Copa America Quarterfinals: USA vs Ecuador Preview
Kick-Off: 9:30 ET (Seattle, WA)
The quarterfinals of the Copa America Centenario kick off tonight at CenturyLink Field in Seattle between Ecuador and the United States.
How they got here
USA: Won Group A (6 pts, +3 GD). Lost their first match 2-0 to Colombia, but managed 4-0 and 1-0 victories against Costa Rica and Paraguay, respectively.
Ecuador: 2nd Place in Group B (5 pts, +4 GD). Tied their first 2 matches (0-0 vs. Brazil, 2-2 vs. Peru) and earned 3 points with a 4-0 over Haiti in their final match of group play.
Match Outlook
When I look at this matchup “on paper” from a 30,000 ft. view and putting my fandom aside, Ecuador gets the edge. Ecuador are a team trending up offensively, and will be a confident side coming into this match. After an anti-climactic 0-0 draw in their opening match against Brazil, Ecuador netted twice against Peru and tallied 4 in their final group match against Haiti.
With an Ecuadorian side finding their offensive stride, the USA will have to be air tight along their back line in order to limit Ecuador’s chances. Due to DeAndre Yedlin’s early exit with a red card last match, the USA defense will most likely turn to Michael Orozco. With the USA forced to turn to their second option at right back, look for Ecuador to attack from wide areas through Antonio Valencia and Jefferson Montero. Enner Valencia is capable of scoring from anywhere, and the US center backs (and really the entire team as a whole) will need to take away space quickly.
Along with near-perfect defense, USA will need to find a way to create enough pressure to keep the Ecuadorians on their heels. USA has been urged by their coach to play attacking football, rather than sitting back and playing on the counter. However, due to the aforementioned potency of Ecuador, they’d be smart to not get too far forward and leave themselves vulnerable to counterattacks. USA will need to play with the heart and passion they typically bring when playing in front of their home fans. Without a true creative #10, the USA will need to find a way to manufacture a goal, if not two. They will most likely have their best offensive chances on set pieces, and if they are able to bury one, Klinnsman and Co. will have a great chance at advancing. Making it really happen though is a different story…
Prediction
USA are able to contain Antonio Valencia, Jefferson Montero, and Enner Valencia relatively well for the first 90 minutes, but the Ecuadorians eventually become too much to deal with. USA might score once, but I doubt they get any more than that (as much as it pains me to say).
SCORE: 2-1 Ecuador in ET (1-1 Reg.)
