USA-Ecuador Live: Landon Donovan Ends International Career In 1-1 Draw

Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez Final, 1-1: That’s the end of the game. It ends in a 1-1 draw.

Valencia’s late goal put a damper on Donovan’s national-team send-off game. The United States nearly preserved the advantage Diskerud’s early goal gave it, which would have been impressive given the disruptions caused by the second-half substitutions. But Valencia’s long-range stunner rewarded Ecuador for its improvement in the second half and punished Team USA for its inability to sustain attacking pressure in the final hour of the game.

It’s almost fitting that the U.S. lost attacking verve and ingenuity after Donovan’s departure. He brought that to the national team almost every time he played — from games one to 157.

That’s all for now, and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.

90th minute +4, 1-1: Wood has a golden chance to win the game, but Ecuador’s defense scrambles and eliminates the danger.

Wood won the ball near the Ecuador penalty area, dribbled toward goal and laid the ball off for Wondolowski — instead of shooting.

90th minute, 1-1: There will be a minimum of four minutes of added time in the second half.

89th minute, 1-1: Valencia ties it up late in the second half.

Valencia shot from distance. It fizzed over Ream’s head, wrong-footed Guzan and bounced unimpeded into the U.S. goal.

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87th minute, 1-0 United States: Plata dispossesses Gonzalez and tries to shoot, but Ream makes a fantastic block.

80th minute, 1-0 United States: There have been few scoring chances in the second half, as the game has hit a lull late in the second half.

Ecuador has increased its share of possession, but the U.S. defense has held firm when called upon.

76th minute, 1-0 United States: Altidore departs. Wondolowski enters the game and takes the captain’s arm-band.

71st minute, 1-0 United States: Chandler makes a barnstorming dribble into Ecuador’s penalty area, but Erazo trips him up. The referee declines the Americans’ appeals for a penalty kick.

66th minute, 1-0 United States: Yedlin floats a pass to Wood at the far post, but the U.S. forward volleys his shot wide.

62nd minute, 1-0 United States: Team USA is making some changes.

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61st minute, 1-0 United States: Corona is cautioned for a foul on Paredes.

61st minute, 1-0 United States: Altidore could have made it 2-0 after Chandler crosses into the Ecuador penalty area, but a defender’s last-ditch intervention breaks up the play.

58th minute, 1-0 United States: Bedoya slips in the midfield, freeing Cazares to run at the U.S. defense. The Ecuador midfielder dribbles deep into Team USA’s penalty area, but ultimately fails to shoot on goal. It was the most dangerous moment of the second half, so far.

54th minute, 1-0 United States: Erazo is cautioned for a foul on Yedlin.

49th minute, 1-0 United States: Corona has a good scoring chance from close range, but his shot pops into the air, and Banguera collects it.

46th minute, 1-0 United States: The second half is underway.

Ecuador made one substitution at halftime, replacing Penilla with Plata.

Halftime, 1-0 United States: That’s the end of the first half. Team USA leads, and Donovan’s national-team career is over.

Diskerud gave the U.S. a dream start with his fifth-minute goal. Team USA was flying from there until injury struck down Gyau after 20 minutes. The game evened out from there, as the teams each had a couple of chances to add to the scoreline.

Donovan nearly capped his national team career with a goal for the ages near the end of the half, but it wasn’t meant to be. Donovan ends his international career as a star on the world stage and a superstar at home. Few, if any, other players can say that. Donovan has set the bar for all national teamers who will follow him.

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45th minute +2, 1-0 United States: Yedlin shoots at an open goal from point-blank range, but Banguera denies him.

45th minute, 1-0 United States: There will be a minimum of two minutes of added time in the first half.

44th minute, 1-0 United States: Gonzalez replaces Ibarra, as Ecuador makes a first-half substitution.

41st minute, 1-0 United States: Here comes the Donovan substitution.

Donovan hugs his teammates and applauds the crowd, who respond with a standing ovation.

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Corono replaces Donovan.

38th minute, 1-0 United States: Altidore sets up Donovan at the top of Ecuador’s penalty area, and the man-of-the-moment shoots wide of Banguera’s goal.

36th minute, 1-0 United States: Now Bedoya fires a shot into the stands.

34th minute, 1-0 United States: Wood shoots into the stands after running on to Altidore’s lay-off pass 20 yards from the goal.

32nd minute, 1-0 United States: Orozco is cautioned for stepping on Valencia’s foot.

32nd minute, 1-0 United States: Penilla shoots from the top corner of the penalty area, but Guzan saves the tame effort.

30th minute, 1-0 United States: Joe Corona is warming up. Donovan should be exiting soon.

27th minute, 1-0 United States: Valencia skips by Chandler in the midfield and breaks in on goal. Guzan raced off his line and saved Valencia’s shot.

