SD Aucas managed to get a good win against Orense SC in the first matchday of the second stage of the Ecuadorian Liga Pro. The hosts set up in a 4-2-3-1 and heavily relied on the creativity of 38-year-old attacking midfielder Victor Figueroa. They dominated possession throughout the match but had a pretty direct playing style, often playing long passes to the striker. Orense seemed to play for a draw as they set up pretty defensively with Steeven Quiñónez mainly playing as a wide central defender instead in a back three.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, re-watch
- D – Below average in this match
Richard Mina
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 22/07/1999
- Club: SD Aucas
- Career: El Nacional (Y), Técnico Universitario, SD Aucas
- Position: Central Defender
- Secondary position: Right-Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Richard Mina was Aucas’s right-back in this game. He had a very defensive mindset, which was not that strange considering that he is a central defender originally. The right-back stayed back in Aucas’s build-up. When he received the ball, Mina tended to go for the easy option and passed it backwards to the right central defender. Only sporadically, Richard Mina played a progressive pass towards the striker or played an over the top through pass. His passing technique was pretty average. During the times that he did join the attack, Richard Mina failed to put in good crosses and he his crossing technique was pretty average. Defensively, Mina generally stayed really close to his direct opponent when Orense were in possession in the final third.
He defended really aggressively, always trying to win back possession as soon as possible. The Ecuadorian defender managed to do so occasionally, but him following his opponent often meant that he got dragged out of position. The space he left open could have been exploited more by Orense with underlapping runs. Richard Mina, standing at around 1.80 meters, had good physical strength in the duels. He has a normal build but his legs were pretty stocky. Richard Mina had good pace and acceleration but was not super athletic, he did not look very quick on the turn but did alright in the defensive 1v1’s. The Ecuadorian showed great concentration and determination throughout the match, always giving his all to block shots and contesting duels very aggressively.
Rating – B1
I think that Richard Mina is better as a central defender, but I don’t think he has an enormous potential, but he could become a strong player for Aucas and potentially make a move to a better club in Ecuador.
Luis Cano
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 05/09/1999
- Club: SD Aucas
- Career: Ciudad Norte (Y), Ciudadelas, Fiorentina FC (ECU), Santa Rita (L), Independiente del Valle (L), Guayaquil City, SD Aucas
- Position: Left Wing
- Secondary position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Luis Cano started off as a right-winger, but often moved to the left wing and switched this up multiple times. The Ecuadorian had a very quiet evening, not being involved in the play that much. This had a couple of reasons. First of all, Luis Cano’s movement in the build-up was far from ideal. He often moved into spaces that were covered by the opponent and failed to create passing angles for his teammates. This meant that Aucas sometimes had trouble creating danger from Cano’s wing. During counter-attacks, Cano also made the wrong runs and ran into crowded areas instead of making runs into space. Because of this, Luis Cano failed to have a notable impact on Aucas’s attacks and he did not create a shooting opportunity for himself or a teammate. His crossing technique was pretty average as he never struck the ball cleanly.
The attacker seemed around 1.70 meters tall and had a normal build. His small frame did not help him in the physical duels, as he lost all of them. Cano was pretty quick on the turn, but he looked slow for a winger over long distances, not being able to get away from his marker. The Ecuadorian’s technical ability was pretty inconsistent. His receiving skills from long passes was average. He often failed to control these passes and generally struggled with his first touch under pressure. His passing technique was alright, especially his over the top through passing looked quite good. Luis Cano, out of possession, played with a good intensity and he was a very aggressive player.
Rating – C
I don’t think Luis Cano has the tactical intelligence to become a strong player for SD Aucas, but considering that he has five goal contributions in eleven matches it might be worth to re-watch him as it was my first time watching him.
Target Scouting 