Five Things to Know about Canada

The U.S. Men’s National Team will meet northern neighbors Canada in an international friendly at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. ET (TBS, Telemundo, Universo, MAX, Peacock, FDP Radio).

The pair of North American counterparts will meet for the 41st time since starting the series almost a century ago in 1925.

After Saturday's game, the USA will welcome New Zealand for a matchup at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. ET.

FOOTBALLING HISTORY

Over the last few years, an influx of young talent has seen Canada emerge as a key player in Concacaf, which has in turn helped the nation reassert itself on the global stage.

The Canadians qualified for their second FIFA World Cup back in 2022, although they have yet to win a match at the tournament across both appearances.

They qualified for the first time at Mexico 1986, but ultimately lost all three matches and exited in the group stage.

They then went eight consecutive cycles before reaching the World Cup again, when they punched their ticket to Qatar 2022 by finishing atop regional qualifying with an 8-2-4 record. Canada dropped all three contests that December, falling 1-0 to Belgium in its Group F opener before seeing defeats to Croatia (4-1) and Morocco (2-1) in the team’s final two matches.

Outside of World Cup Qualifying, the Canadians' biggest moment came in 2000, when they captured the Concacaf Gold Cup. Canada bested Colombia in the final, 2-0, as Jason de Vos and Carlo Corazzin (who finished with a tournament-best four goals) scored on either side of halftime. Goalkeeper Craig Forrest recorded the shutout.

Midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, who retired last season, is the nation’s all-time caps leader with 105.

Forward Cyle Larin, a current member of the squad, has scored more goals than any other Canadian men's international (29), followed closely by teammate and forward Jonathan David (28).

USMNT HISTORY VS. CANADA

The USA holds a 17-11-12 advantage in its series with Canada all-time, outscoring its foes 62-40.

In the first clash between these two Concacaf rivals, Canada recorded a 1-0 win in Montreal as Ed McLaine tallied the lone goal in the 16th minute against goalkeeper Jimmy Douglas in heavy rain on a slippery field on June 27, 1925.

The North Americans first met in a World Cup qualifier on June 22, 1957, when Canada recorded a 5-1 win in Toronto. The USA's first WCQ triumph over Canada came in Atlanta via a 1-0 victory on Oct. 27, 1968, behind Dietrich Albrecht’s goal.

In more recent times, the USMNT owes its qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup to a 3-0 win in Burnaby, British Columbia on Nov. 9, 1997. Claudio Reyna scored in the fifth minute of that match and set up the first of two late Roy Wegerle goals. Goalie Brad Friedel secured the clean sheet.

2023 saw a pair of memorable victories for the U.S. over Canada. On June 18, the USMNT were 2-0 victors in the final of the Concacaf Nations League held in Las Vegas. Folarin Balogun scored his first U.S. goal in what was his second appearance for the team, which was followed by Chris Richards’ first U.S. tally in the 55th minute. The pair of goals coupled with the shutout kept by Matt Turner lifted the USMNT to it’s second-straight championship in the competition.

The teams' next and most recent encounter occurred on on July 9, 2023 in the Concacaf Gold Cup, when the Americans prevailed in a shootout, 3-2, after playing to a 2-2 draw in regular time. Goalkeeper Matt Turner made a pair of saves in penalties on that night Cincinnati. Turner denied attempts from Steven Vitoria and Liam Fraser. That match was filled with late drama, as Brandon Vazquez snapped a scoreless tie in the 88th minute that was negated when Vitoria put away a penalty kick three minutes into added time. Jacob Shaffelburg scored his first international goal for Canada in the 109th minute, but a rebound off of a Busio shot went off Scott Kennedy into the net for an own goal five minutes later to level the match.

MANAGER

Jesse Marsch was appointed manager on May 13 of this year, succeeding Mauro Biello. Biello had taken over as interim head coach from John Herdman.

Marsch, 50, had a lengthy playing career in the United States for D.C. United, Chicago Fire and Chivas USA in Major League Soccer from 1996 through 2009. He scored 31 goals in 321 appearances, mostly as a midfielder. He was a member of MLS Cup championship teams with D.C. (1996) and Chicago (1998), and was a four-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champ four (1996, 1998, 2000 and 2003).

He made two appearances for the USMNT, and was an assistant coach under Bob Bradley during the Americans' second-place finish at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup before leaving in 2011.

A year later, Marsch was appointed as the head coach of the Montreal Impact (now CF Montreal) in its expansion year in MLS. In 2015, he took over the coaching reins of the New York Red Bulls, whom he led to the Supporters' Shield with a club-record 18 victories.

