Sudamericano U-20 (2015)

I'm very unaware of how well the keepers are doing in this U-20, so I don't think I could have an opinion on who should be keeper. Either way, I'll go with your choice w/ Recalde. Every other position I am very much aware of. Anyway why did Vizuete call up so many left backs? Carabali, Dominguez, Suarez, and Jesus Cabezas...jesus christ. I think Dominguez and Carabali can play on the right too but mostly play left since they're left footed. No defensive mids? where are the #5's at?? Cevallos isnt' a 5, neither is Intriago which are the closest thing to that on this list unless I missed somebody's name. My guess is Carabali or Cortez will play as a 5 since he's done it a few times in U. Catolica. Anyways, my ideal 11 would be:

4-4-2
Recalde; Anibal Chala, Luis Canga, David Mina, Jeison Dominguez ; Jonathan Gonzalez, Cevallos Jr., Carabali (Cortez), Mercado; Parrales, Betancourt

I wish we could play a 4-2-3-1:

Recalde; Anibal Chala, Luis Canga, David Mina, Jeison Dominguez; Cevallos jr., Carabali (Cortez); Gonzalez, Intriago, Mercado; Parrales

^ I feel like this is more suitable given the type of players we have. Not many left wings, but tons of left backs. In a 4-4-2 I wish Mercado would play up front, but since there's a lack of quality wingers on the left, he'd have to start.

Gonzalez-Intriago-Mercado behind Parrales seems ideal. And with Robert Burbano on the bench, you can take out Intriago if things don't work out. Gives Burbano a spot into this entire scheme. He seems like a very interesting player to me and IMO he'd fit perfectly alternating with Intriago.

Hopefully in January the starting 11 looks more like:

----------------------------------------------Recalde----------------------------------
Corozo---------------Canga--------------------------------Mina------------Dominguez
Gonzales------------------Cevallos Jr.-------Grueso------------Mercado
------------------------Parrales-----------------------------Betancourt-----------------

 

I've never seen Jhegson Mendez play, at least not that I can remember and I watch the majority of Independiente games. The Carabali I put in my line-up is Jonathan Carabali from U. Catolica. That kid can play as a carrilero or a center mid. He's a very poly-functional player and has had lots of playing time being a regular starter in U. Catolica this season.

But anyway, it looks like Vizuete is changing our formation to a 4-3-3 according to what he said....I would assume a good coach would do exactly that. I did mention in my last post ^ that we don't have many players to play a 4-4-2 so a 4-2-3-1 would be more suitable due to the characteristics of our players. But a 4-3-3 isn't too far from that idea and it might even be better. We'll just have to see. I'm assuming Gabriel Cortez is going to play as the #5 which IMO was the other player who I had in mind. From the entire starting 11 it was debatable to me whether Cortez or Carabali should get that starting spot, but I guess Vizuete went for Cortez. Not a bad idea. Cortez with Cevallos Jr. and Intriago playing beside him. A very well balanced mid if you ask me. And up front he went with Burbano who is in a great moment from what I've seen in Emelec in the past few months. Very interesting player. I personally would've gone for Kevin Mercado, but I trust Vizuete and I'm pretty sure he knows what he is doing. Jonathan Gonzalez undoubtedly should start and same with Parrales.

The only decision Vizuete made that has me a little worried is with this kid Darwin Suarez who is supposedly a left back, yet Vizuete has placed him as a center back. I've never seen the kid play, so i don't want to judge him but I hope he at least has the physical attributes of a center back. Canga undoubtedly should start, Anibal Chala is a very young player but with interesting qualities....toda le falta, but it's the best we have. And as far as keepers, like I said before....I'm very unaware of how well these keepers play so again, we'd have to trust Vizuete's judgement. I think he set up a really good starting 11 overall and we'll see how successful he can be. Best of luck!

 

