No one ever said advancing to the semifinal round of a major tournament would be an easy task.
For the second consecutive match, the United States men's national team displayed a ton of resiliency with 10 men to hold on to a victory at the Copa America Centenario.
On Thursday, the menace of the USMNT midfield, Jermaine Jones, was sent off seconds after Ecuador's Antonio Valencia received a second yellow for a cheap tackle on Alejandro Bedoya near the benches.
Jones was ejected for putting his hands in the face of an Ecuador player during the scrum that developed after Valencia's reckless challenge.