Gerald Mora is an 18-year-old right-back who currently plays in the youth academy of Independiente del Valle in Ecuador. Mora joined Independiente del Valle in 2017 and is now playing for the under 19s of Independiente del Valle. He is also currently a starter for Independiente del Valle under 18 in the Copa Tango MDM. Mora can play as a right (wing)-back but also as a left (wing)-back. He is represented by Globalgoal. I’ve tracked Gerald Mora since April 2022.
Standing at around 1.70 – 1.75 meters with a slim build, Gerald Mora is not the most physically imposing wing-back. The Ecuadorian struggles in physical duels, mostly losing duels due to his lack of physicality. He sometimes compensates for this with his aggressiveness and persistence to win duels. Mora is very quick on the first meters and has also good speed over long distances. He has very quick feet and can turn very sharply and quickly. Mora has good changes of directions while sprinting. He has good timing in aerial duels but still loses the majority of them due to his height. Mora always plays with great energy and intensity and displays excellent stamina.
Gerald Mora has a good positional sense in first-phase possession. He often gets into the right positions at the right time, making himself available between the lines (as a full-back). As a wing-back, he does not take part in the build-up that much as he mostly makes runs in behind. Gerald Mora has a decent but sometimes bouncy touch under pressure, which could lead to problems against stronger-level opponents. Mora sporadically struggles to control aerial passes near the touchline. His short passing is solid but is rarely sloppy, while his long passing is sometimes executed poorly even though he has a decent technique. Mora always wants to join the attack and has the drive to get forward every chance he gets. The Ecuadorian wing-back has inconsistent decision-making near the box, sometimes looking up and picking out the right teammate in the box but also sporadically blindly crossing the ball into the box. Gerald Mora has a good crossing technique and can be really dangerous with his crosses.
Defensively, Gerald Mora always wants to aggressively put pressure on his opponent, especially when he plays as a wing-back. Mora is a very quick and aggressive presser but sometimes lacks physical strength in duels with his back towards the goal. He steps up at the right time to block passes, cutting the passing lanes well. He has good defensive decision-making, knowing when to step up and to stay in the defensive line. Mora likes to get in front of his opponent aggressively, but sporadically fails to intercept the pass as he gets pushed away by his opponent. In defensive 1v1 duels, Gerald Mora mostly relies on his quickness and athleticism to win back possession. He can have the tendency to sporadically stay forward or not transition quickly enough after Independiente del Valle lose possession in the final third.
Gerald Mora is an interesting wing-back who already plays at a good level, but he will face a lot of competition from Jeampaul Herrera and Jalisthon Angulo. He could become a good player for Independiente del Valle, but I think it is more likely that he will move to a different Ecuadorian club in the future where he will become a very good player. He could definitely outgrow Ecuador and move to the MLS or Brazilian Serie A. Gerald Mora has the potential to play for a good team in the MLS or Brazilian Serie A.