USMNT to meet Ecuador, Australia in October friendlies

Atlanta, July 15 (IANS) The U.S. men’s national football team will take on two World Cup-qualified sides, Ecuador and Australia, in October as anticipation builds ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil.

The matches against two teams ranked in the Top 25 in the world will provide the USMNT a valuable opportunity to compete against fellow World Cup-bound teams, offering a potential preview of the opponents and styles they could face next summer.

Ecuador will make its fifth World Cup appearance, joining Argentina and Brazil as one of the three teams from South America already confirmed for the tournament. Australia secured its spot by finishing second in its group during the third round of Asian Football Confederation qualifiers, marking the country’s sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.

The USA will first host Ecuador October 10 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. has an even 5W-5L-5D record against Ecuador, with the series resuming for the first time since a 1-0 USA victory on March 21.

The USA also has a balanced record against Ecuador when playing in Texas, going 1W-1L-1D in previous meetings in Houston, Fort Worth, and Frisco. One of the most notable encounters between the two sides came during the 2016 Copa America Centenario, where the USA earned a 2-1 victory in Seattle to advance to the semifinals.

Four days later, USA will play Australia in Commerce City, Colorado on October 14.

The USMNT has only faced Australia three times in its history, and the teams hold a level 1W-1L-1D record. Their most recent encounter was 15 years ago on June 5, 2010, in a final tune-up for both teams before the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The USA won that match 3-1, with Edson Buddle finding the back of the net twice and Herculez Gomez solidifying the victory with a stoppage-time goal in Roodepoort, South Africa. The teams have also squared off twice on U.S. soil, with a 0-0 draw in San Jose in 1998 and a 1-0 defeat in Orlando in 1992.

The matches will follow September friendlies against South Korea and Japan. Earlier this month, USMNT lost 2-1 to Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

--IANS

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