Óscar Quiñónez is a 22-year-old left central defender who plays for Orense SC in the Ecuadorian Liga Pro. The youngster has been one of the revelations in the league this season. He is one of the many prospects coming through Orense’s youth academy recently. The left-footed defender made his debut for the first team of Orense in 2021, already playing over 50 matches for Orense on this date. Quiñónez recently was one of the sparring partners for the Ecuadorian national team. He is one of the three Quiñónez brothers in Orense’s first team.
Standing at around 1.85m with an athletic and muscular build, Óscar Quiñónez is a physically imposing but also athletic defender. The defender is quick over short and long distances and changes directions quite quickly. This combination makes him a very strong defender in both ground and aerial duels. He is one of Ecuador’s best players in aerial duels, due to his jumping reach, strength and timing. Quiñónez is very effective in ground duels and defensive 1v1 duels, too. He often disrupts the opponent’s attacker and forces him backwards, sometimes even bullying his opponent off the ball. Though, he can be prone to errors in and around the box due to his physical strength. He can be a bit rash in physical- and 50/50 duels leading to potential penalty calls or free-kicks. Quiñónez lacks a bit of technical refinement defensively.
Having experience playing as both a left central defender and left-back, Óscar Quiñónez is a pretty versatile defender. He has been one of Liga Pro’s revelations as a central defender. I think he would be at best as a wide central defender in a three at-the-back. Quiñónez can close gaps quickly, is a very good 1v1 defender and is a decent ball-progressor. However, his defensive awareness in transition is an aspect he needs to work on. The defender tends to ball-watch in transition, failing to spot the runs of his opponents, especially if they are runs behind his back. Quiñónez is better at this near the box, positioning himself really well for crosses and winning almost all of his aerial duels. He also tends to scan more in this area, reacting quicker to the opponent’s runs. Oscar Quiñónez wins almost all of his 1v1 duels, mainly because of the aforementioned athleticism and physical strength.
Playing at Orense, where they like to build out from the back, Óscar Quiñónez is tasked to progress the ball into the midfield, even though Erick Plúas is the main player in possession. Quiñónez progresses play through both passes and runs, but his ball-carrying is more effective than his passing. He can be a bit inaccurate on the ball, also because his (long) passing technique is not the cleanest. The defender possesses a lot of power carrying the ball into midfield and is hard to beat in a shoulder-to-shoulder duel. He can gain a lot of meters quickly with his powerful steps. He has a decent technical base, displaying decent ball control and a decent but not great first touch under pressure.
I don’t think Óscar Quiñónez is Ecuador’s biggest defensive talent, but I definitely see a central defender with a very specific profile. He is left-footed, quick, athletic, strong, very good aerially and has a decent technical base. Despite his weaknesses in transition, Óscar Quiñónez could be a good signing for a lower-table Belgian side. I think he would excel in a lower defensive line due to his athleticism, aerial ability and strength. He could also play in a slightly higher defensive line but could be prone to making mistakes in transition from attacking to defending.
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