Copa America Schedule 2016: Thursday Live Stream, TV Info and Odds
The United States will have the honour of getting the Copa America Centenario quarter-finals underway on Thursday evening, when they take on Ecuador hoping to seal their spot in the tournament's final four.
Manager Jurgen Klinsmann's side benefited from Colombia's 3-2 defeat against Costa Rica on Saturday and topped Group A to set up a last-eight meeting with Group B runners-up Ecuador.
La Tricolor finished second in their pool behind Peru, but the U.S. would be wise to tread lightly around a team that failed to suffer a loss in the first round of the competition.
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Read on for a preview of Thursday's quarter-final showdown, complete with all the vital viewing information and odds ahead of what promises to be a historic tie for the hosts.
| Thursday, June 16 | 9:30 p.m./2:30 a.m. (Friday, June 17) | United States Win: 7-4 | Draw: 9-4 | Ecuador Win: 9-5 |
| Friday, June 17 | 8 p.m./1 a.m. (Saturday, June 18) | Peru win: 6-1 | Draw: 3-1 | Colombia Win: 11-17 |
| Saturday, June 18 | 7 p.m./12 a.m. (Sunday, June 19) | Argentina Win: 3-10 | Draw: 19-4 | Venezuela Win: 11-1 |
| Saturday, June 18 | 10 p.m./3 a.m. (Sunday, June 19) | Mexico win: 17-10 | Draw: 9-4 | Chile Win: 19-10 |
Fox Sports will broadcast the matches in the United States, while Premier Sports will do so for the United Kingdom. The action can also be streamed live at Fox Soccer 2GO (U.S.) and FuboTV (U.S.).
Odds provided courtesy of Odds Shark and Oddschecker where available.
Clint Dempsey First Goalscorer: 5-1
The United States have impressed since dropping to a 2-0 defeat against Colombia in their 2016 Copa America opener, and much of that improvement is thanks to international war horse Clint Dempsey.
The 33-year-old is currently priced at 5-1 to open the scoring against Ecuador, having slotted the first goals in previous clashes against Costa Rica and Paraguay, the latter being the winner in a 1-0 victory:
Dempsey has long been a driving force for the national team, even though Klinsmann hinted at there being threats throughout his squad following DeAndre Yedlin's red card in their most recent win, per Goal's David Manuca:
"It's a bummer not to have him in the lineup. Sooner or later you lose a player through an injury or second yellow card. But everyone on the bench is ready to step in. This is a good feeling we have.
When somebody goes down or we need to make a substitution or a tactical substitution, the next one is getting the job done. This is what a team is about.
"
While depth is all well and good, Dempsey still appears to be the standout talent in attack, and if the U.S. happen to get a penalty against Ecuador, he'll be the man in the frame to take it.
Alternatively, Oddschecker also have Dempsey listed at 7-4 to score anytime against Gustavo Quinteros' side, but given his recent record of breaching first, the Seattle Sounders star is favourite to bag first.
Ecuador to Win Both Halves: 10-1
As impressive as the United States have been of late, it can't make up for the fact Klinsmann's men were so outclassed against Colombia, and Ecuador promise to be their biggest test since then.
The absence of right-back Yedlin may not be a grave impact, but it certainly causes the need for defensive alterations, which Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas recently delved into:
Ecuador also failed to score in their group-stage opener but have come back to net six in their last two outings, and they're at 10-1 to win both halves in Seattle on Thursday, per Oddschecker.
Quinteros has a talented group at his disposal, and Argentina legend Diego Maradona had high praise for the team after they qualified for the 2014 World Cup, per the Guardian: "Ecuadorians always had good technique, but they never had a professional squad such as this. It’s the best in their history."
Premier League namesakes Antonio and Enner Valencia contribute a lot in attack, while a team that shut Brazil out en route to a 0-0 draw in their group-stage clash is always liable to be a threat.
