USA Men’s National Team Beats Ecuador 1-0 In Friendly Thanks To Late Goal From Darlington Nagbe

The US Men’s National Soccer Team defeated Ecuador 1-0 on a 90th-minute goal by Darlington Nagbe in a friendly match at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Wednesday ahead of the Copa America.

USA Men’s National Team Beats Ecuador 1-0 In Friendly Thanks To Late Goal From Darlington Nagbe

Both teams will participate in the 100th Copa America Centenario, which the US will host and kick off on June 3 against Colombia at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Wednesday’s game was rather slow, with the most play action occurring in the middle third.

The Americans’ best opportunity of the first half came in the 29th minute, when forward Clint Dempsey sent a pass through Ecuador’s defense to Gyasi Zardes, but Zardes held onto the ball for too long and Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez met the 24-year-old LA Galaxy attacker before he could recover. Dempsey made his 123rd international appearance, tying him with DaMarcus Beasley for fifth on the MNT’s all-time caps list.

Then in the 71st minute, midfielder Graham Zusi dribbled into the box and sent a low cross right in front of the goal, but Alejandro Bedoya’s shot flew just wide of the goal.

The host team’s only goal finally came in the 90th minute, as Bobby Wood sent a cross into the box and Nagbe scored his first goal with the USMNT by finding an opening and firing an acrobatic shot to seal the victory for the US. The 25-year-old Liberian-American caught the ball with his chest after a pair of headers in the box, and then fired a shot before even letting the ball hit the ground. This was Nagbe’s fifth international appearance.

On Ecuador’s roster, both Dominguez and FC Dallas midfielder Carlos Gruezo, 21, were removed due to injuries. Argentine-born goalie Esteban Dreer replaced Dominguez following his injury. Dreer made a big save on his first test in the 59th minute on a shot from Jermaine Jones, who fired after receiving a through ball at the top of the box.

USA goalie Brad Guzan also had a key save in the 7th minute, after a headed clearance from Steve Birnbaum fell to Jefferson Montero on the left side of the area. The Ecuador attacker fired a low blast that deflected off Birnbaum and towards the lower left post, where Guzan got down with a big hand to knock the ball out for a corner kick. Guzan, who will start for USMNT at Copa America, earned his 14th career shutout and second of 2016.

With the win, The US has now improved its all-time record against Ecuador to 3-5-5. The US will next face Bolivia on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

FRISCO, TX – MAY 25: Clint Dempsey #8 of the United States takes a shot against Frickson Erazo #3 of Ecuador in the second half during an International Friendly match at Toyota Stadium on May 25, 2016 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena