Last Updated on February 13, 2024 5:39 pm by Erwin Noguera
Ecuador’s Liga Pro or Serie A is probably the third best performing in recent times in South America, which has also translated into success for the Ecuadorian National Team, which attended the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Independiente del Valle
One of the reasons for this great moment is Independiente del Valle, a two-time champion of the Copa Sudamericana and the fastest-growing soccer youth academy in this part of the world.
In 2007, Ecuadorian businessman Michel Deller acquired the club, which was in the third division, and managed to promote it to the second division that same year and to the first division two years later.
The team’s strategy is based on a large investment in the lower categories and the comprehensive training of young players. In a short period, they have won the Ecuadorian league, cup, and super cup, two Sudamericanas, and a Recopa, and were runners-up in the Copa Libertadores. In addition, speaking of young players, it was champion of the Copa Libertadores Under 20 and three times runner-up: in other words, from 2018 to date it has been in all the finals. That is taking into account that in two years the competition was not played.
Precisely Deller and his business group have already bought other clubs around the world looking to continue implementing their model.
Several names have left their ranks, but we can stay with Kendry Paez, who at the age of 16 was sold to Chelsea for a figure that would exceed 20 million euros. Moisés Caicedo, the most valuable player in the history of the Premier League since he joined the Blues for 133 million euros, also emerged from this club.
Defenders Angelo Preciado (Sparta Praha), William Pacho (Frankfurt), and Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen) were also formed in this high-level academy.
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito
But Independiente del Valle is not the only one that has stood out in recent times, as Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito is the current champion of the Copa Sudamericana.
The team from the capital drew 1-1 in the final with Fortaleza, from Brazil, and won 4-3 in the penalty shootout, with a very experienced figure in goal like Alexander Domínguez, twice a World Cup player.
The lineup also includes such standouts as Leonel Quiñónez, veteran Renato Ibarra, and national team striker Jhojan Julio.
La Liga is the only Ecuadorian team with one Libertadores and two Sudamericanas. In addition, in the ranking of the International Federation of Football and Statistics (IFFHS), it is the best-positioned team in the country, occupying 39th place. Independiente was ranked 55th.
Ecuadorian Serie A – International success
Precisely, the IFFHS lowered Liga Pro in the world ranking (17th), being surpassed in South America by Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay, even though its international results have been better than the latter two.
Another fact that demonstrates the growth of Ecuadorian soccer is that in 2023 it had 89 players abroad, colonizing countries such as England, Germany, Mexico, and the United States.
This also translates into a good level in the national team, since Ecuador is in the fifth position of the current Qualifiers, with eight points, despite having a sanction of -3 units.
Ecuadorian Serie A – Format
The Ecuadorian Professional League this year is made up of three stages and will be played by 16 starting teams. A total of 30 dates will be played from March when the league starts.
The first stage has 15 rounds in a round-robin format, and the first team will qualify for the championship final. The second stage has another 15 dates, all against all, and the champion qualifies for the final.
Finally, the two winners of each stage will play each other in a two-match series to determine the national champion. It should be noted that if the first two stages are won by the same team, it is crowned directly.
Barcelona de Guayaquil
As has been made clear, several teams have an advantage in the desire to be champions, such as Independiente del Valle and Liga de Quito. However, the team with the most titles cannot be left aside, such as Barcelona.
The Guayaquil team has a total of 16 league trophies in its cabinet, the last of them in 2020. The current champion is Liga, which has 12 trophies. Likewise, it is necessary to talk about a fallen to lesser great as Emelec, which has not been champion since 2017.
Ecuadorian Serie A Preview – Champion Betting Odds
Independiente del Valle 3.50
Barcelona SC 4.00
LDU Quito 4.00
Emelec 6.50
Aucas 15.00
Universidad Católica 15.00
El Nacional 21.00
Delfín 26.00
Técnico Universitario 34.00
Deportivo Cuenca 41.00
Remember that you can always find the best odds at Gambyl to place you bet.
EN 
ES 
PT