There's a case to be made that perhaps the Sudamericana is the sweet spot for Ecuadorian clubs. Considering the general monopoly of titles and deep runs of Argentinian and Brazilian clubs in the Libertadores where we regularly see these 2 countries send clubs into the later stages of tournament play, Ecuadorian clubs look pretty good in the #2 tournament and maintain generally consistent play. In the last 6 years, we've seen 3 Ecuadorian clubs lift the Sudamericana trophy. That is not to say that we don't want to succeed in the Libertadores, but Ecua clubs are really reeling from financial sustainability gaps and to some degree institutional instability that prevents consistency (IDV being the exception due to big cash intake from transfers). Barcelona, Liga, and IDV, on paper, are the 3 biggest clubs in Ecuador at the moment by various metrics: -BSC: fanbase size + theoretical resource pool based on big shareholder wealth -Liga: #2 club in Ecuador by fanbase + 21st century competitiveness in intl tournaments (5 intl titles) -IDV: Nouveau riche club due to world class talent development and transfer fee windfalls Yet, their performance is lacking a clear killer instinct and ability to close out games effectively.
That's great news - unfortunately a lot of time has lapsed, but the big reduction in the suspension bodes well. Hopefully he's stayed fit and can transition back to competitive futbol. Good luck to the lad- he was a rising star and with time and patience, he may yet meet and exceed expectations. It's great that Liga stuck by him.
So funny I was thinking this same exact thing earlier today. The question still largely remains as to why we dont have the killer instinct (to steal your phrase.) It's one thing if we were totally outclassed and getting squashed in libertadores, but they generally compete and put out good showing, are on the cusp of making it to the next rounds and then completely miss the marks. IDV vs Tolima from Colombia a few years ago comes to mind - a group that they could have qualified through and they dropped points home and away to them after largely controlling the games. Now BSC with a game dropped vs Universitario - they dominated that game e igual dieron el Cul0 so to speak lol This is awesome - I think with this return he'd be away about 12 months, right? At 20 years old (just 4 days ago) I'd hope he could move forward as if it were a bad injury. He had a strong run at Hull City (even scored).
Our next home game vs. Brazil is officially greenlit for Guayaquil. This game, if we can win it, will all but assure a top-6 finish. Our remaining games are: HOME - Brazil (probably a tie) AWAY - Peru (the most winnable game) AWAY - Paraguay (probably a tie) HOME - Argentina (probably a tie) We're still a low scoring team and inconsistent in front of the net, so I don't hold much hope for high scoring games where we can secure victories comfortably. Things can change, but I think we all need to see it to believe it. Winning boosts confidence and helps ease nerves...especially with the Ecuadorian press jonesing for some good scandal and tabloid fodder, but the team really needs to step up in attacking positions. Our defense has done admirable work to keep any game competitive (thus far). No more easy games, to be honest. With Paraguay on our heels and in a position to also stay safe, we must consider them a legitimate threat. Plus, they have Alfaro, and he knows our lads. Peru is barely hanging on and would need to win out to try and sneak in- most likely, they are fighting for 7th. Upcoming games Peru: AWAY - Colombia HOME - Ecuador AWAY - Uruguay HOME - Paraguay (This is favorable for Ecuador- especially if it's a draw) Upcoming games Paraguay: HOME - Uruguay AWAY - Brazil (This is favorable for Ecuador- especially if it's a draw) HOME - Ecuador AWAY - Peru (This is favorable for Ecuador- especially if it's a draw) Peru arguably has the worst schedule because all of their competition is presently in the top-6, and their chances are BLEAK.
Am I crazy or was YouTube filled with “audio” from the FEF admitting the Guagua situation was and IDV marketing ploy? anyway to LDUs point - this team needs to close out avoiding extra curricular headlines. end of European season is actually an exciting one. Will hincapie stay or be sold? Same with Ordoñez! Can Pachos team clinch a final appearance Can caicedo Chelsea squeeze into champions league spots with these last few games
There’s some shady stuff going on with IDV and the FEF. This isn’t anything new. I think there’s always been corruption in Ecuadorian football. There’s a lot of money that can be made so there won’t be change. I think it’s 50/50 that Hincapie gets sold. Ordońez will get sold. I think Pacho and PSG go through to the final. I think Chelsea falls short.
will be hard for Chelsea to fall short now, they just beat liverpool 3-1. 2 of their last three games are against direct UCL spot contenders. Moises has been their most consistent player this year, I wonder if he’ll win their POTY award. in other Chelsea news, regarding Kendry: the French team he’s currently in could also qualify for champions league lol but i think their are conflict of interest rules regarding same owner clubs in the same European competition.
