An Idol Rekindled: Barcelona SC Campeon de Ecuador

Photo credit: EFE

It has been 14 years since Barcelona Sporting Club, the marquee team from Guayaquil, Ecuador, last won the league. Fourteen years of struggle, bad coaching, political in-fighting, and fan disappointment. But it all ended yesterday when they were crowned champions of Ecuador, unleashing celebrations all over the country.

Barcelona had come to be dominated in recent years by the other big clubs in the country, such as LDU Quito and arch-rivals Emelec. Since 2011, however, the ownership by businessman Antonio Noboa and management by Zubielda, who built the team, and Gustavo Costas, who brought out the best in players like new-comer Narciso Mina, forged a unique understanding with the players that transcended to results on the pitch. 

Let's not forget that Barcelona SC is quite a popular club even though it has seen an extensive trophy-less stretch. They average 25,000 fans for home games and 15,000 for away games. No easy feat in any country. The "Toreros," as they are called, have seen their share of scrutiny and, at times, downright dislike by the national soccer media and the upper echelons of Ecuador soccer officials. There is a certain "Quito tilt" to soccer coverage in the country and the club has been able to break that barrier with this win.

As a child, I grew up watching this team week in and week out since most of my family were big fans of the squad. I, however, preferred certain other teams, for which I was often scolded. The derby matches I attended, the great "Clasico del Astillero," always fulfilled in its display of passion on and off the field. As fate would have it, my team almost always won, but I was happy to attend the Estadio Monumental in all its glory and watch the waves of yellow run up and down the general attendance stands. I admit that, deep down, I still hurt from Barcelona's win over Emelec in the 1989 Libertadores. So every time my team wins it is simply another attempt to make up for that loss--until they meet again in continental play.

In the end, I am happy for friends and family that have seen their dream come true, have cried with goals of glory, taken to the streets to celebrate, painted 9 de Octubre yellow and shown the country once and for all who really is the idol: Barcelona.

I dedicate this post to the great Mauro Velasquez Villacis and Javier Velasquez Villacis. I would like to thank the latter for his guidance in writing this piece and the former for inspiration in being a soccer fan.

Liga de Quito: The new Ecuador Idol

El idolo del Ecuador. That was Barcelona of Guayaquil. Might it still be? With me being away from my home country for 19 years, it's hard to say. With recent events, however, it's tough to argue with the fact that Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito is the best club team Ecuador has ever produced. We measure this not just in the domestic league (9 titles, behind Nacional, Barcelona, Emelec), but on an international level. Liga won the Copa Libertadores last year, was a finalist in the Club World Cup against Manchester United, and won the Recopa (match between Libertadores and Sudamericana winners).

Today was another high point for the Quito team. They won with an amazing score of 7-0 against Uruguay's River Plate in the 2009 Sudamericana semifinal. This means they advance to yet another international final against Fluminense of Brazil (curiously, the same team they faced in last year's Libertadores final). That's four finals over the course of two years. Truly a noteworthy accomplishment.

As much as it may pain me as a native of Guayaquil and a hardcore fan of Emelec, I must admit to this: Why shouldn't Liga be the new idol? The little kids in the country without a team of their own need only watch television to assert their allegiance. This is a team that boasts former Ecuador internationals De la Cruz, Reasco and Edison Mendez. What young Ecuadorian footballer doesn't want to play alongside them?

Enjoy the highlights of this record-breaking game:

Barcelona Sporting Club falls from grace

For those of you unfamiliar with South American soccer, there is another Barcelona soccer team. It's not Spain's FC Barcelona, it's Barcelona Sporting Club of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The "Idolo del Astillero" also happens to be the most popular team in the country and one with the most fame (until Liga won the Libertadores last year). It's the Manchester United, Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, etc of Ecuador. So if the team is relegated to a lower division it has to be a big deal.

