Copa America 2016 Bracket: Thursday Quarter-Final Schedule, Odds and Live Stream

Ecuador and hosts United States will meet in the first quarter-final of the 2016 Copa America Centenario on Thursday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The meeting represents the biggest match either team has played since the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

La Tricolor haven't reached the knockout stages of the Copa America since 1997, when they fell at this stage of the tournament, while the Stars and Stripes will be playing in their first Copa quarter-final since 1995.

Oddsmakers are giving both sides roughly the same chance of advancing, and on paper, there's little that separates the two. Here's a look at the latest odds, courtesy of Odds Shark:

Home	Draw	Away
USA: 8-5	2-1	Ecuador: 33-20

And here's the schedule for Thursday:

Time (ET)	Time (BST)	Home	Away	Venue
9:30 p.m.	2:30 a.m. (Friday)	USA	Ecuador	CenturyLink Field, Seattle

Live streams will be available through Fox Soccer 2Go and FuboTV. To access the full tournament bracket, visit the event's official website. 

Preview

Few expected the U.S. to win Group A after their opening-day loss against Colombia, but thanks to strong showings in their other group-stage matches and a poor performance from Los Cafeteros in their final match against Costa Rica, the Stars and Stripes suddenly find themselves in a fantastic position.

A semi-final appearance in the Copa America would be an incredible achievement for this USA team, and in their path stands a team they beat 1-0 in May, the last time these two sides met.

Speaking to the Seattle Sounders' official website (h/t Sport Illustrated's Brian Straus), manager Jurgen Klinsmann said beating Ecuador won't be an easy task:

"

We want to prove ourselves against the top nations from South America and we’re doing great so far. But this is a big-time game.

Ecuador is top-15 in the world. This is a big team … It’s going to be a nail-biter. It’s going to be a 50-50 situation. They want to go badly now into the semis. We want to go badly in the semis.

"

Klinsmann and his troops advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup two years ago, where they lost to Belgium in extra time, and if they want to take the next step in their development, they have to win this match.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

But that won't be easy. Led by the prolific Enner Valencia, who has been in strong form of late, Ecuador kept South American giants Brazil behind them in Group B, and their attacking firepower is impressive.

The hosts will be without star right-back DeAndre Yedlin, who will be suspended, and Fox Soccer's Alexi Lalas hopes Klinsmann doesn't make too many changes in order to replace the speedster:

Jefferson Montero and Antonio Valencia form a dangerous one-two punch out wide, and while Yedlin hasn't enjoyed the best tournament so far, the U.S. will sorely miss his speed against the two. Michael Orozco is expected to replace the Premier League star in what will be one of the toughest challenges of his career.

Defensively, Ecuador have been more secure in the last two years than they were in the past, and there's a good reason they lead CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. La Tricolor shouldn't be underestimated, and they should be regarded as slight favourites entering the match.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

But the home-field advantage will be a massive bonus for the U.S., and the fact the match will be at the notoriously loud CenturyLink Field will only help. As shared by Goal.com's Ives Galarcep, fans in Seattle turned out in force for Argentina's clash with Bolivia, and the scenes should be similar for this match:

Ecuador have some similarities with Colombia, but their main strengths lie out wide—not in the center. Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley should find space to dictate play in midfield, and the duo will be key for the U.S.

The Stars and Stripes struggled to create openings against Colombia. That can't happen against Ecuador.

In attack, Clint Dempsey always seems to play his best on the biggest stage, and he should find space against a solid Ecuador defence that lacks star quality. It will be up to Bradley and Jones to create openings, and if they do, Dempsey will have to make the most of them.

Prediction: USA 2-1 Ecuador