Philadelphia (USA), June 14 (EFE).- Thousands of Ecuadorians gathered this Sunday at the Philadelphia Stadium for La Tri’s World Cup debut against the Ivory Coast, seeking to break with the team’s low scoring average and entrusting themselves to the nose of a veteran like Enner Valencia.
“Today the spell will be broken and Enner Valencia is the one who can give us victory in this match,” the Padillas comment almost in unison, who have traveled from the nearby state of New Jersey to witness their team’s first match in this tournament.
At 36 years old, the attacker from Pachuca will play in his third World Cup after scoring six goals in the two events in which he has participated, which represents 85% of all the goals that Ecuador scored in its last two participations in Brazil and Qatar.
The Padillas, who camped outside the stadium with music and barbecue like thousands of other compatriots who have traveled to the city where the United States was founded, believe that Ecuador does not only live in Valencia.
In that sense, they believe that another man who can help them win in today’s debut and begin to improve La Tri’s scoring statistics (which averaged just 0.78 goals per game in the qualifiers) is Gonzalo Plata, and they take away the weight of the fact that the Flamengo striker has not scored with the national team since 2024.
In the last two days, Philadelphia has been dyed the yellow of the Ecuadorian team, which will open the city’s stadium (68,000 seats) in this World Cup today together with the Ivorians.
The Ecuadorian fans have also decided to hold a couple of massive flag-waving events in one of the most emblematic points of the city; the staircase that leads to the Philadelphia Museum of Art popularized by the Rocky movies. EFE
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