Soccerblog analysis: Poland vs Ecuador in their World Cup matchup

VS
Poland meets Ecuador today, Jun 9 in Gelsenkirchen at 9:00 PM German time (3:00 PM EST)
Poland- Ecuador FIFA rankings/ World Cup Odds 29/ 126:1 39/301:1
World Cup record
Matches/ Wins/Draws/Losses/Goals for/Goals against/Goal Diff/Points/
Poland 28/ 14/ 5/ 9/ 42/ 36/ 6 / 47
Ecuador 3/ 1/ 0/ 2/ 2/ 4/ -2/ 3/
Poland’s World Cup record:
Poland was ascendent in the Gregorz Lato, Kazimierz Deyna and Zbegniew Boniek days of the 1974, 1978, and 1982 World Cup, finishing behind W.Germany and Holland in the 1974 WC and Italy and W. Germany in 1982. Soccer went into a deep funk in the transition from the Wojciech Jaruzelski led Communist era to the Lech Walesa Solidarity days. They failed to qualify for the next three World Cups after that and managed a first round exit in the 2002 WC, beaten by South Korea 2-0. Polish soccer is looking up with the new found prosperity and stability in their country after going through six governments betwenn 1989 and 1993.
This is their 6th World Cup appearance.
1938: First round exit 1974: Finished 3rd. 1978: Second round exit 1982: Finished 3rd 2002: First round exit
Poland had a relatively easy qualifying round with 8 wins and 2 losses in a group that included England, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Wales, and Austria. Both the losses came against England.
Ecuador
This is their second appearance in the World Cup. Their first appearance was in 2002 with a first round exit. They qualified from the South American zone for the 2006 World Cup with 7 wins, 6 losses, and 4 draws. This includes a win over Brazil 1-0 on 17 November 2004. The Ecuadorian team are heroes back home supplanting Jefferson Perez, who won their first Olympic Gold medal in speedwalking. The team has held together through the political turmoil and corruption of the Abdala Bucaram and Lucio Guiterrez governments.
Key match ups:
Ecuador’s response against the Ebi Smolarek led Polish midfield
The Polish defence against Augustin Delgado,
The main man in the entire Polish game is medio Eusebiusz Smolarek of Borussia Dortmund. Fast and crafty with his passes. The Ecuadorians should lock onto him before he can distribute the ball. Smolarek is a great shooter from outside the box, from 25-30 yards away. So the Ecuadorians should minimize his open looks. Much will also depend on how the Polish defense handles (or footles) the mercurial striker duo of Ivan Kaviedes and Augustin (Tin) Delgado, their 6’3″ striker who is extremely strong in the air.
The Ecuadorians have some European experience with defender Ulises De La Cruz and Tin Delgado playing some good minutes with Aston Villa and Southampton FC, respectively.
X-Factor: The Ecuadorians won all their qualifying matches playing in the high altitudes of Quito and La Paz. They lost all the matches playing at sea level. It will be crucial to their chances if they can sustain 90 minutes of soccer in oxygen saturated playing conditions without feeling nauseous or dizzy.
Key players
Poland
Majciecz Zurawski (striker) 15 goals in 50 internationals
Eusebieuz Smolarek (midfielder) 4 goals in 13 internationals
Sebastian Mila (midfielder) 6 goals in 26 internationals
Jacek Krycnowek (midfielder) 9 goals in 58 internationals
Michel Zewlakow (defender) 1 goal in 56 internationals
Artur Boruc (goalkeeper) 17 internationals
Coach: Pawel Janas
Ecuador
Ivan Kaviedes (striker) 14 goals in 41 internationals
Augustin Delgado (striker) 29 goals in 67 internationals
Edwin Tenorio (midfileder) 67 internationals
Ivan Hurtado (defender) 5 goals in 128 internationals
Ulises de La Cruz (defender) 83 internationals
Cristian Mora (goalkeeper)
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez
Factoid: Pawel Janas, Poland’s present coach was part of the 1974 Polish squad that came 3rd in the World Cup.
This will be Tin Delgado’s last World Cup. He is Ecuador’s leading scorer.