World Cup 2014 Preview – Ecuador

Ecuador starts off our preview of Group E, and they are looking to shock the soccer world by advancing to the knockout stage of World Cup 2014.

Ranked #23 in FIFA's world rankings, Ecuador is a young but solid squad with talent at every position. Christian Noboa is a rising Ecuadorean star who plays his club ball for FC Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League. He plays mostly on the wing, given his excellent speed and passing ability. Noboa tends to stay forward more often than play as a true midfielder, leaving his side of the field vulnerable to attack on occasions; but should he get the ball up field, Ecuador will always have a great chance of putting the ball in the net.

A dangerous weapon anywhere on the field, Edison Mendez is the experienced member of the Ecuador national team. He's always been known for his great foot skills, accurate passing, and being absolutely deadly taking free kicks. Opposing defenses committing fouls in their defensive third of the field will be making grave mistakes, which will be evident by Mendez jogging to the sideline to celebrate after scoring off an incredible free kick.

My prediction: top to bottom, Ecuador doesn't match up well with France or Switzerland, but are fully capable of pulling an upset over either of these two teams. The other squad, Honduras, was a pain to deal with in qualifying in the CONCACAF region, but should prove to be no match for any of the other three teams. Ecuador finish 3rd in this competitive group.