GO DEEPER
Copa America 2024 quarterfinals bracket: Full knockout stage schedule
Does this come as a surprise?
Analysis by Jack Lang
It is hard not to feel for Sanchez here. Looking past Copa America for a second, Ecuador sit fifth in the South American World Cup qualifying, above Brazil. That’s despite starting the campaign on minus three points for a rules violation in the previous cycle. La Tri beat a tricky Uruguay at home and pushed Argentina all the way in a 1-0 defeat in Buenos Aires, a performance that earned Sanchez praise.
The feeling a few weeks ago was that Ecuador were really building towards something under him, after he took charge in March 2023. He brought the 17-year-old Kendry Paez into the side last year — a popular move — and had begun to renovate other areas of the team, putting faith in younger players like Jeremy Sarmiento, Willian Pacho and John Yeboah.
Even if performances at the Copa America did not quite live up to pre-tournament expectations — they only really clicked in the 3-1 win against Jamaica — Sanchez must surely have thought he had enough credit in the bank to survive the penalty shootout defeat to Argentina, especially after such a brave second-half display.
(Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images)
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5617713/2024/07/05/felix-sanchez-ecuador-sacked-copa-america/
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Publish date : 2024-07-05 02:49:18
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