USA vs. Ecuador preview: USMNT likely to feature mostly MLS players

Gregg Berhalter’s first camp in charge of the USMNT went about as well as could be expected, as the US won both games by a combined score of 5-0: 3-0 against Panama and 2-0 against Costa Rica. A pair of clean sheets and five different goal-scorers is certainly a bright spot. But that was the annual January Camp when only MLS and Scandinavian based players are called in (though this year Berhalter eschewed calling up anyone from Scandinavia) and the opposition is usually well below full strength. The FIFA window in March is another story, however. Both the US and the opponents have access to their full player pools. The US will need all their best players as they get to take on a pair of South American teams: Ecuador and Chile.

Despite being constantly reassured during the January Camp that Gregg Berhalter would call in the majority of the European based players for this March camp, the roster he called up raised quite a few eyebrows and stirred up plenty of angst among US fans. Of the 24 players called in, 15 are based in MLS and just 8 are from Europe (plus one from Liga MX in Mexico). Not only is most of the roster MLS based, but Berhalter inexplicably called this group “new faces.” Because nothing says new faces like 30-year-old Omar Gonzalez (48 caps), 31-year-old Tim Ream (26 caps), 31-year-old Michael Bradley (143 caps), 24-year-old Jordan Morris (25 caps), and 27-year-old Gyasi Zardes (42 caps). Players that were not called in that Berhalter has yet to look at were Tim Weah of Celtic in Scotland, Josh Sargent of Werder Bremen in Germany, Bobby Wood of Hannover in Germany, or Andrija Novakovich of Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands. The official line from Berhalter is that some of those guys need a look in the U-23 camp (as they gear up to try to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2008 under new manager Jason Kreis), but whatever the reason it does nothing to quell the suspicion of the massive number of folks who believe Berhalter was hired to be an MLS yes-man. It’s worth noting that of the 52 players called up by Berhalter across two camps, 43 have been MLS based.

The European based players that were called in are Ethan Horvath of Club Brugge in Belgium, DeAndre Yedlin of Newcastle United in England (who, despite playing well at right back for one of the best managers in the world in Rafa Benitez, will be playing as a midfielder in Berhalter’s much ballyhooed “system”), John Brooks of Wolfsburg in Germany, Matt Miazga of Reading in England, Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund in Germany, Tyler Adams of Red Bull Leipzig in Germany (who, despite excelling as a midfield player for both Leipzig and the New York Red Bulls, will be playing at right back in Berhalter’s much ballyhooed “system”), and Weston McKennie of Schalke in Germany. Especially concerning is the all MLS front line that includes not just Morris and Zardes but fringe players like Christian Ramirez, Corey Baird, and Jonathan Lewis. Given the nature of the opposition there is plenty of reason for fans to be concerned. The wisdom (or lack thereof) will be on display when the US takes on Ecuador.

Ecuador, like the US, missed out on qualifying for the World Cup in Russia last summer (finishing 8th out of 10 teams in South American qualifying). But unlike the US, they had a decent enough 2018, as they posted a record of 4-1-1 (W-L-D): beating Jamaica and Guatemala in September, losing to Qatar and drawing Oman in October, and beating Peru and Panama in November. The coach for Ecuador is a guy US fans should be familiar with in Hernan Gomez, who spent the last four years as the manager of Panama (long a thorn in the side of the US). The roster he called in is a solid one, with the likes of Antonio Valencia of Manchester United in the midfield and Enner Valencia of Tigres in Liga MX leading the attack with 27 goals in 46 appearances. It also features three US based players: Carlos Gruezo of FC Dallas, Romario Ibarra of Minnesota United, and Jhegson Mendez of Orlando City. After playing the US, Ecuador will travel to Harrison, NJ to play Honduras at Red Bull Arena.

Notes:
1. Ticket sales for the two home games are as bad in March as they were in January. Advance sales for the game against Ecuador in Orlando are at about 12,000 and about 10,000 for the game against Chile in Houston.
2. Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen was initially called into the camp but was forced to withdraw after picking up an injury this weekend. He has been replaced by Jesse Gonzalez of FC Dallas.
3. Reports have been creeping out that the destinations for the two pre-Gold Cup friendlies for the US are Washington DC and Cincinnati but nothing has been officially announced.

When and where to watch the game on US TV

Thursday, March 21, 2018
Orlando City Stadium
Orlando, Florida
8pm ET
Live on ESPN2, UniMas, Univision Deportes Network, Sling Orange, PlayStation Vue and fuboTV (free trial)

All-Time Series

USA trails 4-5-5

Last Meeting

Thursday, June 16, 2016
CenturyLink Field
Seattle, Washington
USA 2-1 Ecuador

Current FIFA Ranking

USA: 25
Ecuador: 58

Next Game

International Friendly
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
USA vs. Chile
BBVA Compass Stadium
Houston, Texas
7:55pm ET
ESPN2, UniMas