World Cup Team Checks: Ecuador
March 16, 2006
World Cup Qualifiers
The thin Andean air wasn't the only thing playing a role in Ecuador's third-place finish with a game to spare in the competitive South American zone. Ecuador remained unbeaten at home in Quito.
Stars
Team captain and national cap-leader Ivan Hurtado (Al Arabi Cairo) and Ulises de la Cruz (Aston Villa) are Ecuador's two most famous, and dangerous, players.
Trainer
Hernan Dario Gomez left the team after a three-game, three-loss performance at the 2004 Copa America in Peru and was replaced by Columbia's Luis Fernando Suarez, who led the "Tricolor" in their successful bid for a ticket to Germany.
World Cup History
Slim pickings for Ecuador: In their only other finals appearance in 2002, they didn't get out fo the group stage.
Match Schedule: preliminary round
June 9: Poland - Ecuador in Gelsenkirchen
June 15: Ecuador - Costa Rica in Hamburg
June 20: Ecuador - Germany in Berlin
World Cup base
Ecuador will unpack their World Cup bags in the Bavarian town of Bad Kissingen.
Outlook
Attending their second World Cup in a row, Ecuador's strong finish in qualification has lifted their hopes of surviving the 2006 group stage.