Dunga emphasizes on possession

The teams meet at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl on Saturday with Ecuador riding high in World Cup qualifying, while the Selecao languish mid-table and have not dominated the global game for a decade. 

“The Ecuador team have been playing together a long time. It’s a fast team, a strong team which marks very well. It’s a team that knows how to play collectively,” Dunga told reporters. Both teams went through the gears in their final training sessions with southern California sweltering in 96 degrees fahrenheit (36 degrees celsius). The forecast is for a slight cooling around kick-off but with the humidity cranked higher, and Dunga, 52, said.

“Playing at high altitude in Ecuador is always complicated but this will be a rather different game, because it’s going to be hot,” said Dunga. “Many players are just coming off their regular season with their teams. I think it’s going to be about possession.” 

Under the direction of Dunga, who won Copa America twice as a player and managed the team to their last triumph in 2007, Brazil are looking to improve on recent poor form. 

Between 1997 and 2007, they won four out of five editions of the tournament, but they limped out at the quarter finals in Chile last year, repeating their 2011 performance. 

BRAZIL VS ECUADOR, 7.30 AM LIVE ON SONY ESPN, AND SONY ESPN HD