The last U-20 had more talent than this one IMO. Pedro Velasco, Andres Lopez, Cristian Ramirez, Carlos Gruezo, Jose Cevallos Jr., Kevin Mercado (forget if he was there), Ely Esterilla, Johnny Uchuari, Junior Sornoza, Miguel Parrales. Some of these players are still on the U-20 lol. Just to tell you how young they started. Gruezo, Cevallos, Mercado, Parrales are still there- coincidentally they are the 4 players who either play in Europe now or have had experience playing in Europe already. Just so we can acknowledge how much they've done in so little time and they're still under 20 and relevant a few years later. So they'll be the leaders of this U-20. The difference with this U-20 and the last two before this is that this one has players with a bit less experience. For example out of all of our defenders, only Luis Canga is a regular starter out of the back 4. Anibal Chala has played a good handful of games, but he's not a regular starter. Darwin Suarez hasn't even debuted in first division. And Jeison Dominguez is the closest to being anywhere near Canga as far as consistency....y todavia le falta. With the last U-20 teams that I remember we had Mario Pineida who would always start in Independiente, Narvaez who was a starter in Cuenca, and Dennis Quinonez who started a good 80% of the games for BSC at the time. The only one who wasn't a starter was Eder Fuertes. And all these guys had around 1 year of playing a starting role, maybe even more. Out of our back 4 right now, the most consistent starter is Canga and he debuted in first division 8 months ago. Big difference between this defense, and the last ones from previous editions. The last U-20 had Fernando Leon who was a consistent starter in Independiente, Pedro Velasco who already had at least a year or so of being a starter in D. Quito, Andres Lopez who was a starter in Cuenca, and same deal with Ramirez in Independiente. This NT was not taken advantage of by Rosero. He had a ton of options.

That being said, the other positions from midfield all the way up to the attacking end have more experienced players and it seems like we have a few good/decent substitutions we can make in case it's needed. I don't expect big things from this NT, but a Qualification isn't impossible at all. Sometimes underdogs tend to impress. Let's hope that's the case.

 

2-1 against 10 men China now, chinese gk just threw the ball in the net from a long shot by Cortez, lol.

 

sucks for him but i'm glad, maybe his dad will shut up for once

 

Saw the 2nd half and it was very good game against Brazil. Honestly, anyone one could of won the game. Ecuador had AMAZING counter attacks that they messed up badly. Brazil also got through lots of times easily but the CBs and the goalie were great! (The RB and LB did struggle a lot though). Definitely Cevallos Jr. didn't play that great but not bad either (keeps missing easy shots!).
The red that Ecuador got was dumb decision by the ref because it was very minor infraction. There was almost a big fight at the end too between both teams lol. Brazilians got mad as hell because they were getting played at the same level. They kept losing the ball a lot and got frustrated with Ecuador haha. Kids are doing great though!

 

Hey guys, looks like we're in the same group again haha I just wanted to ask about your team as the tournament draws near. I understand that Sixto Vizuete is both the DT for the Sub-20 and Senior team. Do you feel this has affected the Sub-20 at all?

 

Ecuador IMO has more than enough material to pass through this group without a problem. Saying that Ecuador should finish in the top 2 or 3 positions of the entire qualifier is no push. And I say that with a lot of confidence for one strong reason- This is the most experienced U-20 team we've ever seen. When I see a player like Jonathan Gonzalez, for example, he's played 35 first division games in this year alone including Copa Lib and Copa Sudamericana having stand out performances. He's been a starter in Independiente del Valle since he was 17 years of age and had more than 35 games last year if I'm not mistaken. He's 100% consolidated starter in his team, one of Ecuador's best upcoming young players, and it's rumored there's interest from some Bundesliga club teams that want to snatch him now. I'm almost positive he has close to 100 games in first division. And I put him as an example, but there's a handful of other players that have just as much or possibly even better/more experience than him. That being said, it's very difficult to find players with that many games played in first division in a U-20 NT. Ecuador has many players w/ similar amount of experience, he's definitely not the only one. That's why I say that it isn't a push to see our team qualify directly to the Olympics this time if they put in work....especially w/ a great coach like Vizuete who has already qualified our past U-20 NT to the WC and had them reach the round of 16 (and that was a much less experienced U-20 compared to this one...the guys on this U-20 are levels ahead in experience).

Another note- we have players like Carlos Gruezo who plays in Stuttgart in Germany and was a starter in Barcelona SC since he was 17. Another kid who I'm sure had a good 70 games or so on his resume in first division ball. In Stuttgart he was a starter was the end of last season for the last 6 games I believe. Now with the new coach, he sometimes starts and other times he's on the bench. He'll play anywhere from 90 mins to 45 or 20, but the important thing is the kid plays in a very competitive league and he's getting playing time. So this is another kid that's approaching 100 games in first division ball and he's only 19.

There's a lot of other players I could mention right now, but those are just two examples I can give you. Vizuete is an amazing coach that knows what he's doing with Ecuador's youth. If he did great last time, I can only imagine the potential this team has now. I personally think anything less than the 1st or 2nd spot is a failure. This team is 10 times more experienced then the past squads. There's no excuse.

