HARRISON, NJ (Sept. 12, 2011) – The New York Red Bulls announced today that Red Bull Arena will host the United States Men’s National Team for the first time in its history, as the Americans will face the Ecuador National Team on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7:00 PM. It will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision. Fans can also follow along on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.
The match will be the second for U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in four days in early October as the U.S. will face Honduras three days earlier on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Both matches fall during an international fixture window, which gives Klinsmann the opportunity to call in a full complement of players.
“We want to expose the team to as many styles as possible, and we know the quality of Ecuador,” said Klinsmann. “We are also excited for the opportunity to play in Red Bull Arena. The stadium is one of the best soccer-specific venues in the United States and we are looking forward to playing our first ever national team match in Harrison.”
“We are honored to host the U.S. Men’s National Team at Red Bull Arena for the first time in our stadium’s history,” said Red Bulls President, Business Operations Chris Heck. “It will be a unique opportunity to bring together the deep passion for the National Team within the country’s top soccer market and the premium soccer-specific venue in North America.”
Red Bulls Season Ticket Holders will be able to purchase tickets for the match during a special presale window that begins on Thursday Sept 15 by logging onto www.newyorkredbulls.com:
- Official US Supporters Groups: Starts on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 10:00 AM until Thursday, Sept. 15 at 8:00 AM.
- Exclusive Presale Windows, including Red Bulls Full Season Ticket Holders: Starts Thursday, Sept. 15 at 10:00 AM to Friday, Sept. 16 at 8:00 AM
- Visa Cardholders: Starts Friday, Sept. 16 at 10:00 AM ET to Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8:00 AM.
- General Public: Sale starts on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 10:00 AM.
The U.S. only holds a 2-4-4 record against Ecuador, but both wins have come in the last two meetings. After only scoring two goals in eight games (both in a 2-2 draw on Dec. 2, 1984), the U.S. finally earned their first victory against Ecuador on March 10, 2002, with a 1-0 victory in Birmingham, Ala. that saw U.S. goalkeeper and New Jersey native Tim Howard earned his first cap and first shutout. In the next match of the series, the U.S. was led by all-time leading goalscorer Landon Donovan who registered a hat trick in a 3-1 victory on March 25, 2007, in Tampa, Fla.
Ecuador has qualified for two FIFA World Cups, in 2002 and 2006, and just missed the South American playoff spot during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. Ecuador will be traveling to the United States directly following its opening 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Oct. 7 when the team hosts Venezuela.
The Oct. 11 match will be the first for the U.S. Men at Red Bull Arena, but the second for a U.S. National Team as the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Mexico 1-0 at the venue in that team’s Send-Off match before heading to Germany for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
