PRE-MATCH: All but a trophy on the line for CanMNT in third-place clash vs. USA
Not quite on the stage they expected, the Canadian men's national team will have the showdown with the United States they've been hoping for this Sunday in the Concacaf Nations League third-place match.
A cruelly ironic twist of fate has paired these two rivals in the weekend's sub-headliner, where they'll open proceedings at SoFi Stadium ahead of the evening's unexpected final between Mexico and Panama. Both Canada and the U.S. had serious designs on winning this tournament, but after they lost to the Mexicans and Panamanians, respectively, in their semi-finals, they'll have to settle for this bronze medal clash instead.
Canada come into this game licking their wounds after perhaps the first true disappointment of the Jesse Marsch era. They found themselves second-best in most areas against Mexico on Thursday, struggling to properly impose themselves on the game and paying dearly for mistakes as Raúl Jiménez scored twice to break Canada's three-game unbeaten run against El Tri.
Meanwhile, the U.S. are reeling after a shock defeat to Panama, handed to them by Cecilio Waterman's 94th-minute winner. An upset it certainly was, though not without precedent; in fact, it was a 2-1 loss to Panama at the Copa América last June that largely sealed the Americans' group-stage exit. General sentiment from the American camp after Thursday's loss was that they'd deserved to win -- Tim Ream pointed out postmatch that the Panamanians had scored from their only shot on target of the match, and his coach Mauricio Pochettino echoed the sentiment on Saturday. However, despite their 12 shots and 67 per cent possession, there was a lacklustre nature to their attack.
Both of these two teams will therefore be keen not to leave this Nations League Finals week empty-handed and without a victory of any kind. This clash might not have quite the hype around it that it would've if the trophy was on the line, but the hostility between these two sides -- further stoked by the recent political climate surrounding Canada and the U.S. -- means there will be no love lost.
The last meeting between these sides was a friendly in September, which Canada won 2-1 in a fairly convincing triumph. That was shortly before Pochettino took over as U.S. head coach, though, so this will be his first time squaring off against Les Rouges.
The Americans have also won the last two competitive meetings against Canada, outplaying them in the 2023 Nations League final before winning on penalties in the quarter-final of the Gold Cup later that summer. Prior to that, of course, Canada famously beat the U.S. in Hamilton, Ont. in World Cup Qualifying.
Jonathan David celebrates his goal for Canada vs. the United States in September. (Photo: Canada Soccer)
Most of the Canadian team will remember that stinging defeat in their last Nations League final appearance, with seven of the starting XI from that game -- and 11 of the 23-man squad -- in the group for this match. That loss was a similarly humbling blow to Canada like their recent loss to Mexico, and the Canadians will this time be keen to prove they can beat their Concacaf rivals in a competitive fixture.
Canada coach Marsch will have some key questions to answer in his approach to this game, balancing a desire to go all-out against the U.S. with a need to incorporate some fresher legs with the runway to the 2026 World Cup rapidly shortening. A little squad rotation is to be expected, but most of the main stars will likely be in the starting lineup -- particularly those, like Alphonso Davies, Stephen Eustáquio, and Tajon Buchanan, who will be unavailable for the summer's Gold Cup due to Club World Cup commitments, making this their last competitive match for Canada before 2026.
Pochettino, on the other hand, seems likely to adjust his side after a lifeless showing against Panama. Christian Pulisic will undoubtedly remain the centrepiece of the attack, but after Josh Sargent's poor showing up top it's possible Pochettino turns elsewhere -- perhaps even to Vancouver Whitecaps star Brian White. This isn't quite a full-strength USA team; Antonee Robinson, Johnny Cardoso and Auston Trusty all withdrew just before the semi-final. Likewise, usual key players like Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest were left out of the squad due to injury.
Sunday's game won't be the first time Jesse Marsch and Mauricio Pochettino have crossed paths: in the 2021 UEFA Champions League, Marsch's RB Leipzig played Pochettino's Paris Saint-Germain twice in the group stage, with one match ending in a draw and the other a narrow 3-2 win for PSG.
This isn't quite the Champions League, and nobody will be leaving Los Angeles with a trophy from this game. However, it's never boring when Canada play the United States -- doubly true recently. National pride is very much on the line at SoFi Stadium, between two teams desperate to strike back after humbling defeats.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Canada: St. Clair; Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies; Sigur, Koné, Eustáquio, Ahmed; P. David, J. David
United States: Turner; Musah, Carter-Vickers, Richards, Scally; McKennie, Adams, McGlynn, Weah; Pulisic, White
ALL-TIME SERIES
Canada wins: 9 || USA wins: 15 || Draws: 6
Last meeting:
Sept. 7, 2024 -- United States 1-2 Canada (International Friendly)
KEY QUOTES
"We would be very foolish if we don't expect a hard, real game and a big response from the U.S. national team. That being said, Our guys are excited about the challenge. The disappointment of the game against Mexico is behind us. I think we know there are some things that we can do better, but overall, the performance was strong, and our team continues to show that we are a good team and and that we're going to continue to get better." -- Canada head coach Jesse Marsch
"What we want to see is the same focus on concentration and mental level, in every single game, official or not official competition. And for me, tomorrow is going to is going to be an important game, to see how we react. We need to show character." -- U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino
