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Ecuador faces Curaçao on Saturday at Kansas City Stadium, and supporters from the South American nation said they are here to win.
Union Station and other parts of Kansas City were awash in yellow Friday as Ecuador fans gathered ahead of the match, describing the moment as "electric."
Among them was Paul Ortiz, an Ecuador native who now lives in Springfield, Missouri. He brought something that turns heads everywhere it goes — a car he has spent six years transforming into a rolling soccer shrine, complete with TVs and internet access so fans can watch matches on the road.
"The main focus of the car is the World Cup," Ortiz said.
"Wherever the game starts, we're ready to watch it," Ortiz continued.
For Ortiz, the project is deeply personal. When asked what soccer means to him, he became emotional, connecting the sport to memories of his father and his past.
"It's a way to connect to my life," Ortiz said. "This is my passion."
With the World Cup taking place close to home this time, Ortiz said the experience has been especially meaningful.
"To see that people are enjoying what I worked on... it's like, 'Wow, that was worth it,'" Ortiz said.
That passion for fútbol runs deep among the Ecuador supporters who made the trip to Kansas City.
Rodrigo Guaranda traveled from Ecuador and said the city has made a strong impression.
"Wow, it's an unforgettable experience. The city is very beautiful, the atmosphere is wonderful, and the people are also quite friendly," Guaranda said.
Guaranda also reflected on why the sport holds such a powerful place in Latin American culture.
"I think it's something innate to Latin America, that we love soccer so much," Guaranda said.
Guillermo Coral, who made the trip from Ecuador with his daughter Sofi, expressed the energy among fellow Ecuadorians in Kansas City has been overwhelming.
"We're very happy, very pleased to have arrived," Coral said.
"It's very exciting, honestly, to meet so many people from our home country," Coral continued.
Herbert Velarde captured the sentiment shared by many in the crowd.
"It’s a tremendous passion. I think that, as in many Latin American countries, Ecuadorians breathe, live, sweat, eat and dream fútbol," Velarde said.
Jenny Segarra flew in from New York — where she now lives — but her roots are in Ecuador. She said the unity among fans on her flight and throughout Kansas City has been unlike anything she expected.
"It's amazing. I never thought that the unity was going to be so pronounced. It's crazy insane from all different states and even parts of the world that they're coming here," Segarra said.
"The plane was full of Ecuadorians. It felt like we were actually landing in Guayaquil in Ecuador," Segarra said.
Curaçao will face Ecuador at 7 p.m. at Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium) in Kansas City, Missouri.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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