USA vs Canada
The USA are back to the drawing board after their miserable run during the Copa America not too long ago, and they’re hoping to get back on their feet in this week’s set of International Friendly games.
First up for the Stars and Stripes are Canada, who, in contrast, exceeded expectations in their Copa America debut.
While many fans await the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino, arguably their biggest impending hire, he won’t be available on Saturday night, so interim head coach Mikey Varas will be at the touchline in the meantime.
Canada, who will visit Kansas City this weekend, will look to sustain their momentum under Jesse Marsch with a victory against their continental rivals, and the SBOTOP International Friendly 2024 odds give them the edge to do so.
Talking Points
Pulisic will aim to regain his confidence with USA
One player who will have a pivotal role for the USA is Christian Pulisic, who is not in a great mood right now.
This time last year, the former Chelsea man was enjoying his AC Milan debut, but this is not the case this time, as his team is on a winless run to kick off the 2024-25 campaign.
To his credit, Pulisic already opened his account this season by scoring the consolation goal in their 2-1 upset loss against Parma. He is the most accomplished player on the national team with 30 goals in 71 caps.
With Tim Weah, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, and Weston McKennie all not included in the national team squad for this international break, Pulisic will be tasked with carrying the offencive cudgels for the USA alongside Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright, among others.
In other International Friendly 2024 updates, interim manager Mikey Varas also called up new names in the senior team, as Patrick Schulte, Diego Kochen, Caleb Wiley, Marlon Fossey, and Kristoffer Lund will aim to add caps to their resumes.
It’s good to see Schulte and Wiley earn promotions to the senior team after representing the USA at the Paris Olympics, where they reached the quarter-finals, although it would be hard to envision them starting over Matt Turner or Joe Scally this weekend.
Canada will maintain the same core
Jesse Marsch didn’t make surplus changes this international break, as he will have essentially the same squad he brought during the Copa America.
Cyle Larin, Jonathan David, and Jacob Shaffelburg will be their top attackers, while Jonathan Osorio and Stephen Eustaquio remain as their leaders in midfield.
Alphonso Davies, Moise Bombito, Richie Laryea, and Derek Cornelius will likely make up their four-man backline against the USA to cover for either Maxime Crepeau or Dayne St. Clair.
Like Mikey Varas, Jesse Marsch will use this international break to introduce a couple of new faces, as he has given call-ups to Niko Sigur, Jonathan Sirois, Nathan Saliba, and Stephen Afrifa.
History
The USA have been historically great against Canada, given their advantage in the overall head-to-heads. Prior to Saturday, the Stars and Stripes and the Maple Leafs faced off 42 times in all competitions, with the former notching 20 wins and the latter recording 11 wins and 11 draws.
These two nations go way back, as their first encounter was an International Friendly back in November 1885. Canada won the said game 1-0.
The USA have won their last two meetings against Canada. One of which was a 2-0 victory to secure their second straight CONCACAF Nations League trophy in June 2023 (before winning their third straight in 2024 against Mexico).
These two teams met again in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals, where the USA eliminated Canada via penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation.
The Stars and Stripes were eventually defeated by Panama, who finished as the tournament’s runners-up after losing to Mexico in the final, also via penalties.
The hosts have yet to lose at Children’s Mercy Park, gathering eight wins and two draws with a whopping 20 goals scored and conceding only twice.
AC Milan midfielder Yunus Musah is poised to notch his 40th cap for the USA against Canada, which is impressive for a 21-year-old.
Meanwhile, veterans Jonathan Osorio and Cyle Larin can reach their 80th and 75th caps for Canada as soon as next Tuesday.
After this game, the USA will cap off the September international break with another home match against New Zealand at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Tuesday, while Canada will square off against Mexico at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on the same day.
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