The Ecuador National Team has begun a new era with a prominent figure in South American football at the helm. This Sunday, Marcelo Gallardo was officially announced as the new coach of La Tri, just a few days after it was revealed that the parties had reached an agreement. The Argentine will thus have his first experience coaching a national team.
The announcement was made by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) through its social media. "We have talent, structure, and ambition. We are ready. Let the people believe, because they have reason to believe. Welcome Marcelo", the organization published, in a clear reference to the phrase that Muñeco used during his successful stint at River.
Francisco Egas, president of the FEF, also highlighted the qualities of the newly appointed coach and explained the reasons that led the management to choose him. "He made demand a way of understanding football. The obsession to compete, improve, and not settle", he expressed.
The official also pointed out that the current generation of Ecuadorian footballers was decisive in betting on the Argentine and stated: "We have a generation that competes at the highest level, with talent, structure, and ambition. We believe this team is ready to take the leap. That’s why we sought out Marcelo Gallardo".
Among the names that make up this squad are William Pacho, Piero Hincapié, Moisés Caicedo, and Kendry Páez, a group that sparked the coach's interest in accepting the project. Initially, Gallardo is expected to maintain his residence in Argentina and travel to Ecuador when national team obligations require it.
Gallardo will have his first experience as a national team coach
The debut of the new cycle will not have to wait too long. La Tri will embark on a tour of Asia during the next FIFA Date, and Gallardo will debut on September 24 against South Korea in Suwon. Afterwards, the team will travel to Japan to play another friendly on October 1 against the local team.
The end of the tour is scheduled for October 5, when Ecuador will face Panama or New Zealand, depending on the result of the previous match. These will be the first matches for Muñeco at the helm of a national team and will serve as a starting point to begin working on his project.
For Gallardo, this will be a new challenge after an extensive career in clubs. After debuting as a coach at Nacional de Uruguay in 2011, he took over at River in June 2014 and became the most successful coach in the history of the Millonario, with 14 titles during his first term, including two Copa Libertadores.
Gallardo has not coached since February, when he decided to leave River
After this successful stint, he had a brief experience at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia before returning to the Núñez club. In his second term, Muñeco was far from repeating what he experienced in his first stint at the helm of the team he loves, leaving in February of this year without titles after a series of adverse results.
Now, the coach will return to the fray with a long-term objective and the mission of leading Ecuador towards the 2030 World Cup, with the 2028 Copa América as another important competition in the process. It is worth mentioning that Gallardo also becomes the seventh Argentine coach to lead Ecuador. The list includes Rodolfo Orlandini, Roberto Resquín, Miguel Ignomiriello, Gustavo Quinteros, Jorge Célico, Gustavo Alfaro, and Sebastián Beccacece, who was in charge of La Tri in the last World Cup.
