Ecuador are in a do-or-die situation heading into their Group B finale Sunday evening. The Ecuadorians have just two draws to show after their first couple of matches in the group stage. A win may not even be enough to get them to the Copa America Centenario quarterfinals; they’ll need to win by two or more goals. Luckily, they face Group B’s bottom-feeders, Haiti, who allowed a whopping seven goals to Brazil on June 8.
Another pivotal Group B match will be played later in the day. Check out our complete preview for Brazil vs. Peru for more on that match.
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Ecuador were one of the two favorites to advance from Group B, but they find themselves in hot water after coming up with just two draws against Brazil and Peru. Ecuador did have something to smile about, rallying for a 2-2 draw after conceding two early goals against Peru last Wednesday. They now face bottom-feeders Haiti, which should give them a shot at an enormous victory.
La Tri have a deadly frontline filled with young and explosive players. Enner Valencia leads this group with 15 goals on just 27 career caps. Meanwhile, Jaime Ayovi, Miler Bolanos and Fidel Martinez have combined for 23 goals. The four are more than capable of opening up the floodgates to score goals aplenty against the defensively-challenged Haiti, which wilted against Brazil’s pressure.
Ecuador’s firepower doesn’t just come from the forward line, midfielder Jefferson Monetro offers a blistering boot with 10 goals, while Antonio Valencia has eight. The two are experienced players with experience playing for English Premier League clubs Swansea and Manchester City respectively. Defender Walter Ayovi gives the group a leader rich with experience. At age 36, he has 113 international caps and eight career goals.
La Tri have won their last two matches with a 6-2 goal advantage against Haiti in the past 10 years.
Haiti’s Copa America Centenario run ends tonight. They’re already eliminated from the tournament after losing their first two matches. But all is not lost for Los Grenadiers; they can still make their country proud with an improbable upset or even a spirited draw.
If the Haitians have any hope of salvaging at least a point in the tournament, they’ll need their stars to step up. James Marcelin netted their lone goal against Brazil in a 7-1 rout last Wednesday. Marcelin isn’t even the best goal-scorer among Los Grenardiers. Forwards Jean-Eudes Maruice and Kervens Belfort should figure more in the attack being the top two scorers on the squad with 10 and 11 international goals respectively.
Soni Mustivar could also offer a lending hand as one of the bright spots of MLS team Sporting Kansas City, but he is yet to come off the bench in two games. Meanwhile, Jean Sony Alcenat should also be a pretty good scorer coming off the backline with seven goals on 66 career caps. Having some talent all-over the pitch should help Haiti set up some counterattacking situations.
