The United States men’s national team will continue their march toward the World Cup with another tough matchup, this time hosting Ecuador in Austin, Texas, on Friday night. The USMNT will look to build from defeating Japan during the September international break, facing yet another squad who have qualified for the World Cup. Ecuador are currently on an 11-match unbeaten run, including a defeat of Argentina last time out, and they haven’t allowed a goal in their last five matches. 

That will be quite a test for the USMNT attack, but these are the kind of matches that will help Mauricio Pochettino determine if the squad is ready for the World Cup. Not taking part in Concacaf World Cup qualifying since they are hosts, matches like this one are how the USMNT will improve ahead of 2026. With a goal of getting past the round of 16 to better their performance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, being able to face the best teams in the world will help Pochettino polish his tactics and learn more about his squad less than a year out.

Follow along as CBS Sports has updates on the match.Â