Hale‘iwa's Brian Ching of the United States returns to action with a bandaged nose after being kicked in the face earlier in the first half of an international friendly soccer match against Ecuador in Tampa, Fla. The United States won 3-1. Mike Carlson | Associated Press

Donovan, selected as captain for the first time under interim coach Bob Bradley, moved into a second-place tie with Brian McBride on the American scoring list with 30 goals, four behind Eric Wynalda. Following an 18-game, 1½-year scoreless streak in international play, Donovan has five goals in three matches this year, helping the Americans to a 3-0 record.

Donovan caught Ecuador by surprise when he scored on a 30-yard kick just 45 seconds in. He snapped a 1-1 tie in the 66th minute — with an assist from Hale'iwa's Brian Ching — and tallied his third against goalkeeper Rorys Aragon less than a minute later.

Felipe Caidedo scored Ecuador's lone goal in the 11th minute.

The game, played before a crowd of 31,547 at Raymond James Stadium, was the first of two exhibitions in a four-day span that concludes Wednesday with a match against Guatemala at Frisco, Texas.

Wearing their new blue pinstriped jerseys, most of the top American players were together for the first time since last year's World Cup, where the U.S. team went 0-2-1 and was eliminated in the first round.