Rumor. Marcelo Gallardo’s staff were back in the stands on Saturday. La Tri announced on X that members of the coaching staff attended Aucas vs Liga de Quito (1-1) “as part of the ongoing work of monitoring and evaluating players in the national championship.”
On Sunday they were in Guayaquil for Barcelona SC vs Universidad Católica (1-1) at Estadio Banco Pichincha, La Tri said on X.
It was the latest stop on a LigaPro tour that began the previous weekend. According to Expreso, Gallardo watched Independiente del Valle vs Aucas and Macará vs Universidad Católica before seeing Liga de Quito come from behind to beat Barcelona SC 2-1 on October 11. La Tri posted on X that Gallardo and his staff were at that game, and El Hoy reported that he went to all three championship hexagonal games that weekend.
The target is the November window. Ecuador host Costa Rica in Quito on Friday, November 13 and Bolivia in Guayaquil on Tuesday, November 17. The FEF has not yet announced stadiums, kickoff times or ticket details. El Crack reported, citing a federation official, that the games will be played at Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado and Estadio Monumental, but that is not official yet.
What Gallardo is looking for
El Hoy wrote that Gallardo is judging LigaPro players on continuity, a consistent level and competitiveness, and that the winless Asia tour exposed three needs: full-backs, holding midfielders and strikers. “A good player will be called up, wherever he is,” Gallardo said, as quoted by El Hoy.
Full-backs: the IDV quartet
Full-back is the oldest problem. El Hoy noted that only Pervis Estupiñán and Ángelo Preciado have held those spots regularly in recent years, and Gallardo used holding midfielder Alan Franco at full-back against Japan on October 1.
The names that keep coming up all play for league leaders Independiente del Valle. On the right, Daykol Romero (18 LigaPro games, one goal and four assists, according to El Hoy) and Jhon Espinoza (16 games). On the left, Layan Loor (16) and Gustavo Cortez (15). Romero and Loor have started IDV’s CONMEBOL games. Former Ecuador player and coach Polo Carrera told El Hoy that Loor and Romero “should be in the next call-up, to see how they do.” Bolavip adds Liga de Quito’s Leonel Quiñónez.
Midfield: LigaPro and MLS options
At Liga de Quito vs Barcelona SC, Expreso reported, the staff watched LDU’s Alexander Alvarado and Barcelona SC’s Bryan Carabalí. Bolavip named two young Barcelona SC players, Johan García and Jandry Gómez, who trained with La Tri as sparring partners under Sebastián Beccacece.
Abroad, Mexican broadcaster TUDN reported, via Bolavip, that Gallardo is following Vancouver Whitecaps’ Bruno Caicedo and LAFC’s Sergio Vásquez, neither of whom has played for the senior team. Caicedo played 65 minutes in Vancouver’s 2-1 win at Austin FC on Saturday (FotMob 7.05). Vásquez got five minutes in LAFC’s 1-1 draw at New York City FC.
Strikers: Estrada, Corozo, Reasco
El Hoy wrote that, after Enner Valencia’s exit, the most-cited options up front are Jordy Caicedo and Kevin Rodríguez, while Sunderland’s Juan Riquelme Angulo scored on the Asia tour. Rodríguez is currently listed as injured (muscle) by FotMob.
In LigaPro, El Hoy pointed to IDV’s Djorkaeff Reasco, who has 10 goals in 1,492 minutes, a better rate than the league’s top scorers, none of whom play in the title hexagonal. Expreso and Bolavip both listed Liga de Quito’s Michael Estrada and Janner Corozo. Estrada scored a penalty in Saturday’s 1-1 at Aucas, the game La Tri’s staff attended. Afterwards he said, as quoted by Primicias: “You always hope to be on the call-up list. If I’m there, I’ll add what I can; if not, I’ll support from outside.” Atlante’s Jhojan Julio, last called up in 2024, is the third name in TUDN’s report.
What comes next
There is no date yet for the November squad announcement. According to El Hoy, Gallardo plans to widen his search after November to Ecuadorians abroad who have not been in recent squads. Bolavip also mentioned young players such as Snayder Porozo and Deinner Ordóñez as possible additions, even if only as sparring partners or for training camps.
All of the names above come from press reports, and none has been officially called up. We will update as soon as La Tri announces the squad. Every national team player’s latest form is on our Players Tracker, and the LigaPro fixtures the staff could visit next are on our Schedule page.
Leave a Reply