Guzan then makes two follow-up saves.

25th minute, 1-0 United States: Donovan hits the post with around five minutes remaining in his national-team career.

Altidore set up Donovan with a crafty back-heel pass. Donovan took one touch and shot from 15 yards out. Donovan’s effort beat the goalkeeper but not the post.

22nd minute, 1-0 United States: Wood now comes on as an early substitute for the injured Gyau.

Gyau is heading for the dressing room on crutches, and his left knee is wrapped in ice.

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17th minute, 1-0 United States: Altidore shoots agonizingly wide after Yedlin found his run with a well-weighted through-ball into the Ecuador penalty area.

14th minute, 1-0 United States: Cazares broke in behind the high U.S. back line and shot, but his effort dribbled wide.

Gyau now is down with an apparent leg injury. It was a non-contact situation. It doesn’t look like he’ll be able to continue, and Wood is warming up on the sidelines.

14th minute, 1-0 United States: Team USA has seized control of the game in the first 15 minutes. It has a decisive advantage in possession, territory and the all-important scoreline.

Ninth minute, 1-0 United States: Donovan heads Gyau’s cross on goal, but Banguera dove to his left and saved it.

Fifth minute, 1-0 United States: Diskerud scores, and Team USA jumps ahead early on.

Altidore whiffed on Donovan’s cross at the far post but collected it and laid it off to Yedlin, whose pass found Diskerud’s late run. Diskerud finished it emphatically.

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Third minute, 0-0: Neither team has strung passes together so far.

Kickoff: USA-Ecuador is underway at Rentschler Field.

Pregame: Donovan now is being feted on the field.

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Ecuador’s soccer federation is giving him an award.

U.S. Soccer has given Donovan a collage of all the jerseys he has worn during his national-team career.

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The big surprise in the U.S. lineup is the inclusion of Yedlin at one of the wide midfield positions. Yedlin nominally is a right back, but Chandler starts there with his speedy Tottenham-bound teammate ahead of him. Yedlin’s crossing will need to be more accurate than ever when he bombs forward from the midfield.

6:30 p.m.: Here are the lineups:

United States

Brad Guzan (1), goalkeeper
Greg Garza (14), left back
John Brooks (6), center back
Michael Orozco (4), center back
Timmy Chandler (21), right back
Mix Diskerud (8), midfielder
Alejandro Bedoya (11), midfielder
DeAndre Yedlin (2), midfielder
Joe Gyau (7), midfielder
Landon Donovan (10), forward
Jozy Altidore (17), striker

Substitutes

Nick Rimando (22), goalkeeper
Omar Gonzalez (3), defender
Tim Ream (5), defender
Alfredo Morales (19), midfielder
Joe Corona (15), midfielder
Luis Gil (20), midfielder
Miguel Ibarra (9), forward
Bobby Wood (23), striker
Chris Wondolowski (18), striker

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Ecuador

Máximo Banguera (1), goalkeeper
Juan Carlos Paredes (4), right back
Luis Canga (20), center back
Frickson Erazo (3), center back
Walter Ayovi (10), left back
Segundo Alejandro Castillo (14), midfielder
Christian Noboa (6), midfielder
Renato Ibarra (5), midfielder
Juan Cazares (18), midfielder
Cristian Penilla (17), striker
Enner Valencia (13), striker

Substitutes

Alexander Domínguez (3), goalkeeper
Hamilton Piedra, goalkeeper
Arturo Mina (16), defender
Mario Pineida (2), midfielder
Joao Rojas (9), midfielder
Cristian Ramirez (15), midfielder
Carlos Gruezo (19), midfielder
Jonny Uchuari, midfielder
Junior Sornoza (17), midfielder
Jonathan González, midfielder
Joao Plata (7), forward

4 p.m. ET: Landon Donovan will bid farewell to the U.S. men’s national team when it faces Ecuador in an exhibition game Friday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

While Donovan will end his legendary national-team career with his 157th appearance, the show must go on.

The United States plays its first home game since the 2014 FIFA World Cup against another team that competed in Brazil. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called a youthful group together, as he aims to see which of them will become regular contributors and key figures in this new World-Cup cycle.

Ecuador also is building a new team, following its group-stage exit from the 2014 World Cup. Ecuador’s 23-man roster for the U.S. game includes players who play club soccer domestically and in other locales ranging from Moscow, to London, to Mexico City to Salt Lake City.

The teams last met on Oct. 11, 2011 when Ecuador won an exhibition game at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., by a score of 1-0. The players are different this time around, but the teams will be trying to win the game for their respective fans and countries just the same.

USA-Ecuador kicks off at 7 p.m. Join us right here for all the action from Rentschler Field.