A World Cup star was left with little choice but to confront US police officers on the pitch during Ecuador's 3-0 friendly win over Guatemala on Sunday night. Boasting one of the youngest squads heading into this year's tournament, the South American nation are unbeaten in their last 19 matches.
During that run, they have held Morocco and the Netherlands to draws, while also beating reigning world champions Argentina as recently as last September. With just four days to go until the start of football's flagship event, there is growing belief that Ecuador could emerge as one of the surprise packages in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
However, while their preparations on the pitch have largely been smooth sailing, an incident during their final warm-up match before next week's Group E opener against Ivory Coast has reignited concerns over police conduct in the host nation.
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The incident has taken place just days before the Three Lions set up there for their three group stage games.
World Cup Star Confronts US Police on Pitch During Friendly
Ecuador
Ecuador dominated their way through to a convincing win at the Ohio Stadium this weekend, with Jordy Caicedo, Nilson Angulo, and Pervis Estupinan getting in on the goals. However, post-match discussion has been more interested in a moment of madness that saw Premier League midfielder Moises Caicedo intervene with the police's aggressiveness towards a pitch invader.
Late into the match, a Guatemala fan ran onto the pitch, which saw US police use excessive force to detain him, with several officers taking him down to the ground. Caicedo stepped in and tried to protect the fan, before complaining and arguing with the police over the violent way they handled the situation. Watch the incident below:
The Chelsea star's actions have been widely praised on social media, while those inside the stadium on Sunday night appeared to boo the police's heavy-handed involvement in videos that captured the moment. No statement of any kind has been released about the incident at the time of writing.
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Sunday night's events appeared to echo many of the fears matchgoing supporters had when they first learned of the USA's hosting rights for the tournament. While ICE's well-documented actions and Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies have drawn significant scrutiny, they have also shone a light on some of the concerns facing travelling supporters heading stateside.
Even setting those issues aside, the USA's long-standing problem with mass shootings remains an obvious source of alarm. On the same day as Ecuador's final warm-up match, a shooting near England's intended training base in Kansas City left nine people injured, further highlighting the security concerns that have surrounded the tournament.