Historical! Selection of Ecuador, for the first time as current champion of a South American sub-20

For Ecuadorian soccer, the 2023 edition of the South American U-20 Championship (Youth of America), which will begin this Thursday in Colombia, is historic. For the first time, national football attends this Conmebol event with the status of current monarch. Never before has the Tricolor defended a title of this type. These two circumstances occur due to the consecration of 2019, in Chile, under the leadership of Jorge Célico.

Starting this Friday, when Ecuador debuts against Chile on the second day of the competition, a new generation of soccer players from the Middle of the World country will take to the field called to revalidate the brilliant conquest of the Tricolor, which included another award in Chile 2019 : The scoring champion was Leonardo Campana.

With its 2019 gold medal, Ecuadorian youth soccer joined a select group of South American champions that include Brazil (eleven crowns), Uruguay (eight), Argentina (five), Colombia (three) and Paraguay (one). The Tricolor sub-20 team took an Olympic tour, something that Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela have not been able to do.

“It’s a whole new generation four years apart. But it has the base of Independiente del Valle and I think Ecuador has to fight” for the title with Argentina and Brazil, Colombian sports analyst Tiago Aristi explained to the AFP agency.

Midfielders Alan Minda -who plays for the current Copa Sudamericana champion- and Patrickson Delgado, from Ajax Amsterdam, stand out in the group led by Jimmy Bran.

These two youth players are joined by the Argentine Nico Paz, the Uruguayan Álvaro Rodríguez (both from Real Madrid Castilla), the Brazilian Vítor Roque (Athletico Paranaense) and the Colombian Jhon Jáder Durán (Aston Villa) as the main contenders to shine as star figures. of the South American 2023.

The action starts on Thursday in Group A with the Peru-Brazil and Colombia-Paraguay games, which will be played at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali, like the entire initial phase. Argentina is free. On Friday Group B will begin with the duel between Bolivia and Venezuela followed by Ecuador vs. Chili. Uruguay debuts on the second date.

Each group delivers three slots to the final hexagonal, which will be played in Bogotá from January 31. The best three will also play the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

Ecuador will go to the South American for the 29th time, since its premiere in the initial edition of 1954, in Venezuela. Under the command of Célico, in Chile 2019, the National Team took over Group B thanks to three victories in four dates; suffered a defeat.

La Tri beat Paraguay (3-0), Argentina (1-0), and Peru (3-1) in that round. Only Uruguay could with the national team (1-0). In the final round, they again subdued Argentina (2-1), Colombia (1-0), Venezuela (3-0), drew with Brazil (0-0) and fell to Uruguay (1-0). The victory over the Llaneros secured the title for Ecuador, which scored fourteen goals in total and conceded six.

In addition to Campana, José Cifuentes, Jackson Porozo, Diego Palacios, Jordan Rezabala, Gonzalo Plata, Alexander Alvarado, Sergio Máquina Quintero, John Espinoza, Moisés Ramirez, Daniel Segura, among other members of the squad that qualified for the World Cup in Poland, stood out. 2019 to close their youth era with a formidable third place.

In the 2017 U-20 competition, as a local Ecuador was runner-up. And like in 2001 and 2011 he went to the World Cup. (D)