Balogun strikes as USMNT rallies for Ecuador draw

The United States battled backmost for a 1-1 gully with Ecuador aft Folarin Balogun scored successful the 2nd fractional of a back-and-forth lucifer astatine Q2 Stadium successful Austin, Texas, connected Friday night.

Christian Pulisic, who had been a uncertainty owed to an ankle wounded picked up during grooming this week, was named arsenic a substitute, portion Antonee Robinson, whose availability was besides successful question, was near retired of the squad entirely.

The U.S. came into the crippled disconnected the backmost of a triumph and a nonaccomplishment successful its brace of September friendlies -- losing 2-0 to South Korea earlier bouncing backmost to bushed Japan by the aforesaid scoreline. Ecuador, which finished 2nd successful CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, was down respective prima players including Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo.

The Americans started good successful an up-tempo opening 20 minutes, but coiled up conceding archetypal erstwhile Enner Valencia got connected the extremity of a done shot connected a counter-attack and fired a debased changeable past Matthew Freese to springiness Ecuador a pb it took into halftime.

The U.S. continued to look crisp successful the 2nd fractional and yet recovered a archetypal extremity erstwhile Balogun, who'd looked unsafe each night, redirected a Chris Richards transverse disconnected the station and into the backmost of the nett to level the people astatine 1-1.

U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino made galore changes successful the 2nd half, including bringing connected Pulisic successful the 73rd minute, but the Americans could not find the go-ahead goal.

The U.S. plays Australia successful different affable connected Oct. 14, and volition regroup for 2 much exhibitions successful November against Paraguay and Uruguay.