Independiente del Valle is a professional football club from Sangolquí, Ecuador, founded in 1958 and inspired by Argentina's Club Atlético Independiente, which explains its red/white origins before adopting their current blue and black colors. After years in lower divisions, they reached the top-flight Serie A in 2010 and won their first league title in 2021, having finished as runners-up in 2013. However, their greatest fame comes from international competitions, as they famously reached the 2016 Copa Libertadores final—dubbed "matagigantes" (giant-killers) after eliminating River Plate and Boca Juniors—before losing to Atlético Nacional. They won their first Copa Sudamericana in 2019 against Colón and then became two-time champions in 2022 by defeating São Paulo. The club is also celebrated for its elite youth academy, which has produced stars like Moisés Caicedo, Gonzalo Plata, and Willian Pacho. With a modern stadium, Estadio Banco Guayaquil (opened in 2021), they have firmly established themselves as a powerhouse in Ecuadorian and South American football.