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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Eddie Lewis scored a goal midway through the first half and the U.S. men's soccer team held on for a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in an exhibition match Sunday. The U.S. team, composed mostly of MLS/domestic-based players vying to make the 23-man World Cup roster, recorded its sixth shutout in eight games to beat Ecuador for the first time in nine meetings. The Americans, who mostly controlled the action throughout, had four losses and four ties against the Ecuadoreans. They were shut out in seven of those meetings. The U.S. team broke the deadlock in the 21st minute, when Lewis drilled the ball into the right corner of the goal off a pass from Clint Mathis. It was the third goal of the season for Lewis, and new goalkeeper Tim Howard made it stand. The Americans' best chance of the second half came in the 86th minute when Brian McBride collided with goalkeeper Jose Francisco Cevallos trying to head the ball toward the goal off a long pass. Cevallos then knocked McBride to the ground as the American tried to chase down the ball. Howard, 23, making his first appearance with the team, had a few close calls in the 32nd and 33rd minutes. First, he made a nice kick save against Carlos Tenorio. Then, Tenorio's header off a corner kick went wide right. The Americans played the final 32 minutes a man down after Mathis received his second yellow card after fouling Tenorio. Mathis was coming off a two-goal performance against Honduras. An expulsion from an international friendly match does not carry a suspension. The crowd of 24,133 included several hundred yellow-clad Ecuador fans. The U.S. team, which raised its record to 6-1-1 and has outscored opponents 14-2, play March 27 at Germany, then return home to face Mexico on April 3 in Denver and play at Ireland on April 17. Final preparations include games against Uruguay on May 12 at Washington; Jamaica on May 16 at East Rutherford, N.J.; and the Netherlands on May 19 at Foxboro, Mass. At the World Cup, the U.S. team plays Portugal (June 5), South Korea (June 10) and Poland (June 14), all in South Korea.
AP NEWS |
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