After a slow start to their Copa America Centenario campaign, the USMNT finished group play in fairly impressive fashion. The Yanks followed up a disappointing defeat to Colombia with consecutive wins against Costa Rica and Paraguay respectively to make the quarterfinals. And Colombia’s loss to Costa Rica in their final game enabled the US to finish as unlikely Group A winners.
The confluence of all these positive happenings means the Stars and Stripes carry a fair bit of momentum heading into Thursday’s USA-Ecuador clash in Seattle. Jurgen Klinsmann‘s side have the look of a confident bunch capable of keeping the ball rolling. Their second-ever Copa America semifinal appearance and first in 21 years seems a distinct possibility.
USA-Ecuador Promises To Be a Good One
But it won’t be easy. The US will be taking on an Ecuador team brimming with confidence themselves. La Tricolor went undefeated in group play, gave Brazil all they could handle in a 0-0 draw, and dominated Haiti 4-0 in their last game. In fact, they may have beaten the Brazilians if not for a goal that was disallowed due to an incorrect ruling that the ball had gone out of bounds in the lead-up to the score.
It should be noted that the Ecuadorians are off to a phenomenal start in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. They currently sit second in the region, having won four of their first six games. That included a 2-0 road win against Argentina in the opening match of their campaign last October.
Klinsmann is well aware of the challenges Ecuador poses. Despite what is expected to be an extremely pro-US crowd at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, they won’t be fazed. And the team will be much more full-strength than the one that lost 1-0 to the US on May 25th.
“Ecuador is top 15 in the world,” Klinsmann told reporters. “This is a big team. We played them in a friendly but they were missing a number of key players. They are all there now.”
Two of those players Klinsmann is referring to are midfielder Antonio Valencia and defender Walter Ayoví. At 30 and 36 years of age respectively, both are grizzled veterans. Yet they’re also crucial cogs into Ecuador’s on-field identity.
Veterans Valencia and Ayoví Look To Shine for Ecuador
Valencia plays his club soccer for English giants Manchester United. He made a total of 18 appearances for the Red Devils last season, notching four assists in all competitions. In Copa America, his creativity in the final third has been on full display. The dynamic attacking mid has created seven chances, assisted on a goal and scored one himself.
In Ayoví, Ecuador has one of the more capable wing backs in this tournament. The team captain has made 114 appearances for his country. Only the recently retired Ivan Hurtado has more. And don’t let his age fool you. He’s still a phenomenal two-way player able to push forward and make things happen in the final third. Despite playing in a deeper role than Valencia, he himself has also created seven chances in group play. Also expect him to feature on corners.
Clint Dempsey and Company Looks To Build on Group Stage Success
Ecuador’s veteran presence is certainly tangible. But the US has a long-time national team talisman of their own in forward Clint Dempsey. The 33-year-old eclipsed the 50-goal mark for his country during this tournament. And he’s a mere seven away from topping Landon Donovan as the USMNT’s all-time goal-scoring leader.
Much like Klinsmann, Dempsey knows this Ecuador side will be much better than the one they beat ahead of the tournament. The fact that they’re still alive while Brazil isn’t is testament to their quality. But there’s no reason to believe that Dempsey and his teammates aren’t up to the task.
“They’re a good team, they showed that, that’s why they got out of their group,” Dempsey noted. “(But) we’re looking to go far in this tournament as well and looking to try to win.”
The experience the side underwent during the group stage could be important. After falling fairly decisively against Colombia, the players banded together. They embraced the grind on the training ground and translated that to their in-game performance. Two wins later, here they are with a favorable route to the semifinals.
Dempsey believes that what ultimately transpired in group play showed what this team is made of.
“I think there’s a lot of character, I think there’s a lot of heart in this team,” Dempsey said. “When you have your backs against the wall and you turn to each other and people stand up, you feel a togetherness there.”
Dealing with the Absence of DeAndre Yedlin
It will be impossible for Klinsmann to put out the same lineup for the fourth straight game. That is because right back DeAndre Yedlin will be unavailable due to a one-game suspension. Yedlin picked up two yellow cards in a very short period of time during the second half of the Paraguay game.
That reality will be a tough pill to swallow for the 22-year-old. A Seattle native, Yedlin came out of the Sounders academy and was signed as a Homegrown Player in 2013. His first two seasons as a pro came with the team before he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur of the EPL after an impressive World Cup.
To have been able to play in front of his hometown fans on this stage would have been a special moment. There certainly be a measure of disappointment in his inability to do so. But him and the team must cope and embrace a next man up approach if they want to be successful.
“Everyone on the bench is ready to step in,” Klinsmann said. “Like Michael Orozco did right away (against Paraguay) and did a great job. So this is a good feeling that we have. When somebody goes down or we need to make a substitution or maybe we need to do a tactical substitution as well, the next one is getting the job done.”
Klinsmann could slot Orozco in that right wing back position. But there’s also the possibility he could shift Fabian Johnson over there from the left. In this case, Edgar Castillo would likely take Johnson’s place on that side of the back line.
The Palpable Pressure of a Copa America Quarterfinal
With a semi-final berth on the line, the pressure will be elevated from what it was during group play. The USMNT will be in battle with a hungry Ecuador side that hasn’t gotten this far in Copa America since 1997. They’ve also made the semifinals just twice in their history (1959, 1993).
“It’s going to be a nail-biter,” Klinsmann emphasized. “It’s gonna be a 50-50 situation. (Ecuador) want to go badly into this, same as we want to go badly.”
This is arguably the biggest game for the USMNT since the 2014 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium. And it’s fitting it should take place in Seattle. The Sounders have led Major League Soccer in attendance every year since the club joined the league in 2009. The atmosphere should certainly befit what’s at stake.
“It’s not getting any bigger than this,” Klinsmann remarked. “This is the biggest game of the year. It’s probably the biggest game in Seattle for many years to come because this is Copa America.”
For the players on this squad, there isn’t a better place to demonstrate the USMNT program is back on an upward trajectory after a year or so of less than stellar results. Klinsmann himself has stated before that the goal is to make the semifinals. Doing so will not only be a career achievement from an individual standpoint. It will confirm US soccer is back on the right track.
“The whole world is watching them and I think the players, they understand that right now,” the USA manager stated. “The players know, OK, if I want to define myself as an individual, this is the place to be.”
That place will be the center of the global soccer universe on Thursday night.
