Back to the West Bromwich Albion Newsfeed

Ecuador primed for a big World Cup after overcoming Chile's Byron Castillo protest

After a 1-0 win over Nigeria in New Jersey, and a 0-0 draw with Mexico in Chicago, Ecuador concluded their mini tour of the US with another 1-0 victory over African opposition, this time Cape Verde Islands, in Fort Lauderdale.

The scorelines are narrow and unremarkable, and outside Ecuador and its US-based community not many will have taken much notice. But Ecuador's coach, Gustavo Alfaro of Argentina, should be able to look back on these last 10 days with some pleasure -- and no little relief.

- World Cup: Who has qualified and who is still in contention
- World Cup finals bracket and fixtures schedule

Alfaro's team have collected three consecutive clean sheets, which is always good news for a coach, against one team bound for the World Cup and two more hand-picked to give some practice for an opponent like Senegal, who Ecuador are due to meet in Qatar.