Players to look out for:
Luis Canga (Liga de Quito) - 23 starts and he just debuted this season in first division, just turned 18 and he's already started 2 games with the senior NT
Jefferson Intriago (Liga de Quito) - consolidated starter in Liga at 18 years of age
Gabriel Corozo (Granada B, Spain) ex. Liga de Quito - I'm sure he had over 40 games in first division and he just debuted in 2013 with Liga.
Kevin Mercado (Granada B, Spain) ex. Liga de Quito
Jose Franciso Cevallos Jr. (Liga de Quito)
Patricio Hurtado (Liga de Quito)

^ I put these kids in a bracket of their own b/c it's very important to note that these kids came up together in the youth system of not only the NT, but their club team. So on a day to day basis, they've developed that collective chemistry over many years which will be a huge plus to the U-20 squad.

Jonathan Gonzalez (Independiente del Valle)
Jeison Dominguez (Barcelona SC)
Robert Burbano (Emelec)
Miguel Parrales (El Nacional) - our main striker and key to goals
Jonathan Betancourt (Porto FC B)
Carlos Gruezo (Stuttgart, Germany)
Abel Casquette (River Plate, Argentina)

And I don't know if that one kid Jairo Velez Cedeno from Velez Sarsfield (he played 30 minutes yesterday btw) and Josimar Quintero from Chelsea are players Vizuete will have in mind, but they're both under 20 making them eligible. Also, I have a feeling Vizuete may add Hancel Batalla from Liga de Quito to the U-20 squad even though he's only 16 years old. That kid has 16 games in first division and for the most part has done really well. I don't think too many 16 year olds could pull off the performances he's having.

 

This is arguably the best U20 team we've ever had. Qualifying to the U20 WC and the Olympics is well within reach. Anything less would be very disappointing. What sets this team apart is that we have a lot of players with considerable international experience. Gruezo is playing in the ultra competitive Bundesliga, Corozo and Mercado are playing in Spain, and Cevallos and Parrales had a cup of coffee in Italy in Spain respectively. On top of that, players such as Canga, Burbano, Dominguez, and Intriago receive consistent minutes with their club teams in Ecuador. Overall this is a well balanced team. My only worry is the defensive line. I'd venture to say that Jordan Jaime is the best CB prospect in the country. Unfortunately he'll be out for the 6-8 months because of a severe ankle injury. Truth be told, Canga doesn't convince me. In the game against Brazil, the kid looked lost and out of his depth. His positioning is simply horrendous. That being said he's still very young and I imagine he'll get better with experience.

 

I've seen only 2 games from Jordan Jaime in Emelec so I wouldn't find it right if I had to comment on him. But, I do remember him in the U-17 World Cup a few years back and I will go out to say that he was the least convincing guy in Ecuador's back 4 at that time. If I'm not mistaken he was paired with Ridder Alcivar and both of these guys left huge doubts. I don't know how much he's evolved (or hasn't) in these last few years, but when he's back from his injury (which is actually only 4 months long according to updated reports I saw on Ecuavisa last week after he had his surgery) we'll have to see if he really is as good as you say. I'll take your word for it though. I think his biggest battle is that injury and the fact that he'll have to stay strong mentally. The positive note is that this kid will still have a chance to play the World Cup undoubtedly. Especially since the juvenil will be a U20 next year simply b/c of the U20 WC.
As far as Canga, he is very young. He's 18 and for an 18 year old I believe he holds his ground really well. Defenders don't mature until a bit later, but he's actually someone with a lot of potential if you ask me. I don't expect him to be Beckenbauer right now, but he's a very great bet for the future and if things go right for him I have no doubt he'll be in Europe sooner than later.

I will say this about Canga....he won a spot in Liga and started 23 games NOT because of the Ley of the Juvenil, but b/c he actually desereved it. Jefferson Intriago, Kevin Mercado, and even Gabriel Corozo played a bunch of games along with Canga, but the one player that remained on the line up every single game up til August was Luis Canga. Jefferson Intriago won his spot once the Segunda Etapa began, but Canga would've started whether the Ley de Juvenil existed or not. Meaning he benched Diego Calderon and even Gerardo Alcoba for a significant period of time. And I'm talking about 2 way more experienced players than he is. One of them being Calderon who was part of Liga's years of glory. If an 18 year old is capable of doing that it speaks very well of him. In addition, Canga never lost his spot to anyone in Liga. The reason he doesn't start now is because he left for nearly 2 weeks during the time he was with the U-20, later he came back and in a very short time was gone for 1 week when he was called up to the senior NT in September. During this time Alcoba began getting minutes as a starter in Liga and had great performances for a month straight. Those are just things that happen in futbol. Zubeldia isn't the type of coach to have started him for no reason. This is the same guy that benched Dominguez and is starting Viteri b/c he sees that Viteri is in a great moment, not b/c Dominguez is in bad form. Whoever deserves it, earns their spot.

