[IVO]

This is a thread to keep up with the news from our rivals in the WC.

Ecuador lose to Brazilian club Porto Alegre in World Cup warm-up
QUITO, May 1 (AFP)
Ecuador lost to Brazilian club Internacional de Porto Alegre 2-1 in a World Cup warm-up here on Wednesday.
Diogo Fontoura and Cassio de Abreu scored for Internacional in the second half though Edison Mendez of Ecuador pulled one back four minutes from time.
Ecuador meet Mexico, Croatia and Italy in Group G of the May 31 to June 30 football showcase event in Korea and Japan.

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Ecuador is hard to predict, they're first timers in the world cup but they finished second in South American qualifying. This is a rather bad loss for them, but still only a friendly.

I'm confident we can beat them, I don't think they'll manage a goal against us but then you never know, they could be a spoiler. They could come out hard, determined to prove themselves on the world stage, or they could be nervous.

It's important for us to play well against them, it's our first game and you wanna start off well.

 

[spwolf]

We need to beat Mexico and Ecuador... not tie with them... Italy, we ca lose or tie

 

[BaD^bLu^bOy]

im not worried about ecuador anymore...heres why:

one of their main advantages was at home where they had altitude (2800 m) on their side...only one tea beat them at home (argentina)...in the WC they wont have this advantage...they only had 3 wins away...they were against peru, bolivia and venezuela

they were one of the few countries to send a full strength team to colombia for last years copa america, and got beaten 4-1 in the first round by an experimental chilean side

then in januarys gold cup in the US they lost to the world power HAITI

they also only have 2 or 3 quality players

 

[Tuco Ramirez]

heres the big differnce between Ecuador/Mexico and nasi.

The heat.


Japanese summers are very humid. almost unbearable.

thats the only thing im afraid of.

 

[IVO]

Good point croguy...I remember when we played Japan in France, half the team seemed out of it.

 

[Ero]

the 38 degree weather had something to do with it..

 

[CroatTommy]

heat? ha we should then send a whole team of Hercegovci to Japan! i mean when the sun hits in Hercegovina in mid summer they say its the hottest place in Europe! so my reasoning would be lets send all samo Hercegovce they will have no problem with the heat am i right guys? Krunoslav Jurcic all the way perhaps even a few Dalmatinci for creative purposes lol

 

[JureM]

Just send hercegovci??? Jeeze what are you trying to do Tommy??? The Japanese and Koreans can't make enough cars as would be stolen.....

 

[Ljubuski]

Now see here!!!!!!!

You know I still don't understand those Hercegovci jokes about stealing cars.

 

[JureM]

Well that humid weather you are talking about is advantageous to the Mexicans. I remember back in 1994 during the World Cup. It was Mexico-Ireland in Orlando, Florida, right smack in the middle of the afternoon, 98 degrees outside 100% humidity. The poor Irish looked like they were finished even before the game started. By half time they looked like they were running in cement boots.

Humid weather is very good for the Meksikanci.

 

[JureM]

Ljubuski...I can't believe it...

Actually it got to the point that Hertz wouldn't allow you to rent a car if they knew you were going to Croatia. These guys would steal rental cars and bring them to Mostar where they would be driving them around with the German plates still on them....they have balls.

 

[spwolf]

lol JureM... actually, they wouldnt rent the cars to croatia almost from begining of war until it finished... cuz of war risks... their insurance companies wouldnt insure them... same as even now, croatian insurance companies have provision saying that if ur going to BiH, your kasko wont be valid, etc, etc

 

[majstor]

And airline companies wil not fly to Croatia because of some insurance issues.
Even though just from NY/NJ a thousands are goin every summer.
My friends dad remembers a charter flight form Kennedy to Zadar in 70's!
Just imagine leaving form NY/NJ like 5-6 pm and be in Zadar 6 am!
I would go twice a year!

pozdravlja vas svih,majstor/

 

[Ero]

look at this, you've moved away from the Ero jokes, and straight into Hercegovci jokes...jeeez.

But yeah, sverc komerc...duhan, auto, mobitel, sta oces, samo nemoj placat kunama majke ti ...

 

[Ero]

It get's pretty hot in Imotski, Dalmatia and even around the capital. I think that the heat might just be a factor.



But let's count the hercegovci in the Madjarska game:

Vladimir Vasilj - Solid keeper, former Zrinjski player

Dario Simic - Both parents are hercegovci

Josip Simunic - Bosanac, close enough

Jerko Leko - Hercegovac, born in Zagreb (as so many are )

Niko Kovac - favorite son of herceg-land

Mladen Petric - another one

And, but ofcourse, Mostarac Tomislav Maric

only 7, but who's counting

I predict Olic and Maric starting up front, I have no idea about our midfield lineup, but in defense we'll see Jarni, Seric and Simunic, the rest I won't guess.

 

[spwolf]

well since ero means hercegovac, I dont think they moved anywhere ;-))))

 

[CroatTommy]

And perhaps for a game with the Russians if we ever play them in euro or w/c qualifying in like mid December we send a bunch of Licane we wont need an orange ball to play with

 

[Ero]

true..

 

[Hajduk Chicago]

No surprises as Ecuador name World Cup squad


QUITO, May 2 (Reuters) - Ecuador has named the 23 players who will represent them at their first World Cup as they became the first South American country to decide on their squad for the tournament in Japan and South Korea.

Ecuador have one of the world's most settled teams and there were no surprises as coach Hernan Dario Gomez named his squad on Thursday, 19 days before the final FIFA deadline.

Gomez, a Colombian who led his own country at France '98, stuck by the players who took Ecuador through the South American World Cup campaign.

Veteran captain Alex Aguinaga, who has been dogged by a troublesome knee in the last year and will be 34 when the tournament starts, and striker Agustin Delgado, who has also been plagued by injury, were both included.

Delgado, Ecuador's leading scorer in the qualifiers with nine goals, has only played four matches since last November, having undergone two knee operations in that period.

There was no last-minute reprieve for strikers Eduardo Hurtado and Angel Graziani, who have both been dropped by Gomez early in his reign as coach.

The small Andean nation has been gripped by World Cup fever since the start of the year and Thursday's event was broadcast live on television.

"I'm always happy when I watch Ecuador play but we do not have a history in the World Cup," said Gomez.

Ecuador travel to the United States on Monday, where they played Yugoslavia in a friendly, before going to the Far East.

They face Croatia, Italy and Mexico in their first round group G.

Goalkeepers - Jose Cevallos (Barcelona), Geovanny Ibarra (El Nacional), Daniel Viteri (Emelec)

Defenders - Ulises De la Cruz (Hibernian, Scotland), Augusto Porozo (Emelec) Ivan Hurtado (Barcelona), Geovanni Espinoza (Aucas), Raul Guerron (Deportivo Quito), Marlon Ayovi (Deportivo Quito)

Midfielders - Edwin Tenorio (Barcelona), Luis Gomez (Barcelona), Alfonso Obregon (Liga de Quito), Edison Mendez (Deportivo Quito), Cleber Chala (El Nacional), Juan Carlos Burbano (El Nacional), Alex Aguinaga (Necaxa-Mexico), Wellington Sanchez (Emelec), Walter Ayovi (Emelec)

Forwards - Carlos Tenorio (Liga de Quito), Angel Fernandez (El Nacional) Ivan Kaviedes (Barcelona), Nicolas Ascencio (Barcelona), Agustin Delgado (Southampton, England)
05/02/02 21:27 ET