The US national team will face Ecuador in an international friendly on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., US Soccer announced on Monday.
The match will be the USMNT’s first-ever visit at to the home base for the New York Red Bulls, and is the second for Jurgen Klinsmann & Co. during the October FIFA international fixture window. The US host CONCACAF rivals Honduras at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Oct. 8.
Both games give Klinsmann access to his full complement of players for his fourth and fifth games in charge of the US national team.
“We want to expose the team to as many styles as possible, and we know the quality of Ecuador,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “We are also excited for the opportunity to play in Red Bull Arena. The stadium is one of the best soccer-specific venues in the United States and we are looking forward to playing our first ever national team match in Harrison.”
The US last faced Ecuador in March of 2007, a 3-1 victory by the Americans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Landon Donovan scored a hat trick in the win, which was former head coach Bob Bradley’s third game in charge. The US have not beaten a South American side in 12 tries since then.
Ecuador, who appeared in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, are currently No. 64 in the most recent FIFA world rankings. They went winless at this summer’s Copa América. The US trip comes just four days after Ecuador's opener in CONMEBOL qualifying for the 2014 World Cup — the Ecuadorians will host Venezuela in Quito on Oct. 7.
The Americans are still winless through three matches with Klinsmann in charge. After drawing Mexico 1-1 in August, the US dropped consecutive 1-0 games earlier this month to Costa Rica in Carson, Calif., and Belgium in Brussels.
The Oct. 11 match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Univisión. Kickoff is set for 7 pm ET. Tickets will be available to Red Bulls season-ticket holders starting Thursday at 10 am ET at newyorkredbulls.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday at 10 am ET.
