On November 16, the Ecuador national team, led by the Spaniard Félix Sánchez Bas, will visit the city of Maturín to play against Venezuela in the fifth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the penultimate day of the 2023 Conmebol qualifying tournament. La Vinotinto, which is a sensation, is fourth in the ranking with 7 points, and Tricolor is two places lower with 4 points.

In the last two rounds, Venezuela surprised by scoring as a guest where Ecuador had never done before, in Brazil, drawing 1-1 with a goal by Eduardo Bello in the 85th minute. Then, on day four, those from Simón Bolívar’s country defeated Chile and its aging generation with an incredible 3-0 (Yeferson Soteldo, Salomón Rondón and Darwin Machís) at the Estadio Monumental in Maturin.

Be careful with the Venezuelan national team, in the qualifiers! Ecuador had this kind of visitor

The two results in Venezuela, along with Argentina’s double victory and Brazil’s defeat in Montevideo, gave the World Cup in Conmebol the most media coverage. Ecuador beat Bolivia 2-1 in La Paz but couldn’t beat Colombia in Quito after a 0-0 draw at the Olympic Atahualpa.

The four llaneros

The Argentine Fernando Batista, aged 53, preceded Sánchez by announcing the invitation of Llanero that among its 28 members there are four who play in the LigaPro Championship and today are footballers who know the national environment best.

The quartet of ‘infiltrators’ from Venezuela consists of goalkeeper Rafael Romo (Universidad Católica), defender Wilker Ángel and midfielders Rómulo Otero (both Aucas) and Samuel Sosa (Emelec).

With players from the Pro League, Venezuela is fielding its team for World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Peru

Romo is 33 years old and has a career that includes football periods in his country, Italy, Cyprus, England, Belgium, Denmark, and Camarata arrived at the club in 2023 after a stint at DC United from the MLS. He won the national competition with Mineros de Guayana and Apoel de Nicosia.

He played 20 games in Católica, all as a starter. According to the LigaPro portal, Romo has conceded 26 goals in statistics. He has 18 appearances as a goalkeeper for absolute Vinotinto, according to the specialized site Transfermarkt.

At height

Meanwhile, Ángel has arrived in Aucas in the current campaign. He is 30 years old and apart from his experience in Venezuelan football, he was in Russia and Turkey where he defended for Göztepe until Auquistas imported him. He played eleven games for the Orientals, all from the start, although he was replaced in two. He recorded fourteen fouls, two yellow cards and one red card.

His compatriot Rómulo Otero (31 years old) has seen more action for Aucas, with 24 matches in the LigaPro competition so far, although he has started only fourteen and been substituted in 50% of those matches. He scored two goals, including one from a penalty kick. He has played 33 games for his senior national team and scored one goal. Of the four, he has worn the llanero uniform the most times: 48 (half a dozen as many events).

One of the shipyards

In the case of Sosa, he is the only one who plays on the plain, in the ranks of Emelec. Injuries did not allow him to have continuity. He recorded 963 minutes in 16 games played, eleven of which he was a starter, and in seven he entered as a substitute. He has scored only two goals and three assists. He will turn 24 on December 17.

Sosa, a former footballer of Talleres de Córdoba, Alcorcón (second Spanish league), Deportivo Táchira and Puerto Cabello, was the U-20 world runner-up in 2017, and as a promising player in his country’s football, he appeared only five times in the Vinotinto absolute team because His development stagnated. (D)