Universidad Católica and Mushuc Runa faced each other in the first matchday of the second stage in the Ecuadorian Liga Pro. The hosts deployed in a 4-3-3 with Kevin Minda playing as the sole defensive midfielder. Mushuc Runa also played in a 4-3-3 but instead of playing with a defensive midfielder, the visitors had Mauricio Alonso as the sole attacking midfielder. Universidad Católica dominated possession throughout the match and always built it out from the back. After missing a big chance, Aron Rodriguez converted his second chance and also scored his third chance from close range in the second half, which ended up being the deciding goal. Mushuc Runa scored a goal in the first half from a corner.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Layan Loor
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 23/05/2001
- Club: Universidad Católica
- Career: Club Chicos Malos (Y), Universidad Católica (Y), CD América (L), Universidad Católica
- Position: Left-Back
- Secondary position: Left Midfield & Left-Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Layan Loor played as Universidad Católica’s left-back against Mushuc Runa. The Ecuadorian left-back sometimes pushes very high up the pitch in the build-up, especially when Facundo Martinez moves out wide. During the times that he stayed in position, Loor showed good receiving skills and ball control under pressure. He is composed on the ball and picks out the right passes in possession. The youngster is capable of stalling his pass, creating better and more passing angles for himself. Layan Loor has good passing technique over longer distances, but does not use this technique that often in the build-up as he likes to go for the short passes or take on opponents.
He has good acceleration on the ball and is capable of getting past his marker in the first phase of the build-up, but also higher up the pitch he has various ways of getting past his marker. Loor can knock it past opponents and beat them by pace, but also likes to go for one-two’s, also passing his opponent. He generally has pretty good dribbling ability and did not lose possession often. The Ecuadorian left-back looks pretty quick when he joins the attack and he often arrives at the right time, supporting Aron Rodriguez by making overlapping runs and creating space for him.
In the final third, Layan Loor showed his good turns of speed and he looked really composed in front of goal. Most of his crosses were blocked, but he has a good crossing technique and looks over the ball before putting in the cross, often finding a teammate in space. Loor looks dynamic and his movement is really smooth and fluid. He attempted one shot from distance, which was a very impressive effort that was destined to go in, but a good save from Mushuc Runa’s goalkeeper prevented Loor from scoring.
Defensively, Layan Loor covered the left central defender’s back well when dealing with crosses from the other wing. He generally stayed a few meters in front of the defensive line when Mushuc Runa were in possession and the space behind his back was exploited occasionally. For Mushuc Runa’s goal, Loor did not mark his opponent in the box that well, leading to the goal. According to Transfermarkt he is 1.80m tall, but I think he is a bit smaller. He did not have that many defensive duels, which is something to look out for in his next games.
Rating: A1
I thought his performance going forward was pretty impressive, he is the type of left-back that I like and I think that he would fit well in Argentina or maybe even in the second tier in Belgium for the reserves of Anderlecht.
Kevin Minda
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 21/11/1998
- Club: Universidad Católica
- Career: LDU Quito (Y), LDU Quito, Universidad Católica (L), Universidad Católica
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Secondary position: Central Defender
- Preferred foot: Right
Kevin Minda played as the sole defensive midfielder for Universidad Católica in their 2-1 win against Mushuc Runa. In the first phase of the build-up, Kevin Minda plays an essential part to this team. He moves into space well, but was always covered by an opponent. Despite this, Minda often received a powerful pass and this showed his team’s trust in Minda’s technical ability. He is composed under pressure, but is not that adventurous with his passing. Minda often plays a sideways pass, but there were some moments in which he tried to play a first-time forward pass. This was sometimes slightly uncontrolled, but his passes did reach a teammate and he has a pretty good passing technique. He generally has decent one-touch play and his first touch under pressure is good too.
Before Minda got his assist, he moved into space in the build-up around the halfway line aggressively and he took a positive touch into space. Minda tried to play a pass to Martinez, but he slightly misplaced his pass and it ended up at Rodriguez’s feet who was through on goal. He has good anticipation in attack. In one situation he exploited Mushuc Runa’s inattentiveness at a throw-in by making a run and receiving the ball in space. Defensively, Kevin Minda was always in the right position to pick up second balls when Universidad Católica lost the ball in the final third. His defensive positioning looked really good. Formerly playing as a central defender, Minda knows how to win 1v1 duels and he’s really strong in the 1v1 duels. He has a good frame for a defensive midfielder and has okay athleticism.
