{"id":619414,"date":"2022-11-17T12:01:17","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T17:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=619414"},"modified":"2022-11-17T12:01:17","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T17:01:17","slug":"ecuador-squad-world-cup-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2022\/11\/17\/ecuador-squad-world-cup-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuador Squad Revealed for World Cup 2022 in Qatar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ecuador will be the first nation to play a match in 2022&#8217;s World Cup as they face off against host nation Qatar on Sunday, November 20.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ecuador were the\u00a0 last nation to submit its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/football\/63630820\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">26-man squad<\/a> for the tournament<em>,<\/em> with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">La Tri\u2019s<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> first game less than a week away.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Ecuador Squad Unveiled for World Cup in Qatar<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udd25 Aqu\u00ed est\u00e1n los 26 jugadores elegidos por el DT <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GustavoAlfaro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GustavoAlfaro<\/a> para jugar la <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/fifaworldcup_es?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@fifaworldcup_es<\/a>, estamos listos para hacer historia <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PilsenerEcuador?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@PilsenerEcuador<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2764\ufe0f \u00a1Un solo latido que representa a 18 millones de ecuatorianos! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HaremosHistoria?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#HaremosHistoria<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xy1grHHBAc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/xy1grHHBAc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; La Tri \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\udde8 (@LaTri) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LaTri\/status\/1592288685797494784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 14, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Another Castillo Surprise<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surprisingly, Byron Castillo, the polemic name that almost kept Ecuador out of the World Cup for <a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/3899931\/2022\/11\/15\/ecuador-byron-castillo-world-cup\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">apparent document irregularities<\/a>, won\u2019t be on the plane to Qatar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a bittersweet hearing earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport recently deemed Castillo an Ecuadorean national and ruled that Ecuador could play in the 2022 World Cup after dismissing a claim by Chile that he had been ineligible to play during qualifiers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, CAS also decided to punish the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Federaci\u00f3n Ecuatoriana de F\u00fatbol<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (FEF) with a three-point deduction for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (\u00a388,883) for the &#8220;use of a document containing false information.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seems this is reason enough for Argentinian Head Coach Gustavo Alfaro and the FEF to decide the defender\u2019s inclusion in the Ecuador squad to be too risky.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This certainly crushed Castillo. Ecuador had seemed to clear their legal hurdles around the defender&#8217;s inclusion, and he featured for them 13 times during qualifying.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Who Else Missed Out?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other notable exclusions include Leonardo Campana, who just came off an 11-goal season with Inter Miami CF. The forward, who is on loan from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, had featured several times for Ecuador in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2022\/03\/29\/the-hard-part-is-over-for-ecuador\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">successful World Cup qualifying cycle<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but could not find the goal regularly for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">La Tri<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attacking midfielder Junior Sornoza will also feel devastated at being left out, despite not featuring as regularly as Campana in CONMEBOL qualifiers. The Independiente del Valle star is a crucial figure in the side that has crowned themselves Copa Sudamericana champions twice in four years, Ecuadorian Cup champions, Ecuadorian Serie A champions for the first time in club history, and Copa Libertadores Runners-up. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For an Ecuadorian National Team worryingly short on goals recently, with just one goal from open-play in five friendlies over the last six months (with several penalty misses), Alfaro will hope he doesn\u2019t rue leaving Sornoza\u2019s creativity and eye for goal back in Ecuador.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Alfaro Makes the Call<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When speaking at a press conference, Alfaro stated &#8220;I&#8217;m here to give opportunities&#8230; I said the doors of the national team are open as I called players from 18 to 38 years old and all got their place&#8221;.