Marsch then joined RB Leipzig of the German Bundesliga as an assistant coach in 2018, before taking over for Marco Rose at Red Bull Salzburg for the 2019-20 season. He guided the team to consecutive doubles as Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21. After parting ways with the team in December 2021, Marsch became Leeds United coach in February 2022, becoming the third U.S. citizen to coach in the English Premier League (David Wagner and Bradley were the others). He was fired in February 2023.

RECENT MATCHES

The Canadians have won only two of nine games in regulation play this year, but their 2-3-4 record is a bit deceiving.

They kicked off the year with a 2-0 triumph over Trinidad & Tobago in 2024 the Copa América qualifying playoffs on March 23. Cyle Larin (61st minute) and Jacob Shaffelburg (a minute into second-half stoppage time) found the net while Maxime Crépeau registered the clean sheet.

After losing to the Netherlands 4-0 in a Copa América warm-up match in Rotterdam on June 6, Canada played France to a scoreless draw in Bordeaux three days later.

At Copa América, they then went 1-1-1 in their group stage matches. They dropped a 2-0 decision to Argentina in Atlanta on June 20, but bounced back with a 1-0 win against Peru in Kansas City on June 25. Jonathan David tallied the lone goal as Crépeau backstopped the shutout. Canada booked a spot in the knockout round with a 0-0 tie with Chile in Orlando, as Crépeau again secured the clean sheet.

In a July 5 quarterfinal in Arlington, Texas, the Canadians prevailed as Crépeau made a vital save on Venezuela's sixth penalty attempt after a 1-1 finish to regular time. Ismaël Koné’s connection on his attempt then made the difference as Canada walked away 4-3 winners in the shootout.

In the ensuing semifinal against the Argentines on July 9, the North American side dropped another 2-0 decision and were eliminated from the tournament.

In the third-place match, Canada battled Uruguay to a 2-2 tie before the South Americans prevailed in a shootout, 4-3, in Charlotte, N.C. Rodrigo Bentancur lifted the Uruguayans into an eighth-minute lead, but Koné knotted things up in the 22nd minute. Jonathan David boosted Canada into the lead in the 80th minute, but Luis Suárez tied things up with a goal two minutes into injury time.

CANADA ROSTER

Manager Jesse Marsch called in 24 players for its two friendlies, as the Canadian roster should be familiar to many U.S. soccer fans. 13 players perform domestically in MLS, while many of the rosters overseas-based players began there.

Canada boasts a dynamic duo up front with its two all-time leading goal-scorers - Cyle Larin of Spanish club Mallorca and Jonathan David of Ligue 1’s Lille. Larin has scored twice against the USMNT, both during 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

In the back, defender and team captain Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich, Germany) is among the world’s best two-way players at his position, having picked up 15 goals in his 53 Canada appearances. Midfielder Stephen Eustáquio (FC Port) has been the vice-captain.

Veteran defender Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC) has accrued the most international appearances (78) on this squad.

Four players are seeking their first cap - goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois (CF Montreal), midfielders Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split) and Nathan Saliba (CF Montreal), and forward Stephen Afrifa (Sporting Kansas City).

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3): Maxime Crépeau (Portland Timbers/USA; 22/0), Jonathan Sirois (CF Montreal; 6/0), Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United/USA; 0-0).

DEFENDERS (8): Samuel Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps; 42/1), Moise Bombito (Nice/FRA; 12/0), Derek Cornelius (Marseille/FRA; 26/0), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich/GER; 53/15, Alistair Johnston (Celtic/SCO; 48/1); Richie Laryea (Toronto FC; 55/1); Kamal Miller (Portland Timbers/USA; 45/0), Joel Waterman (CF Montreal; 3/0).

MIDFIELDERS (6): Ali Ahmed (Vancouver Whitecaps; 7/0) Mathieu Choinière (Grasshopper Club Zurich/SUI; 5/0); Stephen Eustáquio (FC Porto/POR; 42/4), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/CAN; 78/9), Nathan Saliba (CF Montreal; 0/0), Niko Sigur (Hadjuk Split/CRO; 0/0).

FORWARDS (7): Stephen Afrifa (Sporting Kansas City/USA; 0/0, Theo Bair (Auxerre/FRA; 3/1), Jonathan David (Lille/FRA; 54/28); Cyle Larin (Mallorca/ESP; 73/29); Liam Millar (Hull City FC/ENG; 32/1); Tani Oluwaseyi (Minnesota United/USA; 6/0), Jacob Shaffelburg (Nashville SC/USA; 16/3)