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?
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