WFI‘s Adam Brandon counts down to Russia 2018 with 90 World Cup goals in 90 days, scored in the minute corresponding to the day in the countdown.
Context
Ecuador had never qualified for a World Cup before 2002, when they finally made it to football’s greatest tournament.
That success was thanks in part to a change in the qualifying format which meant they got to play more home games.
Ecuador play their home games in Quito, despite it being the second city in Ecuador in terms of population and popularity of football.
The port city of Guayaquil in the south of the country is home to the two biggest clubs in the country, but the national stadium in Quito, 2,782 metres above sea level, gives them an obvious atmospheric advantage.
Altitude isn’t everything though, as we’ve seen over the years with Bolivia who haven’t made home advantage count often enough. That’s down to the simple fact they are not able to produce the quality Ecuador does.
Much of the top Ecuadorian football talent doesn’t come from urban centres such as Guayaquil and Quito as you’d expect, but from a rural highland area in northern Ecuador called Chota Valley.
This valley has produced an incredible amount of international footballers in the past two decades. So much so that a lot of research is carried out as to why – even a documentary film has been made.
The principle reason the Chota Valley wasn’t heard of sooner was due to the big clubs and the Ecuador FA largely ignoring black players.
Ecuador didn’t receive an influx of slaves from Africa as with some countries in Latin America, but a few escaped from Colombia and from shipwrecks in the Pacific and dispersed into the coastal areas. Many also crossed the Colombian border to the Chota Valley to work as slaves for the Jesuits.
The black population of Ecuador remains poor to this day, facing discrimination at work and in education on a daily basis. Yet arguably the country’s most visible international symbol – the Ecuador national team – is overwhelmingly black. That’s down to the fact that football clubs are now inclusive for black players, especially those from the valley — an area which has a population of around 25,000.
When Ecuador qualified for its second World Cup in succession, remarkably half the squad for the 2006 World Cup was made up of players from that region.
Some of the players were already well known on the continent and in Europe. Ulises de la Cruz played in the Premier League for Aston Villa. He often tells the story that football was the only way out for him, as with nearly everyone from a rural area such as Chota Valley.
Ecuador’s fast style of play, which would see them comfortably beat Poland in their opening game of the 2006 World Cup, was born in the Chota Valley, too. There are no grass fields, so players are forced to play on quick, dusty, uneven and hard pitches meaning they develop ball control, skills and dribbling quickly.
Ex-Southampton striker Agustin Delgado, was one of the players born in the famous valley, and he set up the first and scored the second as Ecuador got only their second ever World Cup win.
In their second match in Germany in 2006 they faced Costa Rica knowing a win would see them qualify for the second round. The Andean nation came to a standstill as El Tri searched for a historic triumph.
After just eight minutes star winger Antonio Valencia crossed for Carlos Tenorio to power home – a header to send Ecuador wild with celebration.
As the match unfolded, it was clear that El Tri were comfortably the better team and Costa Rica barely created a chance.
The Goal
A few minutes after the break Agustin Delgado makes it 2-0 to Ecuador for the second time in the World Cup with a superb finish:
What Happened Next?
They lost to Germany in their last group game, which meant they finished second and would face England in the next round.
A David Beckham free kick on the hour mark proved to be the winner in a tight and dull affair, but the Ecuadorians still received a hero’s welcome back home.
Ecuador narrowly missed out on the 2010 World Cup before qualifying for the 2014 World Cup where they disappointed in the group stage. Qualification for Russia 2018 started like a dream with four wins out of four, before they fell apart and were left without a hope of qualifying by the last game.
Agustin Delgado set up a football school in the Chota Valley and players try and fund the region as much as they can.
Ecuador’s left-wing government has also been working to improve the lives of the people in the area so those who don’t have the talent for football can dream of becoming of doctors or lawyers instead.
Extras
Documentary on Chota Valley called Dreamtown – Short version here, I can’t find the full film online unfortunately…