Somehow, someway, the United States men’s national team won Group A of Copa America Centario. It was a group that included world powers Colombia, led by James Rodriguez, as well as Costa Rica, who nearly made it to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, plus Paraguay, a squad the US had not beaten since 2003. Say what you want about this competition as a whole, winning that group is a big deal for the Americans.

Jurgen Klinnsman, whose seat was extremely hot heading into the tournament, has likely already met expectations. A win today would give him some breathing room until the 2018 World Cup, provided the Yanks qualify out of CONCACAF.

Today, they face an Ecuador squad that is talented, but surely beatable. They have a few big names: Enner Valencia (West Ham), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Jefferson Montero (Swansea) and Carlos Paredes (Watford), and will likely maintain most of the possession in this game. But, as usually, the US has an advantage in size and will look to score on set pieces and the counter.

The crowd could be a huge factor. The match is being played in Seattle, possibly the most soccer-crazed city in the United States, and it is at the stadium of the MLS’s Sounders and the NFL’s Seahawks, who routinely are lauded for having the loudest supporters in their respective leagues. This should be a fun one!

United States vs. Ecaudor

Match Details

Date and Time: Thursday, June 16 at 9:30 p.m. EST in USA

Stadium: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington, United States

Capacity: 67,000

How to Watch

TV: Fox Sports 1, Univision, Unimas - US

Premier Sports - UK

Radio: Futbol de Primera - US

Not listed - UK

Live stream: Fox Sports GO, Fox Soccer 2GO, fuboTV, Univision Deportes