Indeed, Barcelona are very close to being mathematically and officially relegated to Ecuador's Serie B. I must admit I haven't been following the game in my birth country as much due to other things in life getting in the way. I can only watch so much soccer and usually I reserve my Ecuador time to the national squad and my club Emelec.

A little background info: The team was founded in 1925. Contrary to what one may think, the team is not modeled or based on FC Barcelona, but instead it is an homage to Spanish support for the founding of a multidisciplinary club and the city of Guayaquil. The team is currently tied with Club Deportivo El Nacional as the most successful team in the country in terms of national championships (13 titles). They were the first Ecuadorian team to make it to the Copa Libertadores finals, having done so twice in 1990 & 1998. Notable players include Ruben Insua, Manuel Uquillas, Agustin Delgado, Pablo Palacios, Jimmy Izquierdo, Ivan Kaviedes, Eduardo Hurtado, Marcelo Trobbiani, Jimmy Montanero, Byron Tenorio, Edwin Tenorio, Mario Saralegui, Ivan Hurtado.

Today things look ever-grimmer for this iconic club team. They could, with a mix of results, sneak back into safety. This predicament is not unlike what happened nine years ago, when the team had to go to Ambato in search of a positive result to avoid relegation. The team delivered and the relegated squad was Liga de Quito. That's right, the reigning champions and the 2008 Libertadores and 2009 Recopa champions. It took seven years after falling to the Serie B for Liga to bounce back and storm into the international scene.

Could we see a major turnaround from Barcelona? Why not. It happened with Liga. True, it's the governing body that is to blame for their errant ways for the past decade or so, as alluded to by important members of the Ecuador press. The great Mauro Velasquez has mentioned to me the weaknesses and ambivalence that the club management has continuously shown. I would welcome a stronger Barcelona team to give Emelec better competition and elevate the status of the game in the country due to the team's considerable following.


Am I happy that Emelec is much higher in the table and competing internationally? Of course. Am I happy to see Barcelona falter like this? Not really. I like competition (especially if Emelec always wins) and right now there just aren't any more teams in the city of Guayaquil. This is the clasico. This is the city derby. There can be no yin without the yang. Some of my earliest soccer memories are those of "el Clasico del Astillero," including those in the 1990 Libertadores. I've been to five of the games already and I can't wait to go to the next. So, good luck, Barcelona. Emelec is waiting for you to break your heart again.

Ecuador: A few observations from a soccer nation

Ecuador, the place of my birth and the reason soccer runs so deeply in my veins. I'm giddy when Ecuador wins, pathetically upset when they lose but at the same time I remind myself that we were always the underdogs. Behind Bolivia and Peru and only superior to Venezuela. Now I cheer for the USA with just as much candor. It is my home and has been so for much longer than Ecuador ever was. When it comes to clubs, however, Emelec is my favorite team. And this is much to the dismay of both the Velasquez and the Mera families (fans of Barcelona SC de Guayaquil).

Added to all of the above, I am also related (nephew) to the great Mauro Velasquez Villacis, author, commentator, friend of Pele and Alberto Spencer. I spent a few precious minutes with him in his majestic soccer vault, where he stowed away detailed statistics on all the major games of the world, descriptions of every goal Pele scored, news and notes and biographies of countless soccer personalities. Today's posting is not so much about him but more on what people there think of the US game, important recent events and past stars. I spoke with uncle Mauro as well as other fans of the beautiful game. The questions are generic and the answers are the general feel from all the interviewees. Here are a few words from them . . .

What do you think of the US national team?
Very solid. Great faith in their game and extremely focused. They stick to the game plan.

And what about the future of the US in soccer?
They can only get better from here. They have the seeds and the infrastructure.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo really worth the millions Real Madrid spent on him?
Yes. There is no one else like him.

What about Argentina? Maradona?
Maradona's appointment was just a stunt. He can't coach. He wasted away his brain cells through years of drug abuse. Argentina won't go far with him as coach.

What do you think of the current Ecuador national team?
Felipe Caicedo is not working well for the team. He's too erratic and not dangerous enough and does not compliment Benitez.

