Gustavo Alfaro announced the squad of the Ecuadorian national team to play in the Qatar 2022 World Cup | Soccer | Sports

The absence of right-back Byron Castillo is the novelty in the 26-player roster presented by Gustavo Alfaro, coach of the Ecuadorian team, to face the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The national team is in group A along with the host, the Netherlands and Senegal.

Selection of Ecuador, the only one that has not made its squad list public. Is it because of the Byron Castillo case?

Castillo, protagonist of the lawsuit from Chile and Peru that sought to leave Ecuador out of the World Cup for its alleged improper alignment in eight qualifying games, will not play the World Cup after the sanction that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposed to the Ecuadorian team.

“I would like Argentina, Spain and Ecuador to be in the final instances”: the wish of Manuel Pellegrini, a former Liga de Quito coach, about Qatar 2022

Although the TAS confirmed that there was no irregularity in Castillo’s calls with the Tricolor, it considered that his registration as an Ecuadorian was made with false information and, accordingly, it sanctioned Ecuador with the loss of three points for the next qualifiers. with a view to the 2026 World Cup.

“CAS ruling on Byron Castillo is hasty. They wanted to make a decision before the 2022 World Cup starts”, says FEF director

Added to this is the fact that the Mexican León footballer withdrew injured from the friendly match played last Saturday against Iraq in Madrid, although the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) has not provided details on the extent of the injury.

Without Castillo, Ecuador coach Gustavo Alfaro will call on the World Cup experience of goalkeeper Alexander Domínguez, midfielders Carlos Gruezo and Ángel Mena, and striker Enner Valencia to strengthen a squad full of youth.

These four men have held their own in the team led by Alfaro, after their World Cup debut in Brazil 2014, where Valencia scored three goals and leads the table of all-time top scorers, with 35 goals.

Precisely with Valencia at the helm, the Tricolor has the mission of breaking in the World Cup an accumulated goalscoring drought in the friendlies that it played with a view to its performance since November 20 in the opening match against Qatar for Group A, which The Netherlands and Senegal complete.

Defender William Pacho, from Belgian Royal Antwerp, and attacker Kevin Rodríguez, 22, who plays in Ecuador’s second division with Imbabura, have joined the team.

Although most of the 26 called up have little experience with the national team, they gained experience during the 18 qualifying games, friendlies and with their clubs in America and Europe.

Among the young figures, the defenders Piero Hincapié, 20 years old; Pervis Estupiñán, 24 years old; midfielder Moisés Caicedo, 21 years old; and the attacker Gonzalo Plata, 22; among others.

This will be Ecuador’s fourth World Cup participation, so Alfaro, along with the players, say nothing other than trying to have the best tournament Ecuador has ever played, which means overcoming the round of 16 in Germany 2006.

La Tri, for the first time in its history, will play the opening match of the top event. Their duel for group A against the host country was set for Sunday, November 20, starting at 11:00, at the Al Khor Stadium.

Then it will be measured against the Netherlands, on Friday 25 (11:00); and against Senegal, on Tuesday 29 (10:00), both at the International Khalifa. (D)

Tricolor roster to face the World Cup:

archers

1. Moisés Ramírez (Independent of the Valley)

two. Alexander Dominguez (Quito League)

3. Hernan Galindez (Aucas)

defenses

Four. Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)

5. Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

6. Pervis Estupiñán (Brighton & Hove Albion, England)

7. Angelo Preciado (Genk, Belgium)

8. Jackson Porozo (Troyes AC, France)

9. Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders, USA)

10. Diego Palacios (Los Angeles FC, USA)

eleven. Felix Torres (Santos Laguna, Mexico)

12. William Pacho (Royal Antwerp, Belgium)

Frills

13. Carlos Gruezo (FC Augsburg, Germany)

14. José Cifuente (Los Angeles FC, USA)

fifteen. Alan Franco (Workshops of Córdoba, Argentina)

16. Moisés Caicedo (Brighton & Hove Albion, England)

17. Angel Mena (Club Leon, Mexico)

18. Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton & Hove Albion, England)

19. Jhegson Mendez (Los Angeles FC, USA)

twenty. Ayrton Preciado (Santos Laguna, Mexico)

twenty-one. Gonzalo Plata (Real Valladolid, Spain)

22. Romario Ibarra (Santos Laguna, Mexico)

strikers

23. Djorkaeff Reasco (Newell’s Old Boys, Argentina)

24. Kevin Rodriguez (Imbabura SC)

25. Michael Estrada (Cruz Azul, Mexico)

26. Enner Valencia (Fenerbahce, Turkey)