Overview
- Marcelo Gallardo formally met the Ecuador squad and led his first full on-field training ahead of the friendly with South Korea in Suwon on Thursday.
- Preparation has been constrained because players arrived tired from club travel and the staff completed only one session with the full group, leaving little time to install tactics.
- Key absences for the tour include Moisés Caicedo and Piero Hincapié plus recent additions to the injury list Gonzalo Plata and Kevin Rodríguez, which will shape selection and game plans.
- Gallardo’s first call keeps much of Sebastián Beccacece’s core while adding youth and attacking options such as Jeremy Sarmiento and 18-year-old Juan Riquelme Angulo as part of an offensive renewal.
- After Suwon the tour continues with a match in Yokohama against Japan on October 1 and a final game in Tokyo on October 5, and South Korea will be led by interim coach Robert Moreno in the opener.