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USMNT to host Ecuador in first stateside friendly since World Cup

USMNT Starting eleven

By TATE STEINLAGE 

The United States Men’s National Team is set for its first match on home soil following a Round of 16 appearance at this summer’s World Cup.

The United States Soccer Federation announced Thursday that the U.S. will host Ecuador in a friendly on Oct. 10 in East Hartford, Conn. The match will kickoff at 7 p.m. from Rentschler Field and will be broadcast live on ESPN, WatchESPN, and UniMas.

“We are really excited to get our first chance to play at home after the World Cup,” U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a release. “The support from our fans in the United States and everyone that traveled to Brazil was awesome, and we want to build on that energy. We have an exciting four years ahead of us, and this is just the beginning. The U.S. team has a great history at Rentschler Field, so we are hoping for another big crowd against Ecuador.”

Ecuador just missed out on the Round of 16 at the World Cup this past June. La Tricolor went 1-1-1 in Group E, finishing third behind France and Switzerland while topping Honduras 2-1.

Dating back to 1984, Ecuador holds a 5-2-4 record against the U.S. Both victories for the U.S. came on American soil, though, including a 1-0 win on March 10, 2002 that saw U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard earn both his first cap and shutout for the National Team.

Prior to facing Ecuador, the U.S. will play its first game following the World Cup against the Czech Republic on Sept. 3 in Prague.

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What do you make of the friendly against Ecuador? Could the match serve as a proper sendoff for Landon Donovan?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Like the stadium and opponent choice. Im sure ESPN will do a good job on it too since its in their back yard. A lot of Ecuadorians in CT – should be a good match.

    So I believe there should be a game before this in the October schedule, right?

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  2. I’ve lived near Hartford and can personally attest that it’s a miserable city. I’ve never understood why games get scheduled there, it’s fairly dense population wise, but it’s not a soccer city. Omaha, Nebraska is more of a soccer city than Hartford.

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    • Having grown up in Hartford, I can personally attest that although it is a small city, it has a vibrarant soccer community (NASL is looking to place a team in Hartford as well). I would safely say that it is more of a soccer city than Omaha, Nebraska. It also happens to be about halfway between Boston and New York City. Not a bad place to have a friendly.

      Here is hoping for a great turnout and a chance to host an upcoming World Cup Qualifier there next time around!

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      • Do you know anything about Omaha, Nebraska’s soccer community? Maybe you should check it out before making assumptions. This is a matter of opinion, but based on the per capita numbers I would wager a healthy bet that Omaha is “more” of a soccer community that Hartford (meaning that per population density there are more soccer fans). I doubt there would be anyway of proving this and its simply my own conjecture. You are aware that the first AO Chapter was started in Nebraska, right? Well, if you didn’t maybe you should read up on that as well.

      • After doing some fact checking, Hartford, CT is approx. 125,000. Omaha,NE 434,000. I’m amazed that Columbus, OH is 822,500.

    • I’ve lived in Hartford and can personally attest it’s not a miserable city. There are many different neighborhoods and things to do. I also played in the soccer league while I was living there and saw a game at Rentschler.

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      • Its worse than Detroit. Rude people, bad traffic for its relatively small size, horrible winters, and nearly nothing to do. Worse city I have lived in/around by far.

  3. Hope they will try and schedule another Texas game. I was looking forward to that San Antonio matchup as it’s rare they play in Texas.

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    • Ya I went to the Gold cup game in Dallas. Was pretty fun. South Texas gets even less love.

      Texas got no qualifiers right?

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      • Would be, I went up to KC for the Jamaica qualifier. Great game.

        Hope Texas gets a qualifier next time around. It certainly has enough venues.

    • You should check facts before complaining. In the past 2 years, the USMNT have played 3 times in CA alone (LA, San Diego and San Francisco) as well as Portland and Seattle. Although not west coast, they also played in Glendale, AZ twice and Sandy, UT.

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      • I live in Southern California guy. 3 games in 24 months compared to how many during the last 12 months in the east. Obviously that much lap in time is normal to you. Probably just as much as girls play with your little you.

      • A lot of whining, about location. Wasn’t there a gold cup game out there? Or is that not as good as a friendly somehow.

        Maybe just Leave your weatherless bubble. I promise you will live.

      • Lol yes we have perfect climate all the time unlike that miserable east coast weather. You’re right why leave perfection, we couldn’t make it in horrible weather and narrow minded people. Yes there’s a disconnect from USSF and the west and they care about money not expanding their ‘brand’ here.

      • Lot of butthurt here. Someone in the responses provided the best reply so far: it’s more convenient for the European guys.

      • Dude, what’s wrong with you?

        Also, “Leave your weatherless bubble.” Ha. I’m not sure so many Angelinos could actually survive outside that bubble.

      • I lived out there for a while. They had a single waterspout off the coast like 5 years ago? It was the weather event of the decade. That said, earthquakes are scary and I do not like them.

      • Wow. Awesome response. In the past 2 years the USMNT played 7 East Coast matches. The east coast stretches over 1500 miles. There were 3 matches in DC area, which averaged over 60,000 attendance per game. Contrast that to the 4 matches in CA alone, hitting major cities of LA, SF and SD. Only one LA match was a sellout. Fact is, if the USSF wants to make $$, they play on the East Coast. The only west coast draw that comes close is Mexico, and they would draw well anywhere vs USA.

  4. I like it. Connecticut though? It’s okay that it’s a cold state I guess??? We do good in the cold. But seriously, come down south to Atlanta or Charlotte for a friendly.

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  5. can we get a friendly in LOS ANGELES please?

    and can we get 1 against a country we have never played like Yemen or Lebanon or Zambia? JK, but seriously can we get tougher opponents than Ecuador. I’d love if we spend this cycle playing certain teams away. Play Serbia away. That’d be a tough crowd and bound to get the boys to focus. Or how about a friendly in Japan?

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    • 40k people for a mid week send off match prior to the 2010 World Cup, and I would estimate 25k for USA Costa Rica at last gold cup, I think us in ct put up good numbers.

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    • I luv to support the Nats when they come to New England (increasingly rare these days) but Oct 10 is a Friday and Hartford is a small city and too far for me. I remember when we used to get games in Foxboro….. before the damn turf went it

      Reply

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