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WORLD CUP 2006: Ecuador can shock world - Mora

/noticias.info/ The unassuming Cristian Mora chooses his words carefully, but on the rare occasions he does make bold statements, this young goalkeeper invariably backs them up with actions.

Morita's recent heroics on international duty are a case in point, given that they have left him on the cusp of fulfilling his stated ambition of becoming Ecuador's undisputed number one in time for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™.

"That's what you train for, to reach the top of your profession, and what I'm training for is to play in goal for my country at the World Cup," said the acrobatic 26-year-old, who hails from San Miguel de Bolivar. "The main thing is not to let anyone down, most of all myself."

Those who question Mora's ability to rise to the occasion need only look back to the day when Ecuador's Colombian coach, Luis Fernando Suarez, named Mora in the starting line-up for the all-important Germany 2006 qualifier away to Bolivia. He took to altitude of La Paz like a duck to water and, while Agustin Delgado was grabbing a vital brace, at the other end Mora displayed his lightning reflexes to help the Ecuadorians secure a 2-1 win that smoothed their passage to a second consecutive FIFA World Cup.

A rapid rise
Mora began his career with Olmedo de Riobamba at the age of 17 before moving on to Espoli, Deportivo Saquisili and then Macara de Ambato. The youngster's excellent form soon attracted the attention of LDU Quito, one of Ecuador's biggest clubs, where he quickly established himself as a mainstay of the side.

However, despite accumulating valuable experience in the domestic league, his international career was restricted to two appearances on the bench as understudy to Edwin Villafuerte, before his breakthrough in La Paz. It came as no surprise, however, when he held on to the number one jersey for the following fixture against Uruguay, the game that saw Ecuador officially book their ticket to Germany.

The question now is whether Mora will keep the shirt for Ecuador's Group A opener against Poland on 9 June. The indications, judging by Suarez's recent team selections, are that he will. Although Villafuerte played in the final qualifying game, Mora has donned the gloves in all of Ecuador's warm-up games thus far, turning in man-of-the-match performances in the friendly defeats by Japan and the Netherlands in March.

Typically, however, as debate rages over who should be given the gloves, Mora is keeping a low profile. "The job should go to the man who can help Ecuador reach the top," he told FIFAworldcup.com. "Whoever gets picked will give it their all, whether it's Edwin or me. I don't feel I'm the number one or the second choice. All I want to do is play, but it's the manager's choice at the end of the day."

Unwavering belief
When reminded that less than a month remains before the finals begin, he continued: "I wouldn't say I'm nervous about it all. It's a mix of anxiety and excitement really. We need to be calm, though, as the chance will come for us to show why we made it to the World Cup." The excitement has been mounting for the expectant Morita ever since last December's draw in Leipzig. "The first thing I thought when I saw the draw was, 'If we go out to win all three games, we could make it to the next phase'."

However, when it comes to analysing Ecuador's Group A rivals, Mora is quick to temper his optimism. "Poland showed us how dangerous they were in last November's friendly (which Ecuador lost 3-0). They're very quick, and they use long balls and set-pieces to good effect. Costa Rica have a very similar style to us and I think that will be an open, exciting game. As for Germany, what can I say? They're a strong side and they're at home. It won't be easy, but I have every faith in us."

So much so, in fact, that Mora lists a surprise contender among his list of candidates to lift the trophy. "Germany, Argentina, Brazil... and Ecuador. Why not? We're working hard, we're in good shape, we want to go all the way and we're all determined to put together a great World Cup. Make no mistake, we could be the surprise of the tournament." notas_de_prensa_archivo