Who is Andrés Matonte, the referee for Argentina - Ecuador in the Copa América?

Uruguay’s Andrés Matonte will referee Argentina and Ecuador’s Copa América quarter-final in Houston today, as the defending champions continue their bid to become the third team this century to win back-to-back tournament titles.

If they beat the Ecuadorians, Argentina will qualify for their fifth straight Copa América semi-final; La Tri, meanwhile, are aiming to make it to the last four for the first time since 1993.

Who is Andrés Matonte?

Matonte was a support official at the Copa América in 2021, but this is the first time he has been named on the prime roster of referees for the event.

He will be overseeing his second game at this summer’s tournament in the United States. The first also involved Argentina: in the group stage, the Uruguayan was handed La Albiceleste’s 1-0 win over Chile on matchday two. Matonte issued two yellow cards and no reds in the match-up in New Jersey, where the 36-year-old drew the ire of the Chileans more than once. Most notably, La Roja felt he should have punished Argentina’s Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero for an elbow on Víctor Dávila, and awarded a spot-kick when Chile’s Gabriel Suazo was tackled by Rodrigo De Paul in the penalty area.

Matonte was also among the referees at the 2022 World Cup. He took charge of one match in Qatar, running the rule over Croatia’s 4-1 victory over Canada in the group stage.

In the club game, Matonte made his domestic top-flight debut in 2017, and has become a regular presence in South America’s continental tournaments. Since 2021, he has made 32 appearances in the Copa Libertadores, the continent’s elite club competition, including the second leg of the 2023 semi-final tie between Brazil’s Palmeiras and Argentina’s Boca Juniors. Boca prevailed, overcoming a second-half red card for Marcos Rojo to reach the final on penalties.

In South America’s second-tier tournament, the Copa Sudamericana, Matonte’s highest-profile assignment was the 2021 final, which saw Athletic Paranaense beat RB Bragantino in an all-Brazilian affair.

Argentina vs Ecuador: start time, how to watch

The Copa América quarter-final between Argentina and Ecuador takes place today, Thursday July 4, 2024, with kick-off at NRG Stadium scheduled for 9pm ET/6pm PT. Viewers in the United States can watch the game on Fox Network, TUDN USA, Univisión and ViX, while you can also stream the action on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

Enjoy Argentina vs Ecuador on fubo.

You can follow live-text coverage of the clash, right here at AS USA. Will Gittins will be building up from about 90 minutes ahead of kick-off, before bringing you minute-by-minute coverage.

Who are Matonte’s assistant referees? Who is the VAR?

Matonte will be heading up an all-Uruguayan team of officials in Houston. His assistant referees will be Nicolas Tarán and Martin Soppi, and the fourth and fifth officials will be Gustavo Tejera and Pablo Llarena, respectively. The video assistant referee (VAR) will be Leodán González, and the assistant VAR will be Richard Trinidad.