On the surface, Saturday’s Copa America Centenario game between Brazil and Ecuador at the Rose Bowl looks like the soccer equivalent of two ships passing in the night.
Brazil, the five-time world champion, is struggling. It was pummeled in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup, has won just two of six games in qualifying for the next World Cup and is without its top goal-scorer and two of its most-experienced defenders.
Ecuador, on the other hand, is ascending and appears well-positioned to make a long run through this tournament. It sits atop the table in South American World Cup qualifying, where it has beaten Argentina and Uruguay, and brings a roster loaded with skill into the Saturday match-up (7 p.