Right now we were starting to see a little more of Jordan Jaime in this Segunda Etapa, but I think it would've been very interesting to see if he had the ability to bench Guagua, Achilier, or Jose Luis Quinonez. And take into consideration that Guagua has been very irregular and suffered injuries lately. Nasuti isn't there anymore and Achilier is the only guy you can say is "fijo". Emelec even went as far as giving JL Quinonez a starting position. As you can see, it's not easy for an 18 or 19 year old to gain a spot over the more experienced guys. If Jordan Jaime could've done so throughout a consistent 6 months like Canga, I would truly believe that kid is something else. But again, I'll take your word for it. Hopefully he recovers soon and comes back by February-March which is when his return to the fields should be.

 

Corozo had a red which is why he didn't play last weekend. But a good 90-95% of the time Corozo is a starter and plays 90 minutes. Mercado seems like he's struggling a bit b/c like you said he comes off as a sub and sometimes doesn't even play. Creo que a el le va a costar mas. Pero a Gabriel Corozo lo veo muy pronto en el primer equipo del Granada. That kid is going to jump his way through the ranks and I don't doubt it one bit.

Parrales, Mejia, and Betancourt are all good players but for not I think they might be a bit ripe. Target man don't mature til a bit later unless your country gives birth to a crack like Gonzalo Higuain or Luis Suarez who were lethal since they were 20-22 years old. Either way, we got Enner as main guy up top. What we need to do is see how someone more experienced (and who's in the ideal age gap) like Juan Anangono and definitely not forget about Felipe Caicedo. The kid that has me concerned in Marlon De Jesus who got screwed over with injuries. I wish he could come back to Ecuador next season but the problem is every one of the top teams don't have room and I doubt El nacional has the $$$ to pay him. He would be awesome for Liga, but we don't play with 2 puntas netos UNLESS we play with a linea de 3 next season. I don't know if Emmanuel Herrera will end up cutting it completely in Emelec, but I think he has the potential to do so b/c he is a good player....so I find it hard for Marlon to make a return there as well.

And I haven't seen one single upcoming young target man that's not considerably "too young" like Parrales, Mejia, and Betancourt. But I did mention in an earlier post that we don't HAVE to have an authentic target man. Enner isn't a REAL 9 per say. I have seen Cristian Penilla from 2013 play as a false 9 in BSC and I liked what I saw. Marcos Caicedo is also another player that is more of a striker to me than a winger, and last I saw Leon seems to have noticed that and placed him as a striker. I forgot who mentioned this the other day, but maybe some of our "wingers" have undiscovered talents that we don't see completely b/c they aren't in their ideal position....Enner is the most recent proof of that.

 

I agree. Mario Pineida and Cristian Ramirez are great players as well. But personally I think Gabriel Corozo's potential is beyond theirs for more reasons than one. If Corozo's timing is correct, he will the main starter of that left back position. Especially if Ramirez and Pineida fail to impress in the opportunities they are given. The day that Gabriel Corozo gets his opportunities to start as a left back in a Qualifier, he won't let go of that spot for a good 10 years or so (assuming no one has consolidated themselves yet). We don't come across talent like that in defensive positions almost ever. You can play him left or right and you won't notice if he's naturally a right or left footed player. Line of 3 or line of 4 he can play as a center back or carrilero. It's something not too many players can do. Especially not the ones we have now.

 

most likely it will be Corozo on the right and Dominguez on the left or vice-versa. I've seen Dominguez play a few times on the right, but having Corozo makes this easier. Wherever Dominguez is most comfortable is where Vizuete should place him. Corozo has played lots of games on both sides so it shouldn't be a problem for him. Canga starting as a center back and then the other center back could be Darwin Suarez or maybe Vizuete calls up that 17 year old from Boca Juniors, Kevin Becerra who is always starting in Boca's youth team. Maybe Ronny Santos from Manta who is usually a starter in Manta this semester. I forget who else is part of the list, but those are decent options. Then you have Anibal Chala who isn't a bad sub for the right back position if needed. We'll be fine in defense bro. I don't think it's anything to worry about. That other kid Carabali who is a left back/carrilero from U. Catolica is pretty decent (similar to how good Eder Fuertes was in Vizuete's last U-20) as a back up too.

 

Jeison Dominguez is injured and will be out for 4 months. Another let down for the U-20. Jordan Jaime and now Jeison Dominguez. I'm pretty sure this will mean either Darwin Suarez plays as a left back although I'm pretty sure he's more of a center back, or Anibal Chala starts on the left/right with Corozo on the right/left. Good thing we have alternatives. We're still safe. Hopefully Vizuete calls up this kid Kevin Becerra from Boca Jrs. I think that will be very importante for us at this point. And let's see how Ronny Santos finishes off his season in Manta too.