Ecuador Wiretap

Ecuador rallied for a 2-1 victory over Germany on Thursday, with Gonzalo Plata's 77th-minute goal sending the South Americans into the World Cup knockout stage.

Germany, who had already clinched first place in Group E, took an early lead through Leroy Sane's second-minute strike. Nilson Angulo equalized for Ecuador in the ninth minute, beating goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to the far post after Felix Nmecha lost possession in midfield. Ecuador finished with a 1.27-to-0.65 edge in expected goals.

Plata, who had taken a kick to the head during Germany's opening goal, scored the winner after Pedro Vite's corner was headed on by Kevin Rodriguez. Plata toe-poked the ball past Neuer just as the 40-year-old goalkeeper appeared set to gather it.

The result snapped Germany's winning streak at 11 matches, one short of the team's all-time record. Neuer has now conceded more goals at the tournament than he has made saves, and Germany have allowed a goal in nine consecutive World Cup matches, tying their longest such stretch in tournament history.

The win marked Ecuador's first victory over UEFA opposition in any competition since 2013. The team finished third in Group E with four points and is guaranteed advancement as one of the eight best third-place finishers, reaching the knockout stage for just the second time and the first since 2006.

A crowd of 80,663 at MetLife Stadium pushed total World Cup attendance to a record 3,605,357, surpassing the previous mark set across 52 matches at the 1994 tournament in the United States.

Germany will play their round of 32 match Monday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, likely against Paraguay, Australia or Sweden.

Goalkeeper Eloy Room produced a record-setting performance Saturday, making 15 saves to help Curacao earn a 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Kansas City and secure the nation's first-ever World Cup point.

Room's total marked the most saves recorded by any goalkeeper in 90 minutes of a World Cup match since records began in 1966. Ecuador dominated the match statistically, finishing with a commanding 3.05-to-0.48 edge in xG (expected goals).

Room was tested early, denying Enner Valencia in the third minute, and continued making key stops throughout, including efforts from Gonzalo Plata and a second low save against Valencia. Kevin Rodriguez later struck the crossbar, while Piero Hincapie sent a free header over the bar and Plata missed after breaking into the box.

Curacao, representing a nation of just 158,000 people, also created chances of their own. Goalkeeper Hernan Galindez denied Leandro Bacuna and Livano Comenencia in quick succession, and Moises Caicedo blocked a follow-up attempt from Jurgen Locadia. Tahith Chong wasted a three-on-two opportunity earlier in the match.

The result represented a significant turnaround for coach Dick Advocaat's side, which had been routed 7-1 by Germany in their tournament opener.

The point keeps Curacao's hopes of advancing from Group E alive. The team would qualify for the knockout stage with a victory over Ivory Coast in their final group match.

Substitute Amad Diallo of Manchester United scored in the 90th minute to give Ivory Coast a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in a tight World Cup Group E opener Sunday in Philadelphia.

Ivory Coast entered the tournament with the 11th-most valuable roster among all 48 nations at $610.54 million, per Transfermarkt, compared to Ecuador's 19th-ranked squad at $432.63 million.

Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger coveted by Liverpool and other top European clubs, controlled long stretches of the match with his one-on-one ability. Liverpool had contacted Leipzig regarding a potential transfer, with the asking price exceeding $151.2 million.

Ecuador struck the crossbar twice in the first half through John Yeboah and Alan Minda. Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi hit the same crossbar early in the second half. Ivory Coast held a clear 1.68-to-1.03 edge in xG (expected goals) despite the narrow scoreline.

Wilfried Singo's driving run set up Diallo, who guided a composed finish past the Ecuadorian goalkeeper in stoppage time. Coach Emerse Fae also introduced Ibrahim Sangare, Yann-Ange Bonny and Odilon Kossounou from the bench without sacrificing quality.

Ecuador, ranked 25th by FIFA and considered a potential tournament dark horse, showed patience and precision in possession during the opening half but lacked a clinical touch in front of goal. Striker Enner Valencia wasted a clear opportunity, and the team faded as fatigue set in late.

Ivory Coast sit second in Group E behind Germany, who defeated Curacao 7-1, by goal differential.

France enters the 2026 World Cup with the most valuable roster in the tournament at $1.76 billion, according to squad valuation data from Transfermarkt, with England ($1.507 billion) and Spain ($1.449 billion) ranked second and third.

Portugal, Germany, and Brazil round out the six nations surpassing the $1 billion threshold in total squad value.

Spain's Lamine Yamal and Norway's Erling Haaland share the top individual valuation at $238 million. Haaland alone accounts for roughly 33 percent of Norway's total $691 million squad value. Kylian Mbappe ranks third among individual players and leads France's roster.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ranks seventh among individual players but will not appear in the tournament after Georgia failed to qualify.

