Orense SC went into the first match of their Copa Libertadores U20 with a lot of freedom and in the end, they managed to defeat Universidad de Concepcion 3-2. They set up in a 4-2-3-1 and were relying on the playmaking ability of midfielders Tommy Chumba and former Palmeiras youth academy player Erick Pluas to progress the ball further up the pitch. Chumba created a lot of dangerous moments in front of Universidad de Concepcion’s goal from dead-ball situations. Quiñonez managed to score two goals from corners early on in the game, with a goal from Universidad de Concepcion after a Rivas mistake in between. In the second half Universidad de Concepcion scored the equalizer after Chumba gave the ball away very easily in his own half. However, he made up for that mistake by scoring the winning goal in the 84th minute.
Youth Ratings
1 – Ready for the first team
2 – Good, potential to be first team
3 – Decent, could make first team squad
4 – Decent potential, unlikely to make it to first team
5 – Unlikely to make first team
Erick Pluas
Player profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 20/03/2002
- Club: Orense SC
- Career: Orense SC, Palmeiras, Orense SC
- Position: Central Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
Erick Pluas played as the left central midfielder for Orense U20. The 19-year-old, who has already played several matches for the first team, looked a few levels above the rest tactically in this match. The Ecuadorian midfielder looked comfortable on the ball and often played with a lot of ease, not letting his nerves affect his performance. The captain of the team has good technical ability, something which he especially showed with his great crosspasses, often towards Ariel Suarez on the left wing. Erick Pluas had great close control when he was being put under pressure by the opponent. His first touch under pressure was also good. Pluas was capable of playing one-touch football, especially with Chumba, in the small spaces and looked very good when doing so.
It sometimes happened that he lost the ball near his own half. In these moments it seemed like he either overestimated himself or underestimated his opponent. Pluas opened up passing lanes in the counter-attack at the right moment which helped Orense to be quicker on the opposition’s half when counter-attacking. Defensively, Pluas cut passing lanes very well as he scanned often before adjusting his position accordingly. The Ecuadorian managed to intercept a few passes and also recovered possession a few times. This is what I meant by being tactically a few levels above the rest. He is one of the only central midfielders I’ve seen in this tournament who stays in position when defending. Pluas won most defensive duels by positioning himself smartly and choosing the right moment to stick out his leg to intercept the ball.
Erick Pluas has a small build and is 175cm tall. He had good acceleration on the ball and could maintain that speed over longer distances. Pluas seemed relatively strong in the ground duels but did well to not get into them that often.
Rating – 1
Erick Pluas will be a regular starter for Orense next season and I think that it will not take long before he moves to one of the bigger clubs in Ecuador.
Bryan Quiñonez
Player profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 17/07/2003
- Club: Orense SC
- Career: Orense SC
- Position: Central Defender
- Preferred foot: Right
Bryan Quiñonez played as a left central defender for Orense in the match against Universidad de Concepcion. He is right-footed. The Ecuadorian defender liked to defend proactively and stepped out of the defensive line quite often. He showed good anticipation in the ground duels and got in front of his opponent at the right times. Quiñonez intercepted a few passes by getting in front of his opponent. However, when stepping out of the defensive line, he should still be more cautious in the ground duels. It sometimes happened that he ended up on the wrong side of his opponent, but due to the lack of individual quality of the Universidad de Concepcion player, he was lucky to win the ground duel. Stronger opponents could definitely exploit this.
The Ecuadorian youngster scanned well when Universidad de Concepcion had a counter-attack and made sure to cut passing lanes in these situations. On the ball, Quiñonez showed good passing over medium-long distances, but his short passing was inconsistent. He often reached the midfield or even the attack with his passes, but in other situations, he was quite sloppy on the ball at times. Bryan Quiñonez had a lot of involvement in the attack this match as he was on the end of two corners, scoring a great volley and bullet header from close range. When clearing the ball, Quiñonez sometimes panicked too much and booted the ball away when he had time. There was also one situation in which there was a miscommunication with his goalkeeper, which led to a dangerous situation in front of Orense’s goal.
Bryan Quiñonez has quite a small build for a central defender and is only ~177cm tall. He used his body well in ground duels and was convincing through the air, but it is something I need to look out for against taller opponents. His technical ability is not good enough to play in midfield and he is probably not good enough on the ball to play as a right-back.
