga, Aucas, Emelec, Barelona, is to hope at least 1 guy every year can make the leap abroad and bring in 1-3M in transfer fees to help keep the team's expenses in check.

 

And when the machine really kicks into high gear, we should expect a new (or several) Moises Caicedo or Plata type players to appear every 1-2 years.

Look at how Uruguay maintains that competitive edge.

 

Might go to Quito for the IDV - Melgar game, but flights are so expensive these days.

 

You're comparing apples to oranges. A Xavi or an Iniesta is a one in a generation player. Plus Barcelona had the means and vision to nurture and later retain two local talents (+ Messi) for the entirety of their careers. To produce as much as La Maisa is an aberration. Barcelona's system is a development factory that ship players off around the entire continent. Expecting IDV to produce talent valued in the 5-8M range is much different in light of their context...Flamengo, Santos, River Plate, Boca, do it. Why? Their feeder pattern produces results and they're usually selling guys off at very high valuations with regularity.

Look at IDV's talent down to their youngest squad. If they keep it up, which all indications seem to show us, you'd expect to see 2-3 decent signings among a current 17-20 y/o age range, for many years to come. It's already showing signs of feasibility.

 

Flights to Quito from Lima right now are about $900 for that date. Ridiculous, I could go to London with that money. There is a charter for Melgar but it's extremely likely it will fill up in less than 10 minutes.

 

See you soon Quito. I solved my issue, got the dates all wrong.

 

Big news. The PL is an interesting move for him. It's a physical league and speed is highly valued. He's a great fit for Brighton, and having 3 core NT players on the same club team might prove to be of great benefit to the team. I hope Sarmiento gets minutes, though. He's been on the bench for the past 2 matches and I suspect he will be seeing the games play out while he's sitting - which is a bit concerning for his pre-WC fitness and game readiness.

In any case, Pervis makes the move to a team that can legitimately contend for some kind of spot in Europe in 2023.