PREVIEW: USMNT Set for Fan Appreciation Match against Canada on Saturday in Kansas City

CHICAGO (Sept. 5, 2024) — The U.S. Men’s National Team will host the Fan Appreciation Match against Canada this Saturday, Sept. 7, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. Broadcast coverage of the match will be available on TBS, Telemundo, Universo, Max, Peacock and Fútbol de Primera Radio.

The Fan Appreciation Match will feature fun, interactive fan activations, opportunities to win prizes, and food and drink specials in the stadium prior to the match highlighted by the “Dollar Delights.” FULL LIST OF GIVEAWAYS AND ACTIVITIES

Fans can also follow the match via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT, Instagram @USMNT and the official U.S. Soccer App.

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona II/ESP; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 1/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 44/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 2/0), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege/BEL; 0/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 13/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 61/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 21/1), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 11/0), Caleb Wiley (Strasbourg/FRA; 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 15/0), Cade Cowell (Chivas de Guadalajara; 8/1), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 22/0), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 5/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 39/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 12/0),

FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 42/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 15/5), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 28/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 71/30), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 25/5), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 11/4)

ROSTER UPDATE

On Thursday, Chivas midfielder Cade Cowell was added to the USMNT September Training Camp roster. He replaced midfielder Gio Reyna, who departed camp after being diagnosed with a left groin strain.

Cowell, 20, has appeared eight times for the senior national team, recording one goal. The 2023 Gold Cup veteran has tallied three goals and three assists in six matches to start the Apertura campaign for Chivas.

AGAINST CANADA

This is the USMNT’s first meeting with their northern neighbors outside of official competition since 2016, a 1-0 win on Feb. 5 in Carson, Calif.

The teams most recently squared off twice in 2023 Concacaf competitions, the USA first collecting a 2-0 shutout victory in the Nations League championship match on June 18 in Las Vegas. On July 9, following a dramatic 2-2 draw in extra time, the USMNT utilized two penalty kick saves from Matt Turner to defeat Canada 3-2 in a shootout before a raucous 24,979 fans at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.

Overall, the U.S. holds a 17W-11L-12D edge all-time against Les Rouges.

AT CHILDREN’S MERCY PARK

In the 13 years since the USMNT first stepped on the field at Children’s Mercy Park, there isn’t a venue that has witnessed more success. Overall, the USA has amassed an unbeaten 8W-0L-2D record with a whopping 20 goals scored and only two against at Sporting KC’s home venue. Most recently, a scoreless draw against Uruguay on June 5, 2022, extended the USMNT’s home unbeaten streak to 25 matches that ended one shy of the team record of 26 set from 2013-2015.

ROSTER NOTES

• The roster will have an average age of 24 years, 180 days as of match day on September 7.
• The squad also has an average of 20 caps.
• The 24 players represent clubs in 11 different countries: England (6), Italy (3), Spain (3), France (3), Germany (1), Netherlands (2), USA (2), Belgium (1), Mexico (1), Scotland (1), Wales (1).
• Christian Pulisic (71) is the leading cap-winner, followed by Tim Ream (61), Matt Turner (44), Brenden Aaronson (42), Yunus Musah (39) and Gio Reyna (31).
• Fourteen players are age 23 and younger: Brenden Aaronson, Folarin Balogun and Patrick Schulte (23); Johnny Cardoso, Kristoffer Lund, Aidan Morris, Malik Tillman (22); Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Gio Reyna, Joe Scally (21); Cade Cowell (20); Caleb Wiley (19), Diego Kochen (18).
• Seventeen players were part of this summer’s Copa América roster.
• Two players are uncapped in defender Marlon Fossey, who plays for Standard Liege in Belgium and goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who is part of the FC Barcelona setup.
• This is Kochen’s first summons to the USMNT, while Fossey returns to camp for the first time since taking part in the team’s 2019 Gold Cup pre-camp in Annapolis, Md.
• Two players were part of the USA’s run to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Summer Olympics, with goalkeeper Patrick Schulte appearing in all four matches and defender Caleb Wiley playing in three.
• Center back Auston Trusty earns his first call-up since helping the USA claim its second Concacaf Nations League title in June 2023.
• Eight players on the roster changed clubs over the summer. Veteran defender Tim Ream transferred from Fulham to Charlotte FC, while Mark McKenzie (Genk to Toulouse), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew to Middlesbrough), Auston Trusty (Sheffield United to Celtic) and Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United to Chelsea, loaned to Strasbourg) also made moves to new clubs. Brenden Aaronson re-joined Leeds United after a year on loan to Union Berlin, and Gio Reyna returned to Borussia Dortmund after a half-season loan to Nottingham Forest. Meantime, Matt Turner has joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest.
• Six players have also contributed goals to their clubs since the start of the 2024-25 seasons in Europe. The EFL Championship trio of Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Josh Sargent (Norwich City) and Haji Wright (Haji Wright) have each bagged two goals, while Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman (both PSV Eindhoven) got off the mark this past weekend.
• Fourteen players are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with 10 coming from MLS Academies: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Luca de la Torre (San Diego Surf, Nomads SC), Ethan Horvath (Real Colorado), Diego Kochen (Weston FC), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Christian Pulisic (PA Classics), Gio Reyna (New York City FC), Chris Richards (FC Dallas, Texas SC Houston), Josh Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher), Joe Scally (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (St. Louis Scott Gallagher, Saint Louis FC), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC) and Haji Wright (LA Galaxy).

USA-CANADA NOTES

• The U.S. is 17W-11L-12D against Canada all-time.
• With five appearances, Matt Turner leads the list of 13 players who have previous caps against Canada, followed by Christian Pulisic (4), Brenden Aaronson and Tim Ream (3 each).
• Saturday will mark the USMNT’s first meeting with Canada outside of official competition since 2016, a 1-0 win on Feb. 5 in Carson, Calif.
• 11 players on the U.S. roster featured in the team’s 2-0 victory in the 2023 Concacaf Final on June 18, 2023.
• Defender Auston Trusty’s last appearance for the USMNT came in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Final, where he made an 11-minute substitute appearance.
• Two players (Turner and Cowell) featured in the USMNT’s last meeting with Canada, a 5-4 penalty shootout win after a 2-2 finish to regulation in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Semifinals on July 9, 2023.

CANADA OF LATE

Saturday will be Canada’s first match since finishing fourth at this summer’s Copa América tournament.

After qualifying as a Concacaf participant via a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in March, Canada was drawn into Group A with Argentina, Chile, and Peru. They dropped their opening match to Argentina 2-0, but rebounded with a 1-0 win against Peru before securing a place in the knockout round with a 0-0 draw against Chile.

In a July 5 quarterfinal in Arlington, Texas, the Canadians prevailed over Venezuela as goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau made a key save in penalty kicks following a 1-1 finish in regular time. Their ensuing semifinal meeting with eventual champions Argentina on July 9 saw the Canadians ultimately relegated to the third-place match after La Albiceleste came away 2-0 victors.

In the third-place match, Canada battled Uruguay to a 2-2 finish in Charlotte, N.C., but the South Americans prevailed 4-3 in the penalty shootout that followed.

AT THE HELM

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

Marsch, 50, is a first-time head coach at the international level, having previously held the same role at Leeds United in England, Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, Red Bull Leipzig in Germany, and both the New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal of Major League Soccer. He additionally served as an assistant coach under Bob Bradley during the USA’s second-place finish at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, before leaving in 2011.

Marsch had a lengthy playing career in the United States for D.C. United, the Chicago Fire, and Chivas USA in Major League Soccer from 1996 through 2009.

CANADA ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)

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).