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In this 2022 World Cup Preview Episode, Santiago Leon and Lucas Alvarado preview Ecuador and Netherlands.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Lucas Alvarado – @lucasalvarado23
Ecuador
Ecuardo finished 4th in qualification ahead of Peru and behind of Uraugay, Argentina, and Brazil
Notable players: Enner Valencia *Fenerbance), Pero Hincapie *(Bayer Leverkusen)
Five players play in the MLS
FIFA opened a disciplinary case Wednesday looking into whether Ecuador fielded an ineligible player during World Cup qualifying, a case that could see the country thrown out of this year’s tournament in Qatar.
FIFA opened a disicplinary case after Chile filed a formal complaint last week alleging that Byron Castillo is Colombian and should not have been allowed to play for Ecuador in eight qualifying games. Ecuador now risks having to forfeit those games — including one win and a draw against Chile — as 3-0 losses.
Ecuador finished fourth in South American qualifying to grab the continent’s last automatic berth for the World Cup. It was drawn into a group with Qatar, the Netherlands and Senegal.
Chile finished seventh, but could vault into the qualifying places if it was awarded six points from its games against Ecuador, along with the better goal difference.
Castillo did not play in games against fifth-place Peru or sixth-place Colombia.
Netherlands
The Netherlands, qualified in UEFA Group G directly for the World Cup finals, while the runner-up, Turkey, advanced to the second round (play-offs).
Top Players: Frankie De Jong, Memphis Depay, Virgil van Dijk, Steven Bergwijn, Donny van de Beek.
Head Coach: Louis van Gaal
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.