Rating: A1
I think that Kevin Minda has been one of the most important players for Universidad Católica since joining the team from LDU Quito. He would suit well at mid-table clubs in Argentina that fight for a place in the Copa Sudamericana.
Santiago Zamora
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 10/09/2001
- Club: Universidad Católica
- Career: UDJ Quinindé (Y), CD Municipal Cañar (Y), Independiente del Valle (Y), Deportivo Azogues (Y), Atlético Quinindé (Y), Universidad Católica (Y), Universidad Católica
- Position: Central Midfield
- Secondary position: Defensive Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Santiago Zamora played as a right central midfielder for Universidad Católica and put in a really mixed performance. In possession, Zamora was quite passive and did not move into space that often. He liked to move out wide in the first phase of the build-up, allowing Anangono to push higher up the pitch. When Zamora received the ball in that area, he often carried the ball inside. Santiago Zamora’s athleticism is what stood out. His acceleration on the ball is impressive at times, but he generally did not have enough moments in which he showed his ability to burst past opponents. Another weakness of Zamora in this match is that he failed to release the ball in time. He carried the ball with him too long and did not spot his teammates in space.
The Ecuadorian midfielder, in possession, sometimes moved into attack as the striker of Universidad Católica dropped deep. He did not create passing angles for his teammates and was too passive in that position. He did have good long passing though. His technique was good and he seemed to have a good passing range. Defensively, Zamora was aggressive when Universidad Católica lost the ball around the halfway line. However, he sometimes did not show enough intensity during the times that Anangono stepped up. A Mushuc Runa player often attacked the space that Anangono opened up by stepping up, and even though Zamora spotted this, he did not seem in a rush to close that gap. Santiago Zamora, standing at 1.70m with a normal build, needs to increase his body strength as he is not that strong in physical duels at the moment. He is pretty aggressive as mentioned before, but generally struggles to win these duels because of his lack of physique.
Rating: A2
I am in between an A2 and B2 rating, because there is a lot of work to do for Zamora. However, if he can put that good acceleration to use more effectively, he could become a good central midfielder. That’s only if he also improves his intensity and movement in possession.
Aron Rodriguez
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 06/08/1999
- Club: Universidad Católica
- Career: Fiorentina ECU (Y), Corinthians ECU, Quevedo, CD Macará (Y), CD Macará, Universidad Católica
- Position: Left-Wing
- Secondary position: Right-Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Aron Rodriguez played as Universidad Católica’s left-winger and scored two goals for El Trencito Azul. The winger stood out with his athleticism combined with confidence and technical ability. Rodriguez is very quick on the first meters but is also quick over long distances. He has very good changes of direction and has good balance. This, combined with good close control, made him a very dangerous player in this match. Only sporadically did he not have good close control while dribbling, but he generally looked very fluid while dribbling and dribbled past his opponents with ease. He also holds off opponents pretty well while dribbling, showing decent physical ability and strength. Rodriguez, on the ball, showed good technical ability. His receiving skills from long, aerial passes was really good and I don’t think he missed any first touches.
His short passing was consistent and secure, while his long passing was pretty impressive. Aron Rodriguez switched sides comfortably and has a good passing range. His long passing technique was above average. The Ecuadorian winger, formerly impressing for Macará, showed good composure in front of goal. While he missed his first big chance on his right foot, he scored his second chance with his weaker left foot after exploiting the space in behind pretty well (even though the pass was not meant for him he made a good run). The 22-year-old made good runs in behind and his explosive acceleration helped to get away from his marker. His second goal was the perfect example of his confidence. The ball fell to his feet in the penalty area and he absolutely smashed it into the back of the net.
Rating: A1
Aron Rodriguez had another impressive performance after I saw him at Macará where he was the only player with a good level. I want to watch him in more detail, together with Layan Loor.