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Up Next: Macedonia

May 26th, 2006 | By: Trent | 9 Comments »

Ecuador leave today for Madrid, where it will play its last World Cup tuneup against Macedonia. What to make of Macedonia? Coach Luis Suarez picked that team for La Tri’s final preparation because it plays a European style somewhat similar to Group A teams Germany and Poland. Although not, I should guess, at the levels of those teams.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s what you need to know about Ecuador’s opponents for the friendly match this Sunday, May 28.

Macedonia are No. 91 in FIFA world rankings. Which isn’t too bad for a country that didn’t even play it’s first official match until September 1994. That match, a Euro ‘96 qualifier, was an impressive 1-1 draw against then-European champions Denmark. Despite that auspicious start, Macedonia–once a part of Yugoslavia–has yet to appear in a major tournament finals. Hey, it took Ecuador 77 years to make the World Cup, so these things can take some time.

The Red Lions, as the team is called, play in nearly all-red uniforms when at home in Skopje. Although Macedonia had a disatrous 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign–including a loss to lowly Andorra–the team bounced back by finishing second in a friendly tournament at the end of 2005 that included World Cup squads Iran, Paraguay and Togo. Since February of this year the team has been coached by Srecko Katanec.

Ecuador should find Macedonia a decent tuneup for the World Cup finals. Unless, of course, La Tri lose the game, which could potentially be disastrous for the team’s confidence at the precipice of Germany 2006.

Tags: Ecuador, friendly, Germany, Macedonia, Madrid, Poland, Skopje, Srecko Katanec, Yugoslavia

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Comments

By Bob | May 26th, 2006 at 4:50 pm

I’d have a hard time supporting a team in all red. Macedonia is a lovely country though if you ever get a chance to visit.

Posted from United States

By Trent | May 26th, 2006 at 8:21 pm

Never been there, but I hear it’s gorgeous.

By To Train in Spain - FIFA World Cup 2006 - Ecuador World Cup Team Blog | May 27th, 2006 at 7:53 am

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By Ticos Hammered By Ukraine - FIFA World Cup 2006 - Ecuador World Cup Team Blog | May 28th, 2006 at 12:02 pm

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By Ice | May 28th, 2006 at 5:23 pm

Well, looks like you underestimated Macedonia(lucky for me ). Although we are 91th, we managed to play 2-2 with England and draw twice with Holland for WC2006 qualifiers. However, we suffered a defeat agains Andorra(ashamed to admit).

I hope you learned your weak spots and that you’ll manage to correct the errors for WC2006. Also, I hope your injured attacker will recover very soon. ALL THE BEST TO ECUADOR IN GERMANY! Your new macedonian friend will cheer for you!

P.S., You cannot appreciate Macedonian beauty until you visit Macedonia!

By Trent | May 28th, 2006 at 6:45 pm

lol, thanks, Ice. And congrats on a great win. I was very impressed with your goalkeeper. He seemed world class for sure.

Also, I would love to visit Macedonia, and look forward to doing so.

Cheers,
Trent

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Posted from Germany