2026 World Cup Squad Valuations

1. France: $1.760 billion
2. England: $1.507 billion
3. Spain: $1.449 billion
4. Portugal: $1.173 billion
5. Germany: $1.148 billion
6. Brazil: $1.049 billion
7. Netherlands: $962.78 million
8. Argentina: $940.13 million
9. Norway: $691.15 million
10. Belgium: $624.34 million
11. Ivory Coast: $610.54 million
12. Morocco: $561.43 million
13. Senegal: $543.84 million
14. Turkiye: $543.61 million
15. Sweden: $492.18 million
16. Uruguay: $466.10 million
17. Croatia: $448.16 million
18. United States: $438.90 million
19. Ecuador: $432.63 million
20. Switzerland: $382.49 million
21. Colombia: $350.46 million
22.Japan: $320.74 million
23. Algeria: $295.44 million
24. Austria: $278.53 million
25. Ghana: $269.50 million
26. Canada: $226.15 million
27. Mexico: $220.63 million
28. Czechia: $216.41 million
29. Scotland: $195.79 million
30. Paraguay: $176.70 million
31. Bosnia-Herzegovina: $174.34 million
32. DR Congo: $165.49 million
33. South Korea: $159.91 million
34. Egypt: $133.95 million
35. Uzbekistan: $98.13 million
36. Australia: $89.07 million
37. Tunisia: $80.44 million
38. Haiti: $64.29 million
39. Cape Verde: $62.68 million
40. South Africa: $56.64 million
41. Saudi Arabia: $46.78 million
42. Panama: $39.73 million
43. New Zealand: $39.50 million
44. Iran: $36.86 million
45. Curacao: $29.65 million
46. Iraq: $24.38 million
47. Jordan: $23.58 million
48. Qatar: $22.92 million

United States coach Mauricio Pochettino praised his team's resilience after Folarin Balogun's 71st-minute equalizer secured a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in a physical friendly at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on Friday night.

The Americans dominated possession and created more chances, recording an expected goals (xG) of 1.09 compared to Ecuador's 0.49, while also winning eight corners to Ecuador's four. The result extends Ecuador's unbeaten streak, which dates back to September 2024.

Second-Half Surge Produces Result

Ecuador took the lead in the 24th minute when Enner Valencia finished a counter-attack with a low shot past goalkeeper Matthew Freese. The U.S. responded by maintaining attacking momentum throughout the match.

"We were so brave in trying to go forward, try to find the space," Pochettino said postgame. "I think we improved in the second half. I think we dominate the game in all the aspects."

Balogun redirected Malik Tillman's cross off the post to level the score, marking his second goal in as many games for the national team and his seventh in 20 appearances.

"So happy. Always a striker needs to feel the net, and his work ethic is amazing in the way that he always is available in every single aspect of the game, with and without ball," Pochettino said about the AS Monaco forward.

Injury Concerns Mount Before Australia Friendly

The U.S. faces injury concerns ahead of Tuesday's friendly against Australia. Club America's Alejandro Zendejas will return to Mexico after suffering a knee injury in training and was not available for selection against Ecuador.

Fulham's Antonee Robinson, returning from May surgery, also missed the match. AC Milan star Christian Pulisic played just 17 minutes off the bench after dealing with an ankle issue this week.

"Antonee, we need to assess," Pochettino said. "We'll see tomorrow if he can train."

Midfielder Weston McKennie expressed confidence in the team's performance despite the draw.

"I felt like we dominated," McKennie said. "I hope we take confidence. I hope we take the adrenaline from this game, playing forward, rotating the ball, having patience with the ball, and just always trying to be dangerous."

The USMNT has recorded one win, one draw, and one loss since their Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico. Two November friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay will close out the calendar year.

CONMEBOL pulled this summer's Copa America from Argentina due to an increase of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Colombia was previously dropped as a co-host because of protests against President Ivan Duque.

The tournament is scheduled for June 13 through July 10.

CONMEBOL added that a new host would be announced "soon."

CONMEBOL postponed this summer's Copa America until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is an extraordinary measure for an unexpected situation and responds to the fundamental need to avoid the exponential evolution of the virus," said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.

The tournament will now be rescheduled between June 11th and July 11th. The tournament will take place in Argentina and Colombia.

The decision comes on the heels of UEFA suspending the European Championship until 2021.

Cambridge University Press has completed a study to find the three words most frequently used during the World Cup to describe all 32 teams.

The team at Cambridge scoured over 15,000 football-specific online sources to produce the following chart.

Lionel Messi headlines the WhoScored Best XI leading up to the World Cup Final with a rating of 8.77.

Arjen Robben ranks second, followed by James Rodriguez, Neymar and Miralem Pjanic.

Tim Howard is in goal behind a back line of Ron Vlaar, Stefan de Vrij, Serge Aurier and Ricardo Rodriguez.

Thomas Müller, who has scored five goals with three assists, is also on the team.

Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle are leading the pursuit to sign Enner Valencia.

The slight striker plays for Mexican Premier Division club Pachuca, where he has enjoyed a prolific spell since moving in January.

Valencia has been excellent for Ecuador in the World Cup.

Pachuca's vice-president Andres Vassi has admitted it will be hard to hold on to the strier if a big offer comes in.

"Enner Valencia's value increases every day. We don't know if he will stay, it will be hard given the offers we have received," he told Mexican ESPN.

"The options that a great player at this level gets are to be taken into account. But for now he has to keep doing things right.

"No doubt it would hurt us to let Enner Valencia go, but we are realistic about his quality."