Rating – 3
Bryan Quiñonez had a good match for Orense under 20, but I have my doubts about his future because of his relatively small build which could restrict him from playing at a higher level. He should become a bit more muscular and improve the power in his legs to jump higher, without losing his speed over a long distance.
Tommy Chamba
Player profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 23/10/2004
- Club: Orense SC
- Career: Orense SC
- Position: Attacking Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Left
Tommy Chamba played as an attacking midfielder and had a lot of impact on the outcome of this game in both a positive and negative way. The Ecuadorian midfielder was very dangerous from dead-ball situations. He took almost every corner and free-kick. His delivery was inconsistent, as the ball floated too much sometimes, but when his delivery was good he always created a lot of danger in front of Universidad de Concepcion’s goal. From corners, he had one pre-assist and one assist for Bryan Quiñonez’s brace. He has a good kicking technique but just needs to improve his consistency. He nearly scored a free-kick from 20m too, but the goalkeeper could save the ball as there was not enough power on the ball.
The Ecuadorian midfielder played a decent match, but there were a lot of moments in which he slowed down the counter-attack a lot. He jogged forward with the ball on his feet, assessing his options. This allowed the defenders to get back into the duel and ruined the 2v1 or 3v3 situations. Tommy Chamba should add more speed to his actions in the counter-attacks, especially if he wants to play in a higher-intensity match. The 17-year-old had good ball control in the small spaces and changed directions well when sprinting. He was capable of playing one-touch football in the small spaces, especially with Erick Pluas, and looked comfortable on the ball. Chamba made a big error before Universidad de Concepcion equalized, as he played a very bad pass, but he recovered from his mistake quickly and scored the 3-2 after cutting inside to his stronger left foot and putting the ball in the far corner.
Chamba is around ~170CM and has a small build. He did well to stay out of the duels for the majority of the game. His acceleration on the ball is quite strong, but he was not able to maintain that speed over a long distance or did not have the stamina to do so.
Rating – 2
His technical ability is really good which makes up for his lack of physical ability, but he needs to work on his physical ability if he wants to play at a higher level than the Ecuadorian league in the future.
Ariel Suarez
Player profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 17 (now 18)
- Date of birth: 09/02/2004
- Club: Orense SC
- Career: Orense SC
- Position: Left Winger
- Preferred foot: Right
Ariel Suarez played as Orense’s left winger throughout the majority of the game, but after Universidad de Concepcion made it 2-2 in the 70th minute he moved to the right-back position. The Ecuadorian youngster had a lot of attacking one vs. one’s in this match. Ariel Suarez showed quick feints to put his opponent on the wrong foot and he can change directions quickly. He looked very light-footed and moved very fluidly, which is something that I always like to see. He sometimes made the wrong decision though, as he tried to take on his opponent when he had other (and better) options. From a deeper area, he showed good vision to put Coronel in a 1v1 with the goalkeeper, but this was the only moment in which Ariel Suarez created a chance.
His decision-making sometimes was quite questionable. He had a handful of moments (two or three) in which he took a shot from far but these lacked accuracy and power. It seemed like he overestimated himself in these situations. Ariel Suarez did well to play some smart passes in the midfield third that helped Orense to progress further up the pitch in a counter-attack. He was alright with his weaker left foot and was not afraid to use that foot. He was smart to draw fouls in 1v1’s where he was close to losing the ball and not that strong in the ground duels. Ariel Suarez had an inconsistent first touch, especially when dealing with aerial passes. As a right-back, he cut passing lanes well and transitioned from attack to defence well. He sprinted back and recovered possession a few times.
Like the other Orense players in this report, Suarez has a small build but he is a bit taller than the other players (177cm). He moved very fluidly on the ball and changed directions quickly. He is not that strong and gets pushed off the ball easily, but does well to draw fouls. His acceleration is good and he was able to maintain that speed over longer distances. His stamina is good, considering his transitioning from attack to defence in the later stage of the game.
Rating – 2
In terms of his athleticism and build, he is the most interesting player in this team. However, his on the ball ability was less good than Chamba’s and Pluas’s on the ball ability. I think he could make it into Orense’s first team and I am looking forward to track his development in the coming year.