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Ecuador pinning Copa hopes on Valencia - coach

Oct 14, 2014; Harrison, NJ, USA; Ecuador forward Enner Valencia (13) celebrates scoring a goal against El Salvador during the first half of their international friendly soccer game at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

By Javier Leira SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Ecuador have a "spectacular" forward in West Ham United's Enner Valencia who only needs to gain a bit more confidence in the English Premier league to join soccer's elite, according to national coach Sixto Vizuete. Valencia was his country's standout player at this year's World Cup, scoring all three of their goals, and is sure to be at the forefront of Ecuador's Copa America title challenge in Chile next year. "Enner is spectacular. I hope God is with him and he enjoys the same bright form now he's in England. He will complicate any defence there," Vizuete told Reuters in an interview at the weekend ahead of Monday’s draw for the June 11-July 4 Copa America tournament. The 25-year-old made his international debut in 2012 and gradually won a leading role in the team for whom he has scored 11 goals. “He needs a bit more experience in England, be given more confidence. With Ecuador he already has that confidence, all Ecuador’s fans trust him. We know that in Enner we have the goalscorer and everyone is sending those good vibes for him to remain in form,” Vizuete said. Valencia’s performances at the World Cup in Brazil and his top-scoring exploits with Pachuca in the Mexican league in the first half of this year earned him his transfer to West Ham. However, his early months in England have not been easy for the South American with only three goals in a handful of games. How Valencia plays in Chile will be vital for Ecuador, who have never won the Copa America, the oldest active national teams competition in the world, and have failed since 1997 to progress beyond the group phase. Colombian Reinaldo Rueda survived Ecuador’s poor 2011 tournament in Argentina thanks to backing from the country's President Rafael Correa and took the team to the World Cup after successfully seeing them through the qualifiers. But after the team failed to reach the last 16 his contract was not renewed with Vizuete, the national federation’s head of development, taking charge as caretaker. “We have to change Ecuador’s history in the Copa America, that’s our main goal. We need to go further and then see what that leads to,” said the 53-year-old Vizuete, who hopes to be confirmed as head coach in January. “No-one is going to give anything away at the Copa America, the teams are all pretty even. Whoever has the most experience and is in the best shape at the hour of truth will surely win the tournament.” Vizuete, who led Ecuador to their only international title, the soccer gold medal at the 2007 Panamerican Games, said investing in the country's juniors was the way forward. “A national team must have a work plan with the juniors so that when it’s their turn they won’t disappoint in any way,” said Vizuete, who has promoted exciting forwards Joao Plata of MLS side Real Salt Lake and Juan Cazares, who has spent his formative years in Argentina, first with River Plate and now at Banfield. “The juniors are the starting point, we have youngsters working with us from the age of 15 and when they get to the senior team they won’t have problems (slotting in).” (Writing by Rex Gowar, editing by Tony Jimenez)