Independiente del Valle under 19 managed to snatch a very important win against Universidad Católica under 19 to get them in first place on the last matchday of the under 19 competition, meaning that they will get an easier draw in the last phase (knock-out stage) of the national under 19 competition. Both teams set up in a 4-3-3, with Universidad Católica also switching to a 4-4-2 occasionally. Universidad Católica saw most of the ball but failed to create that many chances.
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
José Klinger
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 10/03/2005
- Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: Independiente del Valle
- Position: Left-Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
José Klinger started out on the left wing for Independiente del Valle and had a really positive game, showing a lot of good signs. In possession, Klinger had a lot of variation in his playing style, with him occasionally dropping deep while sticking close to the sideline, but also making diagonal runs in behind after starting out wide. The Ecuadorian has good speed over long distances, always beating his opponent to the ball and timing his runs to perfection. He occasionally managed to surprise his direct opponent with his runs. José Klinger liked to cut inside to his stronger right foot but because of his diagonal runs inside he usually did not have to use his left foot anyway. From deeper areas, Klinger carried the ball inside and usually beat his opponent in the 1v1 before switching sides to the right wing. He has a great crosspassing technique, being pretty consistent with his long passes towards the right wing.
Klinger’s decision-making in possession and in transition were good. He knew when to slow down the pace of the game and when to take on opponents. José Klinger had various ways of getting past his opponent. He sometimes simply used quick stepovers, but was also able to play one-two’s with his teammates to get past his marker, using his explosiveness on the first meters. Klinger has good changes of direction and has a pretty good frame for a winger. He won most shoulder-to-shoulder duels with his direct opponent. The Ecuadorian had many attempts on goal in this match, occasionally shooting from too far out but generally having good attempts. Klinger has a good shooting technique and most of his efforts were on target. He was dangerous from set-pieces, providing an assist for Jorge Arcos’s winner in the second half.
Rating – 2
I think that José Klinger is very close to Independiente del Valle’s first team in terms of current level. However, with the first team playing without wingers, there is not much perspective for Klinger. He should think about moving to Europe in the summer of 2023 when he is 18 years old, as he will be too good to play for the under 19’s next season.
Youri Ochoa
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 10/01/2005
- Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: Independiente del Valle
- Position: Central Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
Youri Ochoa played as a left central midfielder for Independiente del Valle. The midfielder showed signs of potential in the technical and athletic areas, but I think there is some work to do in the tactical area. Ochoa was very comfortable receiving passes under pressure, but still occasionally made mistakes as he sometimes had a not good enough touch allowing his opponent to catch up and recover possession. Youri Ochoa did well in those particular situations to make a professional foul. The Ecuadorian midfielder has a positive mindset, always trying to take a positive touch directed towards the goal. His ball control while carrying the ball forward was decent. Ochoa looked like a very dynamic midfielder who covers a lot of ground during the match.
His short and long passing technique are both very good. He plays his passes with good power and with good accuracy. There was one situation in which he nearly created a big chance, as he cut inside and nearly found the runner in behind with a great chipped pass. This was one indication that suggests that Youri Ochoa is a creative midfielder. Ochoa was really comfortable playing line-breaking passes and had good ball progression by runs and passes throughout this game. Defensively, he had great intensity and consistently tried to put pressure on the defensive and midfield line of Universidad Católica. He was not always successful with this, as he was not always that well-positioned. His timing of stepping up in the duels was good. Ochoa was positively aggressive in the duels allowing him to recover possession.
Rating – 2
I think that Youri Ochoa has the potential to play first-team football for Independiente del Valle in about 1-2 years. I liked what I saw from him.
Jorge Arcos
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 16
- Date of birth: 31/08/2005
- Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: Independiente del Valle
- Position: Central Defender
- Preferred foot: Right
Jorge Arcos started this game as a left central defender. The Ecuadorian is right-footed and did not like to use his left foot. This limited his passing options throughout the game a lot. Arcos was consistently faced towards the right wing when on the ball, not being capable to play passes to the left wing because of his body shape. He had a good short passing technique, but over longer distances his passing seemed uncontrolled and not very strong technically. Arcos did not have good vision either, often just clearing the ball rather than trying to find a teammate in space. He did not seem composed and comfortable on the ball at all. He also struggled with the bad pitch conditions when carrying the ball forward. Defensively, Arcos had the tendency to step up often. He did not always time this very well, but did not make any huge errors. Defensively, he liked to step up and defend on the front foot. Even though his success rate was not that high, he showed glimpses of potential in the defensive area. His defensive decision-making was alright and he did not make any huge errors. However, occasionally, he did miss an interception as he did not time his tackle or interception that well. Jorge Arcos seemed a bit short for a central defender on the stream, but it is often hard to determine how tall a player is based on a live stream. Arcos did score the winning goal from a José Klinger free-kick.
Rating – 3
Jorge Arcos is almost turning 17, but he is already a regular starter for Independiente del Valle under 19. I will keep track of him and see if I can get a more detailed report in next time.