Break it Down for Me Fellas

By popular demand, here’s an alphabetical look at the (Sepp Blatter-numerically-approved) ten teams in Ecuador’s top domestic division. If you’re a hardcore fan of one of the teams, let me know how way off base I am about what is clearly the best team in all of Ecuador.

Capsules for each team (with the city where they play and the year of formation in parentheses):

Aucas (Quito, 1945) has a cool club badge, but no recent championships to go along with it. Aucas was originally formed by the local manager of the Shell Oil Co.; in fact, their colors are meant to mirror the oil giant’s. The club, which is named after an Amazonian tribe, enjoyed its golden era from its inception in 1945 until the early 60’s. On the current side, look out for Renan Calle and Jose Cortez. Currently, Aucas sit seventh in the table.

Barcelona (Guayaquil ,1925). Ecuador is Barcelona, Barcelona is Ecuador. Or so it used to be said. No team has won more domestic titles (13) than Barcelona, and the club have participated in the Copa Libertadores (think the Champions League) some 20 times, but the last several years have been miserable for fans of los Toreros. So far this season, Barcelona—often called Barcelona de Guayaquil internationally—have only 6 points and sit next-to-last in the table. They’ve also already changed coaches and presidents this year, so the turmoil doesn’t look like it will abate anytime soon. Club President Galo Roggiero said he was happy with the team’s (losing) effort against LDU Quito last weekend, but I don’t envy the task ahead of him.

Deportivo Cuenca (Cuenca, 1971) sit at the bottom of the table this season, with just three points. Los Colorados were born after the mayor of Cuenca, inspired by the 1970 World Cup held in Mexico, willed the team into being. Cuenca qualified for its first Copa de Libertadores in 1976, and although it was not their last appearance in South America’s top club competition, the team has had several uneven years. In 2003, a new consortium bought the team and returned them to the top flight.

Deportivo Quito (duh, 1955) have won two championships, although those are well into the review mirror by now, and they’ve also appeared in the Copa de Libertadores five times. After finishing 6th and 8th in the last two seasons, it sure looks as if D. Quito will once again be finishing somewhere around the middle of the table.

El Nacional (Quito, 1964) will likely send the second-most players to the World Cup, after LDU Quito. El Nacional is associated with the Ecuadorian military, and features only Ecuadorian players. Los Puros Criollos have won an amazing twelve championships since 1967 and have appeared in the Copa de Libertadores many times. National team hopefuls Cristian Lara, Felix Borja, and Jorge Guagua all play for El Equipo Militar. El Nacional won the 2005 Clausura title in Ecuador, and should finish at least in the top two this season.

Emelec (Guayaquil, 1929) are the classico rival of Barcelona. If you follow European football, this derby is Ecuador’s answer to Manchester United/Manchester City or Milan/Inter. Emelec have won 10 championships in Ecuador and have produced several top domestic players, although none may make this summer’s World Cup squad. As Barcelona has fallen further from the top, Emelec has made it all the worse for Barcelona fans by claiming some nice silverware. Fans of the rivals even drink different beers (at least until recently, Barcelona often went for Pilsener brand, while Emelec fans stuck with Club). In the spirit of détente, this author drinks all types.

Espoli (Cayambe, 1986) is the new kid on the block, having been founded only 20 years ago. Not surprisingly Espoli have no titles, but they have participated in the Copa de Libertadores. Espoli currently sit in eighth place, six points clear of the drop.

LDU Quito (Quito, 1930), also called Liga or Liga de Quito. This is the club that will send the most players to represent La Tri in Germany, and has really replaced Barcelona as the country’s top team. Look for Augustin “El Tin” Delgado, Neicer Reasco, Giovanny Espinoza, Paul Ambrossi, Edison Mendez, Franklin Salas (if he ever gets fit!) and young goalkeeping stud Cristian Mora in Germany this summer.

Macara (Ambato, 1941) currently sit at a surprising fourth in the table, only seven points off the lead. I don’t expect to see any Macara players playing for Ecuador this summer in Germany.

Olmedo (Riobamba, 1919) won the title in 2000 and currently sit third in the table. Certainly, another spot in the Copa de Libertadores is not out of the question for Olmedo after this year. Olmedo man Luis Caicedo could still make the final team for Germany 2006.

That all, folks. So—set me straight on what it’s like to be a real hincha (fanatic) of your favorite team. If you want the rest of the English-speaking world to know what great football is played in Ecuador, here’s your chance!