Guayaquil (Ecuador), June 8 (IANS): Ecuador's national football team, led by coach Gustavo Quinteros, travelled to Chile for the Copa America tournament, to be held from June 11 to July 4.

Ecuador will play host Chile in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday. Both teams along with Mexico and Bolivia are in Group A, reports Xinhua.

The 23-player team and the coaching staff travelled to Chile on Sunday from Jose Joaquin Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) said.

According to FEF, Ecuador will train in the sport complex of Chilean club Colo-Colo.

On Saturday, Ecuador closed the training season with a 4-0 victory against Panama. The friendly match was played in George Capwell stadium in Guayaquil.

"The Thursday match (against Chile) will be a tough one, but we are aware of our responsibility. We want to qualify to the next round, to overcome the bad performance we had in the previous Cup," coach Quinteros said, after the match.