On this day in 2002, the US's first win over Ecuador

⚽️ | 📅 #OnThisDay in 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣2️⃣

🇺🇸 #USMNT 1-0 🇪🇨 Ecuador

📍 Birmingham

👔 Arena

📋 Friendly

Featured in OneGoalUS’s newsletter this week.

The USMNT doesn't have much of a history with the South American country but up until this point in 2002, the Yanks were winless in its eight previous matches with Ecuador — mostly friendlies and one Copa America match in 1993.

In the eighth match of the World Cup year for the Yanks, the U.S. used a goal by Eddie Lewis to earn the victory.

21’

Cobi Jones’ long-ball is collected by Clint Mathis. He plays the simple pass into Lewis, who does the rest.

Scorer: Eddie Lewis (Clint Mathis) 21′

USA: 1-Tim Howard; 8-Richard Mulrooney, 2-Carlos Llamosa, 3-Gregg Berhalter, 12-Jeff Agoos; 14-Chris Armas (Capt.), 13-Cobi Jones (17-Brian West, 82′), 7-Eddie Lewis, 21-Landon Donovan; 9-Clint Mathis (ejected, 58′), 20-Brian McBride

Subs not used: 18-Zach Thornton, 10-Brian Maisonneuve, 11-Jeff Cunningham, 19-DaMarcus Beasley, 25-Pablo Mastroeni

ECU: 1-Jose Cevallos; 19-Edison Mendez, 2-Agusto Porozo (Capt.), 6-Raul Guerron, 15-Marlon Ayovi; 17-Geovanny Espinosa, 20-Edwin Tenorio, 5-Alfonso Obregon, 16-Cleber Chala (22-Luis Gomez, 66′); 8-Nicolas Asencio, 18-Carlos Tenorio

Subs not used: 12-Geovanny Ibarra, 7-Juan Carlos Burbano, 14-Moises Candelario, 21-Jorge Guagua.

Referee: Rodolfo Sibrian (SLV)

Cards: Clint Mathis [Y 39′,R 58′], Landon Donovan [Y 50′] — Carlos Tenorio [Y 9′], Edison Mendez [Y 39′], Augusto Porozo [Y 73′]

All match reports and stories posted to Twitter. Follow at @usmnt_historian

Journal #2 3/10

Hello.

My plan was to write every Sunday, but I didn't have anything to say at the time. Now I feel like I do. Yesterday, the news came out that the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal and final would be played in Texas. I had the thought today to see what it would take to go to one, if not both, of the matches. Once I did the research about where and what time the matches would be played in June, it felt like a no brainer. Southwest flight makes it like $250 there and back. I texted Gebbs to see if he would be in and after a little chat, he was behind the cause.

Honduras on Thursday, June 4, would be the semifinal. Basically, I will need Thursday and Friday off work. No problem. Flight Thursday out of St. Louis in the morning sometime. Arrive afternoon sometime in Houston. Hopefully, win the match. Stay in Houston. We will drive from Houston to Dallas Friday. Final Saturday. Fly out Sunday.

This makes me now look forward to a competition that gave every US supporter a breakdown after the loss to Canada in the group, but now that we are out of that group, I am on board again. It was a good last couple days with the players overseas with McKennie scoring Saturday, Adams returning from injury and making his UEFA Champions League debut and Pulisic may be back to match fitness after that ab injury. It seems like things are looking up.

Olympic qualifying starts in less than two weeks and I am looking forward to that. The two senior-team friendlies will be nice too but these three, four or five qualifiers will give us a glimpse at the progression of some of the pool since the U20 World Cup in June 2019. I may journal a little bit of that roster next week as we prep for the matches.

Thanks.