When moving to FC Dallas, midfielder Carlos Gruezo mentioned the move came in part with his goal of breaking back into the Ecuador National Team for Copa America.
Mission accomplished.
Gruezo has started every game for the Ecuadorian side who went undefeated through the group stage earning five points from matches against Brazil, Peru & Haiti setting up a quarterfinal round showdown against the United States. Gruezo's 259 out of 270 minutes played in the tournament rank in the top 10 of Copa America midfielders as the FCD man has formed a formidable partnership with Antonio Valencia and Christian Noboa at the heart of the midfield.
Even as a defensive midfielder, Gruezo's role for Ecuador has been much deeper than he typically plays with FC Dallas, rarely making forays into the offensive third, choosing to stay home and simply break up opposition attacks.
Having navigated a tricky group, the attention now turns for Gruezo and Ecuador to the United States. Gruezo started in Ecuador's 1-0 loss to the US at Toyota Stadium, but this match in Seattle on Thursday night will surely be played with a much different level of intensity and he's looking forward to the match.
“Against the United States it will be a very difficult match,” Gruezo told MLSsoccer.com. “We all know what happened to us when we played against them in Dallas. You have to be mentally prepared and not allow mistakes.”
While few FCD fans will be pulling for the team in yellow on Thursday night, Oscar Pareja and FC Dallas will surely be pleased with their big winter acquistion who is no-doubt trending upward.