And Liga de Quito's triumph in the 2008 Libertadores?
There is a difference between club and country. Most answered they did not care for Liga's success since it's a club and does not represent them (most were Barcelona or Emelec fans). I feel otherwise. It was a triumph for Ecuador soccer, one that added to the national team's success in 2006. I wrote more about this on another blog entry.

That's all for now. I was enlightened by my soccer talks during my brief stay in Quito and Guayaquil. I will have a couple of posts dedicated to Mauro Velasquez Villacis. Stay tuned.

What happened to Kaviedes?

Arguably one of the most notable soccer players in Ecuador's history, Jaime Ivan "El Nine" Kaviedes has always been on the controversial side of the game, both on and off the pitch. While no Dennis Rodman or Ray Lewis or Diego Maradona, Kaviedes has had his share of interesting moments. He is by far, however,
my favorite Ecuador player.



First, a bit of history for those not familiar with the star:
Born on October 24 1977. He has appeared internationally for Ecuador on 53 occasions, scoring 16 times (most recently against Peru in 2007 in an inspired 5-1 win for the 2010 qualifiers). One of his goals came against Uruguay in 2001 sealing a 1-1 draw with a beautiful header that sent Ecuador to its first appearance in a World Cup at KoreaJapan 2002. Of note is also his partnership with Agustin Delgado during the 2002 campaign but being relegated to the bench thereafter with the development of Carlos Tenorio, Felipe Caicedo and Christian Benitez. Kaviedes is also well known for his antics at the 2006 World Cup in which he wore the number 10 jersey and came on as a supersub in every game. He scored against Costa Rica in what surely must have been one of his dreams. After the goal, he slipped out a yellow Spider-Man mask in reference to and memory of striker Otilino Tenorio (died in a car crash in 2005).

Kaviedes started his career with my favorite club, Emelec, in 1998 scoring 43 goals in the process and earning him an international award. I was witness to two goals scored against arch-rival Barcelona SC of Guayaquil at the Capwell stadium. His prolific goal-scoring led him to Italian Serie A side Perugia. He scored 4 goals with them and was transfered the following year to Celta de Vigo of Spain. Six games with that team were not convincing enough so he was sent to Mexican side Puebla, scoring 5 goals in 17 games. Next came stints at Valladolid (Spain), FC Porto (Portugal), and an eventual return to Ecuador to play for Barcelona SC. There he rekindled his scoring and led Bracelona to the quarter finals of the 2004 Libertadores. Along the way he also played for Deportivo Quito, briefly for Crystal Palace (Barclay's Premier League), Argentinos Jrs, Bracelona again, then El Nacional of Quito in another inspired season (15 goals). His last club was LDU Quito for the present year. A tumultuous relationship with the LDUQ owners and stakeholders meant a permanent absence from any sort of soccer action.
So what's happened to him? Along the way, he was continuously pursued by Ecuador media as their prodigy son and questioned for his methods, absences, extravagances, and personal life. He admitted to suffering from depression on more than one occasion, featuring in Revista Estadio magazine's cover story "Mi Verdad" [My Truth]. I too am partially on the blamers side since my comments were referred to on Ecuador's "Tiro Libre" sports show when I had emailed a note saying the man was being immature (can't quite remember why but I think it had to do with his lack of discipline towards his institution). Clearly the man is guilty of certain things (family problems and neglect, unexplained absences from team practices are some of the allegations against him) but the rest is purely personal. This only adds to his certain mystique and continues to fascinate people such as myself. The man has overflowing talent but is frustrated by his personality, which he lets get the better of him at times. Ultimately, however, his days as a star may be waning. Moves to Lebanon or English League One teams will allow him some playing time but, sadly, not to a return to the national team. I hope to get to see him in action again some day soon. I hope, as many other fans do, that he returns to Emelec to finish his career there and maybe have the team succeed internationally like it hasn't done since the late 90s. Cheers to you, Nine. I hope you're doing well.