Brighton & Hove Albion supporters can look forward to Moises Caicedo and Jeremy Sarmiento playing together a lot more often next season.
It has only happened for five minutes so far, but that is destined to change in what promises to be a huge 2022-23 campaign for the close friends and Ecuador international team-mates.
They remain on course to play in the World Cup in November and December, after Chile’s attempt to have already-qualified Ecuador thrown out of the tournament was rejected on Friday by FIFA, the sport’s global governing body.
Chile, who failed to qualify, claimed that Byron Castillo, who played in eight qualification games for Ecuador, was actually born in Colombia and is three and a half years older than his documentation shows.
FIFA said in a statement that its disciplinary committee has decided to “close the proceedings”, clearing the path for Caicedo and Sarmiento to feature for Gustavo Alfaro’s young side in Qatar. Ecuador are in a group containing the host nation, the Netherlands and African champions Senegal which offers the prospect of a last-16 meeting with England if both can advance to the knockout phase.
Alfaro is a big admirer of the pair, describing Caicedo in an exclusive interview with The Athletic as a “world-class player” in the making and Sarmiento’s blend of “South American talent and European professionalism” as a “winning combination”.
Providing they are selected for the World Cup, they will be parading their talents on the global stage at a tender age. Midfielder Caicedo is only 20, versatile attacker Sarmiento turns that age on Thursday.
An unfortunate set of circumstances has prevented them from getting as many simultaneous minutes for Brighton in the Premier League as they have enjoyed for their country.
They have been on the pitch together for Ecuador for a total of 242 minutes across Sarmiento’s 10 international appearances after he played the first half, and Caicedo for the full 90, in a 1-0 friendly win over Cape Verde on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That followed a 1-0 defeat of Nigeria in New Jersey and a goalless draw with Mexico in Chicago on a US tour launching the South American side’s build-up to Qatar, whose hosting of the World Cup is controversial for the reasons described in this article.
That brief glimpse of them together for Brighton came in the 2-2 draw against Southampton at the Amex Stadium in April, when Caicedo played the full game and Sarmiento was introduced as a late substitute.
Sarmiento was part of Potter’s side sooner than Caicedo, breaking through in the first half of the season, with four appearances in the Carabao Cup and Premier League, while his colleague was on loan to Beerschot in Belgium.
He suffered hamstring damage in the last of those four outings, only 13 minutes into his full league debut away to West Ham United at the beginning of December.
The injury was bad enough to require surgery, which ruled him out until the end of March.
That coincided with Caicedo eventually making his mark in Potter’s team following an early recall from Beerschot in January.
Caicedo started all of the final eight league games, playing a leading role in away wins over Arsenal (on his league debut at the beginning of April), Tottenham and Wolves and home victories against Manchester United and West Ham.
A series of impressive performances included his first goal for the club, a shot from 20 yards in the 4-0 destruction of Manchester United.
“THROUGH THE LEGS OF VICTOR LINDELOF” 😬
Moisés Caicedo gets his first Brighton goal to put them 1-0 up against Manchester United! pic.twitter.com/aYgok6kF8y
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 7, 2022
Sarmiento was not risked by Potter in the closing matches after another hamstring injury, although more minor this time, in an under-23s game against Chelsea at the end of April.
Alfaro did not hesitate in involving Caicedo for Ecuador. The 59-year-old Argentinian had only been in charge for two months when he handed Caicedo the task of tracking Lionel Messi in a World Cup qualifier away to Argentina in October 2020.
“Moises hadn’t had the chances I thought he deserved when I got the job of Ecuador’s manager,” Alfaro says. “I brought him into the national team and gave him his debut against Argentina. He had to mark Messi.
“I told him, ‘I want you to kick him first and then nutmeg him! Play without any respect’.”
Messi scored the only goal of the game in Buenos Aires, a 13th-minute penalty, in that testing baptism for Caicedo, who at that stage was still playing his club football for Independiente del Valle in Ecuador. Brighton did not sign him until the January 2021 transfer window.
Caicedo helped Ecuador to qualify for the World Cup as South America’s fourth-placed side, behind Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, ahead of Peru, Colombia and Chile.
He made 15 appearances in the marathon group campaign, including a 1-1 draw at home to Argentina in the return clash in March this year and another 1-1 when Brazil visited two months earlier.
Alfaro says: “He was great for us in qualifying. Brighton loaned him and when they got him back, they didn’t use him (immediately). He didn’t understand why he didn’t get the chances he thought he deserved.
“I use some analytics programmes. I sent a text to Moises’ agent after the game against Brazil that showed both Casemiro’s and Fred’s numbers were on a par or even lower than Moises.
“It was the same against Argentina with (Leandro) Paredes, (Rodrigo) De Paul and Moises.
“I sent him a text when he scored against Man United: ‘How are you doing, goal scorer?’ Moises said, ‘I’m happy’ and that’s what I see. He’s found his place. He will turn into a world-class player.”
Alfaro had a part in persuading Spanish-born Sarmiento to switch national allegiance from England.
His Ecuadorian parents moved the family to London when he was seven, and he played for Charlton Athletic’s academy.
Sarmiento, signed by Brighton from Portuguese giants Benfica last summer, represented England in the under-16, under-17 and under-18 age groups.
“I talked to Jeremy about joining Ecuador,” says Alfaro. “I’m proud that Jeremy took up that challenge after he’d played for England.
“When I approached him, I knew England were maybe more attractive, but he made a great decision. He made his debut against Bolivia (last October), just 20 minutes.
“Lots of articles said I just used him so that England couldn’t. But once I saw him train, once I saw him play, I knew he was special. He has the South American talent and the European professionalism. That’s a winning combination.”
Sarmiento made his full debut a month later in a 1-0 home win over Venezuela. “He was the best player,” Alfaro says.
“I told him, ‘Nobody’s going to ask for your papers or documents, nobody cares that you are 19. All I want you to do for us is the things you do at Brighton’. He played a great game.
“He lost some ground with the injuries, but he’s a great young player, as is Moises.
“I’m expecting big things from them, for Ecuador in the World Cup and for Brighton, where they can grow and help them to qualify for Europe.”
That would be some climax to what could be an unforgettable season for the Ecuadorian duo.