Ecuador have played 18 World Cup qualifiers in CONMEBOL and let in just five goals. That works out to 0.28 conceded per game, the lowest of any side tracked across the competitions this season, national team or club.
It is a reminder that defensive numbers do not respect borders or divisions. Some of the stingiest records in the game right now belong to a South American national side, a Liga MX giant, and clubs in Bulgaria, Morocco, Romania, Brazil, the United States and Denmark.
The list
- Ecuador (World Cup Qualification CONMEBOL): 5 conceded in 18 games, 0.28 per game
- Club América (Liga MX Apertura): 2 conceded in 6 games, 0.33 per game
- Levski Sofia (Parva Liga): 4 conceded in 8 games, 0.50 per game
- MAS de Fès (Botola Pro): 17 conceded in 30 games, 0.57 per game
- FC Rapid București (Superliga): 4 conceded in 7 games, 0.57 per game
- Juventude (Brasileirão Serie B): 15 conceded in 26 games, 0.58 per game
- NJ/NY Gotham FC (NWSL): 14 conceded in 22 games, 0.64 per game
- FC Nordsjælland (Danish Superliga): 4 conceded in 6 games, 0.67 per game
Two ways to build a wall
The gap between the top two entries and the rest is striking. Ecuador and Club América are both conceding under 0.4 goals a game, comfortably clear of Levski Sofia in third on 0.50. Ecuador's number is even more notable given the sample size: 18 matches is a long qualifying road to go through conceding only five times.
Club América have played far fewer games, six in the Apertura, but two goals in that stretch still stands out in a competition built for chaos and goals.
Further down, MAS de Fès and Juventude show that a low per-game average can also come from a long, grinding campaign. Fès have played 30 matches and let in 17, Juventude 26 matches for 15 conceded. Neither number is spectacular in isolation, but stretched across a full season it puts both among the hardest teams in their divisions to break down.
Different leagues, different rhythms, same underlying story: whoever finds a way through these back lines has earned it.