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Copa by the numbers: Argentina vs. Ecuador copa,by,the,numbers,argentina,vs,ecuador,sbnation,com,front-page,soccer,copa-america,soccer-sg

Copa by the numbers Argentina vs Ecuador copabythenumbersargentinavsecuadorsbnationcomfront pagesoccercopa americasoccer sg
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In a tournament full of surprises, the one assumed result was that Argentina, the reigning world champion, would make it into the knockout stage of this year’s Copa America.

Argentina boasts a 3-0 record in the group stages capped by a 2-0 defeat of Peru in its third and final group-round game. Standing in their way of advancing to the semifinals is Ecuador who edged Mexico after a scoreless draw in its final group game leapfrogging them by goal differential in Group B.

Kicking off at NRG Stadium in Houston, Argentina and Ecuador are the first two games of the quarterfinals starting on Thursday (8 p.m., FS1). Ahead of their game, here’s a numerical look at how these two teams match up.

127: The number of wins all-time for Argentina in Copa America. Following the win over Peru, Argentina improved to 127-33-41 in the tournament. Remarkable record when you think the nation has been playing in this tournament since 1916.

Lionel Messi has scored 106 goals for Argentina, 13 in seven Copa America tournaments combined.
Photo by Carlos Sipán/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

106: The number of goals scored by Lionel Messi all-time for Argentina. He has 13 goals all-time in Copa America but is still awaiting his first in this tournament. He’s also the first player to appear in seven Copa America tournaments and set a record in this edition with 35 all-time appearances when he took the field in the opener against Canada.

41: Longtime Ecuadorian striker Enner Valencia leads his nation with 41 goals. Valencia, who has spent time in Europe with teams like West Ham, Everton, and Fenerbahçe, is regarded as one of the best to ever play for the country.

29: The number of times Ecuador has qualified for Copa America since 1939.

Ecuador v Bolivia - International Friendly

Forward Enner Valencia has the most goals all-time for his native Ecuador with 41.
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

15: The number of times Argentina has won the tournament, the last in 2021. They completed the double of major tournaments, winning the FIFA World Cup in Qatar the following year.

1: As of Wednesday, July 3, this match was the only one listed as sold out with fans clamoring at a chance to see Lionel Messi play. However, Messi, who missed the team’s final group match against Peru due to a thigh injury is still questionable for tomorrow night’s game. Still…

300: That’s the average going rate for a seat in the lower bowl of NRG Stadium on secondary marketplaces. Tickets appear to hover around $137 to be in the arena, and if you really want to splash the cash, we found a front-row seat behind the benches still available for $2,800 on StubHub.

U.S. women’s coach Emma Hayes is saying all the right things. Here’s a few of the best so far u,s,women,s,coach,emma,hayes,is,saying,all,the,right,things,here,s,a,few,of,the,best,so,far,sbnation,com,front-page,soccer,united-states-womens-national-team,soccer-sg,all-womens-sports,womens-soccer,usmnt-coverage

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Many believe Emma Hayes has what it takes to return the U.S. women’s national team to the No. 1 status in the world it coveted for decades.

Over the last few years, the prominence of the U.S. women’s team has dropped considerably as key players have retired from the world stage and young newcomers are asked to hold the line.

Despite wins in a pair of recent matches, the U.S. dropped to No. 5 in the latest FIFA women’s world rankings. And while it may not appear as though being the fifth best team in the world is that big of a scare, anyone who knows the dominance of the States for the last 40 years as the preeminent team to beat knows that the latest designation certainly came as a surprise.

For the first time, fans got an insider’s look at the philosophy of Hayes through the latest version of Inside the Crest, U.S. Soccer’s mini-documentary series which chronicles the exploits of both the men’s and women’s programs.

Usually, these are not much more than fluff for the program, but the latest offered a direct look at Hayes and a player pool eager to make her roster in advance of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

Hayes had several poignant comments to the group but these were the Top 5 quotables from Hayes to the team ahead of their back-to-back tune-up games against Korea Republic.

After the Olympic squad is selected, the group will have two tune up games in July. The first against rival Mexico on July 13 (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT, NBC Universo) and Costa Rica on July 16 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT, NBC Universo).

— Emma Hayes to the group ahead of their first game, a 4-0 win against Korea Republic. This is now a group that is 7-1-2 overall in 2024, scoring 26 goals and allowing just seven.

Hayes was adamant in a team meeting that she’s not looking to change much but elevate with the group she’s got. And, right now even with the loss of players like Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and others due to retiring from international duty, Hayes feels she can work what she’s got into one of the world’s best.

This was great as it added a bit of her philosophy on coaching and style and what she expects out of every player. There’s also an acknowledgment off the bat that she and her staff know that it comes down to their preparation as much as the execution. No scapegoating here.

Took this to mean she doesn’t really care about the pressures from the federation. They hired her to do a job and gave her some pretty moldable tools to do it, so what is there to complain about? Results are all that matter and so far, she’s off to a good start.

This quote says it all. Pressure’s off when it comes to worrying about playing for your country. You’re already here. Do your job and enjoy the ride.