Not surprised Chelsea won. Liverpool have the, "We just won the League" hangover and Chelsea are fighting for that 4th spot. Forest is a match behind so let's see how they do tomorrow cause they can put Chelsea in 6th with a win over Kaviedes' old club. Newcastle are no slouches and are beating Chelsea for that 4th spot only in goal difference. Let's see what happens.
Looks like chelsea held on, while I agree Liverpool was definitiely hung over and rotated a good 4 key players. This was a game chelsea loses in January, they were in a rut where even if they were winning 1-0 until the 50th min, they would find a way to lose. We are on the precipice of ecuadorians being in 2 out of 3 european finals, after having Piero in last years Europpa League. This is true testament of how strong IDV cantera is. Wow Great game by Pacho today
Let's hope. It'd be historic that an Ecuadorian would win it for the first time while also bringing the first title to a club. Hoping the Munich final theory comes out to be true again.
Best of luck to PSG and Pacho. It'll definitely be a dogfight in Munich, and hopefully we can see a positive result. That'll be a first for Ecuadorian footballers if PSG can bring home the silverware. In other news, Liga beat Tachira in the Libertadores, and U Catolica won in the Sudamericana. Mushuc Runa tied Cruzeiro, so we've had a positive result over this matchday. Let's see if BSC and IDV can pull through tonight. Tricky matches!
U Catolica is BALLING! LDU held on for sweet life after that red card. This is a game that they typicaly drop the ball on. Good luck to IDV and Barcelona tonight Chelsea in the conference league final. I wonder if he'll start vs Betis. For as good as he's been would be nice to finally win some silverware. He missed out on the FA cup vs liverpool las season.
Castillo needs to go. Barcelona is wasting its potential with a guy who worries more about his suits than tactics.
It'll be nice to see that trophy go back to London. I believe that Chelsea would be the only team in England to have won all of the continental titles.
Yeah I think it was a fun thing for first few games. Now its 100% a distraction. Sure dress up, feel good as a coach, but dont make yourself the center of attention. Caicedo being misused as RB so that Lavia and Enzo can play in the mid. That can probably work when they park the bus but he gets smoked against fast wingers. Jackson red card turned their game upside down today, 80 minutes+ with 10 men was tough. Nottingham forrest is currently kicking chelsea out of CL positions. Losing today could've cost Maresca his job and Jackson a spot on the team in 2026. brutal.
Chelsea is a pressure cooker when it comes to expectations, and the PL standings are way too narrow for comfort. 2 big games ahead for the blues and there's no room for errors- scary considering how inconsistent the squad can be. I'm sure Maresca gets the can and Jackson will at the very least be on the hot seat (more than he's ever been) for a transfer. It's likely Chelsea sign a new CB and push for a bona fide front man that can score reliably.
The worst part is he spends more time building his outfit than he does with tactics. Barcelona is underperforming for the team it has built.
I think the team has some other deficiencies that predate his tenure. Interestingly enough, those same suits/wardrobe choices are helping bring greater international attention to BSC which has led to a notably higher engagement on social media, and that's been a huge boost their digital marketing and brand awareness outside of Ecuador. While the antics are undoubtedly a nuisance if the team doesn't win, issues with the squad run deeper. Case and point- Felipe Caicedo - for all the hype, he's played very little since the start of the season having only scored this weekend, and if I'm not mistaken, it's his first goal. That's a total vanity pick which is not paying off. The team has director/board level chaos which persists because of the Alvarez brothers and pending cases. For a long time, BSC has been plagued with institutional problems- between election infighting, player signings, and the persistently high debt, which to date, has only been marginally paid off. It's been over 10 years of BSC holding somewhere in the ballpark of $50M in debt, and I believe before this season started, it was down to $47M. It's a literal handicap b/c all they're doing is paying interests. It's not all bad news, though. BSC is still in first place (with a game in hand) against IDV who has 1 less point in the standings.
Mushuc Runa making noise. Elian Caicedo seems like an interesting player. He’s played 15 games across all competitions and has scored 4 goals. Only 20 years old.
I love seeing those scorelines come back with el Ponchito prevailing. Dr. Chango, for all of his bombastic statements in the media, is building the club the right way- VERY fiscally responsible and trying to make it sustainable even at the expense of short term gains. While IDV might have the best business model, they do it on the outskirts of Quito where there will always be a financial advantage- same as Guayaquil. Big markets = bigger sponsors and fanbases. Mushuc Runa is doing their work quietly in the Tungurahua province and slowly build better and better. With the new stadium project soon underway, they'll likely have the best stadium infrastructure in the entire country...private funding and with a great community development plan that will benefit the locals. I can't sing their praises enough. I respect that hustle.