The American men’s national team squared off against Ecuador on Thursday night and left with a satisfying 1-0 win in Orlando, Florida.
After being knotted in a scoreless draw during the majority of the night, the US finally broke through with a goal in the 81st minute to win.
Columbus Crew striker Gyasi Zardes broke the deadlock, but it wasn’t without a bit of luck. His shot deflected off of Ecuador defender Robert Arboleda and somehow dropped into the net. Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez probably should’ve made the save, but the US profited from their mistake.
The win was the USMNT’s third consecutive triumph, which comes after a rough 2018 that saw them miss the World Cup. They also defeated Panama and Costa Rica in January.
Despite winning, the USMNT did have to endure some bad news. During the course of the game, star midfielder Weston McKennie went down with an injury. The Schalke 04 player twisted his ankle after leaping for a ball and left the field on a stretcher.
There is still no official word on the severity of his injury.
The American men will be back in action next Wednesday in another friendly match against Chile in Houston, Texas.