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many took that to mean Alfaro would welcome back Campana or give Sornoza a chance to impress and earn his spot in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">La Tri\u2019s <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fold. <\/span>Instead, the manager elected to call up a few surprises.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Royal Antwerp\u2019s William Pacho, a player so new to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">La Tri<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fef.ec\/la-tri\/seleccion-mayor\/jugadores-y-cuerpo-tecnico\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he hasn\u2019t even made it onto the national team\u2019s official website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, will seemingly make his Ecuador debut at the World Cup. The 21-year-old Pacho will deputize at center back due to Castillo&#8217;s misfortune. This means Seattle Sounders defender Xavier Arreaga will most likely be Ecuador\u2019s backup right back in place of Castillo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Serie B Imbabura Forward Kevin Rodr\u00edguez was another shock inclusion in the squad, as the forward made his national team debut recently on Saturday, November 12, after coming on as a substitute in the 63 minute of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ecuador&#8217;s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> final preparation match against Iraq.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 22-year-old Rodr\u00edguez will join Captain Enner Valencia as two of the four forwards available and Valencia will need to have a massive tournament leading the line for Ecuador for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the nation<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be successful. Rodr\u00edguez will also need to justify his inclusion by making an impact in the limited minutes he could get.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The Captain and the Kids<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alfaro also said to press: &#8220;I know these players have a lot of commitment&#8230; Now I have to analyze if they seize those opportunities in order to provide what the team needs&#8221; .<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides his obvious gambles making the most of their chances, the manager probably meant for this message to land at Valencia\u2019s feet and also his young core of starlets that make up the bedrock of this squad. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As captain, Valencia will be expected to lead the team both on the pitch with goals and off the pitch with his experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Un punto muy importante mi \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\udde8 que nos permite seguir so\u00f1ando con clasificar a un nuevo mundial, unidos como EQUIPO \u26d3 paso  a paso lo vamos a lograr \ud83e\uddbe <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wd8IzDOSGL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/wd8IzDOSGL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; EnnerValencia (@EnnerValencia14) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EnnerValencia14\/status\/1487070098531700741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 28, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the core of Pervis Estupi\u00f1\u00e1n, Piero Hincapi\u00e9, Gonzalo Plata, and Brighton &amp; Hove Albion\u2019s Mois\u00e9s Caicedo could be the spark that galvanizes Ecuador into the second round of the World Cup.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If this core can \u201cseize those opportunities,\u201d Ecuador&#8217;s World Cup roster could leave its mark on the tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 26 players chosen to represent Ecuador can start to put the world on notice with a strong performance against the hosts on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Full Ecuador Squad for World Cup 2022:<\/h3>\n<p>Goalkeepers: Alexander Dominguez (Liga de Quito), Hernan Galindez (Aucas), Moises Ramirez (Independiente del Valle).<\/p>\n<p>Defenders: Pervis Estupinan (Brighton &amp; Hove Albion), Angelo Preciado (Gent), Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen), Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders), Diego Palacios (Los Angeles FC), Jackson Porozo (Troyes), Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo), Felix Torres (Santos Laguna), William Pacho (Royal Antwerp FC).<\/p>\n<p>Midfielders: Moises Caicedo (Brighton), Jose Cifuentes (Los Angeles FC), Alan Franco (Talleres), Jhegson Mendez (Los Angeles FC), Carlos Gruezo (Augsburg), Gonzalo Plata (Valladolid), Angel Mena (Leon), Ayrton Preciado (Santos Laguna), Romario Ibarra (Pachuca), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton)<\/p>\n<p>Strikers: Enner Valencia (Fenerbahce), Michael Estrada (Cruz Azul), Djorkaeff Reasco (Newell&#8217;s Old Boys), Kevin Rodriguez (Imbabura SC).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ecuador will be the first nation to play a match in 2022&#8217;s World Cup as they face off against host nation Qatar on Sunday, November 20.\u00a0 Ecuador were the\u00a0 last nation to submit its 26-man squad for the tournament, with La Tri\u2019s first game less than a week away. Ecuador Squad Unveiled for World Cup [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3969,"featured_media":619467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2132,1265,161],"tags":[9524,711,9532,9526,9527,9529,4694,7475,9530,9531,9528],"class_list":["post-619414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-cup","category-brighton-and-hove-albion","category-international-football","tag-byron-castillo","tag-enner-valencia","tag-gonzalo-plata","tag-gustavo-alfaro","tag-junior-sornoza","tag-kevin-rodriguez","tag-leonardo-campana","tag-moises-caicedo","tag-pervis-estupinan","tag-piero-hincapie","tag-william-pacho"],"modified_by":"Alex Morley, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3969"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}