Key takeaways from USMNT's draw vs. Ecuador

Profligacy negates progress

There's a flipside to Balogun's wonderful night out, though, and it's the USMNT's lack of concentration in front of the Ecuador goal. 

Intensity is good. Consistently getting balls into dangerous positions is better. But capitalizing on your chances—no matter how frequent or infrequently they appear—is best, and the USMNT struggled to do that this evening. It was frustrating to watch the team play some of its liveliest attacking soccer in years only to throw it all away on the final ball. There was always one extra pass, one extra step or one extra breath when the USMNT got into Ecuador's box. It looked like analysis paralysis; it felt like a real chink in the USMNT's attacking armor. 

Ecuador deserves some credit for this phenomenon, of course. Its world-class defensive pairing of Joel Ordoñéz and Willian Pacho was excellent on Friday, and relatively unknown keeper Hernan Galindez made a few strong saves. Still, the USMNT bested all of those players at different points throughout the game—it just couldn't put the ball in the net often enough when it did.

Aerial duels can swing games like these...and Chris Richards knows how to win them

Pour one out for Chris Richards. The USMNT center back must be exhausted: he ran more and jumped higher than just about anyone on the field on Friday.

Richards made a few important tackles and interceptions during the game, but it was his work in the air that really thwarted Ecuador's offense. At 6-foot-2, he knew he had a height advantage to work with, and boy did he—Richards won just about every aerial duel he participated in (except for one in his defensive third where 38-year-old Tim Ream, to the surprise of absolutely everybody, managed to out-jump him against the odds.) Pulisic may be the star and Balogun may be the hot new thing, but Richards is the hardworking foundation of this USMNT. He's earned his spot in the World Cup squad over the course of 2025.

The MLS kids still have it

The USMNT was never all that poor against Ecuador, but it looked markedly better when young Major League Soccer prospects Alex Freeman and Diego Luna tapped into the game late in the second half. Their lung-busting runs, strong physicality and creative attacks rejuvenated the team right when it needed it most.

Many believe that the USMNT's MLS contingent is a "B-team," a rip cord only to be pulled in times of dire emergency. That's not the right way to think about it. MLS might not be as strong as the Premier League, Serie A or La Liga, but it's wildly competitive and incredibly physical. Players who thrive in it bring an important element to this USMNT, especially later on—when the opposition loses its legs, the USMNT's MLS kids are right there, ready to run circles around it.