![]()
Wed Jul 16 00:10:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the text, followed by a rewritten version as a news article:
**Summary:**
Junior Sornoza, captain of Independiente del Valle, is looking forward to their upcoming CONMEBOL Sudamericana playoff match against Vasco da Gama. He believes the team is more experienced than last year when they were eliminated at the same stage. While disappointed about their Libertadores exit, he emphasizes the team’s desire to win the Sudamericana, a tournament they’ve won twice before. He believes playing at the Atahualpa stadium instead of their home stadium won’t be a significant disadvantage and aims to secure a good result in Quito before traveling to Brazil.
**News Article:**
**Independiente del Valle Ready for Vasco da Gama Clash, Captain Sornoza Confident**
**Quito, Ecuador** – Independiente del Valle captain Junior Sornoza exuded confidence ahead of their crucial CONMEBOL Sudamericana playoff first-leg match against Brazilian side Vasco da Gama this Tuesday. Speaking to ESPN Deportes, Sornoza emphasized the team’s increased experience since their elimination at the same stage last year.
“We have a rematch,” Sornoza said. “Last year we were eliminated at this stage (against Boca Juniors), but now we have much more experience. The team is on the rise and we can compete on all fronts.”
While acknowledging disappointment at narrowly missing out on the Copa Libertadores knockout stages, the ’10’ of ‘Los Rayados’ highlighted the club’s ambition to win the Sudamericana, a title they’ve clinched twice before (2019,2022).
“We came close in Libertadores. Now we want to fight and dream of winning this cup. We have an important match and we hope to take advantage of it, and then go to Brazil to seal the qualification,” Sornoza added.
“We have experience playing this type of competition. The club has won in 2019 and did it again in 2022. The truth is that we have done very well and I am happy with the work we have done so far.”
The match will be played at the Estadio Atahualpa in Quito, as Independiente del Valle’s stadium is currently being used for the Women’s Copa America. Sornoza dismissed concerns about the change of venue. “We have to do the job at home. It doesn’t change much if we play at the Atahualpa or at our stadium, since we know both well. We have done very well in both scenarios at the international level.”
Independiente del Valle will be looking to secure a significant advantage in Quito before traveling to Brazil for the second leg of the playoff.