- Ecuador 5, El Salvador 1
Ecuador was able to blitz El Salvador with three goals in the first 25 minutes of the match to earn a 5-1 win.
Ecuador controlled the first half and went ahead in the 15th minute, as Real Salt Lake forward Joao Plata’s long range try was deflected and sailed into the back of the net. Four minutes later, Enner Valencia doubled Ecuador’s lead three minutes later, taking advantage of a poor Salvadorian clearance and putting it in.
Plata made it 3-0 in the 25th minute, rounding the El Salvador goalkeeper and slotting it home. El Salvador pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time, as Rafael Burgos was able to slide his shot underneath goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez.
However, Valencia and Cristian Penilla completed the scoring in the second half to give Ecuador the resounding win.
- Colombia 1, Canada 0
Despite a rugged effort by Canada, a James Rodriguez strike in the 75th minute helped Colombia earn its second-straight win at Red Bull Arena.
The teams were scoreless at halftime with Canada being able to deal with their opponent’s offensive firepower well, frustrating the predominantly crowd.
It took a moment of brilliance for Colombia to go ahead with 15 minutes to play. After Rodriguez was fouled outside of the box, he gathered the quickly taken restart and curled a beautiful shot past Milan Borjan to give his team the win.
