Estevez Called Up For World Cup Qualifiers

Emilio Estevez has earned the nod from Chinese Tapei head coach Louis Lancaster once again.

The Taiwan-representing team is in the midst of the second round of World Cup qualifiers, where they’ve been placed in a group featuring Australia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Nepal. Estevez has been called up for the games against Kuwait and Jordan, which take place this Thursday and next Tuesday respectively.

Chinese Taipei has opened the group with three straight losses, leaving it in last place as the only team without any points on the board. A win tomorrow, however, could see Chinese Taipei leapfrog Nepal in the standings.

The Toronto-born midfielder recently completed his first professional season with York9 FC, where he made 21 appearances – mostly as a substitute – and scored his first professional goal during a 6-2 routing of the Halifax Wanderers.

The 21-year-old tricky midfielder made his international debut against Australia last month, though the Socceroos would climb to a 7-1 victory over Chinese Taipei. Emilio started the match and had several moments of flashy footwork before being substituted off in the 68th minute.

Prior to his first year with the Nine Stripes, Estevez had received a handful of call-ups to the national team camp, but had failed to break into the squad. Getting professional minutes in the Canadian Premier League has, evidently, made a difference for the Toronto-born youngster.

Estevez isn’t the only Canadian Premier League player to get national recognition following the conclusion of the inaugural season: both FC Edmonton’s Amer Didic and Cavalry FC’s Dominick Zator have made John Herdman’s 23-man squad ahead of Canada’s important CONCACAF Nations League match against the US this Friday, too.