The U.S. Men’s National Team will look to rebound from defeat in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal as it renews its burgeoning rivalry with Canada in Sunday’s third-place game.
The match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles kicks off at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by Paramount+ and Univision.
Competitive opportunities prior to the 2026 World Cup are at a premium and after falling to Panama, 1-0, on a stoppage-time strike in the Nations League (CNL) semis, the USMNT has just one more chance at silverware before it welcomes the world next year: the 2025 Gold Cup. Entering this summer’s continental championship with momentum will be crucial, and that effort begins Sunday against the Canadians.
With that in mind, here are five things to know about Canada.
SOCCER IN CANADA
While Canada’s women and its three major men’s professional clubs experienced success, the senior men’s national team endured decades of relative dormancy before springing to life in the late 2010s. Sparked by the emergence of talents like Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Stephen Eustáquio—Canada quickly became a contender.
Canada reached the quarterfinals of the 2017 and 2019 Concacaf Gold Cups and then the semis in 2021. Its 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign was historic, as it finished atop Concacaf’s eight-team final round with an 8W-2L-4D record. The country’s first World Cup appearance in 36 years (and second overall) ended with three defeats in a brutal group featuring eventual semifinalists Croatia and Morocco and long-time world No. 1 Belgium, but Canada had taken a significant leap.
The challenge since has been to build upon it, and results have been mixed. World Cup coach John Herdman departed for Toronto FC (a job he left last November). Canada fell to the USA in both the Gold Cup quarters and the CNL Final in 2023, and then under coach Jesse Marsch, it lost to Argentina in the Copa América semis last year. Canada managed a fourth place finish despite a 1W-2L-3D tournament record.
So while the Canadian men now are a bona fide continental contender and have improved dramatically long-term, rising from a FIFA ranking of 120th in January 2017 to a current high of 31st, they’re still seeking their first title since a Cinderella run to the 2000 Gold Cup crown.
Midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, who retired in 2023, is Canada’s leading cap winner with 105 and its only centurion. David and Larin have set a new national team standard in scoring and are atop the all-time goals list with 31 and 30, respectively.
USMNT HISTORY VS. CANADA
The North American neighbors are in the midst of a unique and intriguing era in their soccer history: they’re relevant and contending at the same time. The USA holds a 17W-11L-13D advantage in the all-time series dating back to 1925. During the USMNT’s “modern era”, which began with its qualification to the 1990 World Cup, the Americans went unbeaten in 15 games against Canada from 1991 through 2016 (9W-0L-6D).
Then Canada turned the cornerand since 2019, the rivalry has taken flight. The series has been even at 3-3-2, with seven of those eight matches occurring in official competition. The countries split a pair of CNL group stage games in 2019. The USA won in the 2021 Gold Cup group stage, the 2023 CNL Final and the 2023 Gold Cup quarters (on penalties). But the Canadians had the better 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, earning a draw in Nashville, Tenn., winning in Hamilton, Ont. and finishing above their southern rival in the final standings.
The most recent meeting between the sides was a Sept. 7, 2024 friendly in Kansas City, Kan., where goals from Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David staked Canada to a 2-0 lead before Luca de la Torre scored his first USMNT goal to bring the hosts to within one. Canada held on for the 2-1 win as the USA played under interim manager Mikey Varas.
Canada hasn’t beaten the USA in consecutive matches since it won an April 1985 friendly in Vancouver, 2-0. That followed a 2-1 World Cup qualifying/Concacaf Championship victory in November 1980.
Defender Chris Richards is the only player on the USMNT’s CNL roster to have scored against Canada, He notched the opener in the 2023 CNL Final won by the Americans, 2-0, in Las Vegas. Canada’s squad features four men who’ve found the U.S. net: Cyle Larin (two), Shaffelburg (two), Alphonso Davies (one) and David (one).
CANADA'S RECENT FORM
Canada is playing for CNL bronze after losing to Mexico, 2-0, in last Thursday’s second semifinal at SoFi. The Canadians outshot El Tri, 11-8, and had the majority of possession, but put just one effort on target and succumbed to a brace from Mexico marksman Raúl Jiménez. The Fulham forward opened the scoring after just 49 seconds and then put Canada away with a brilliant free kick in the 75th minute.
Defeat in its first game of 2025 snapped an unbeaten 4W-0L-2D run dating back to last summer’s Copa América semifinal loss to Argentina. Canada fell on penalties to Uruguay in the Copa’s third-place game, then sandwiched friendly wins over the USA and Panama around a 0-0 draw with Mexico. Canada booked its place in this month’s CNL final four with a 4-0 aggregate win over Suriname in the two-leg quarterfinal last November. Canada took the opener, 1-0, in Suriname on a goal by Junior Hoilett, then eased past Suriname in Toronto, 3-0, thanks to markers from Jonathan David and Jacob Shaffelburg (two).
Like the USA, Canada has qualified automatically for the 2026 World Cup as a co-host. It went 6W-3L-5D last year but scored just 14 goals. David and Shaffelburg led the team with five apiece.
Canada is currently ranked 31st by FIFA, which is good for third in Concacaf behind the USA (16th) and Mexico (19th). It kicked off 2024 ranked 50th.
THE HEAD COACH
Jesse Marsch’s hiring as Canada’s head coach in May 2024 added a fascinating wrinkle to the rivalry. The Wisconsin native played twice for the USMNT and enjoyed a 14-year MLS career, during which the midfielder won a combined three MLS Cups and four U.S. Open Cups with D.C. United and the Chicago Fire.
Marsch then went into coaching, serving as Bob Bradley’s assistant with the USA during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. After a short stint in charge at CF Montréal, Marsch guided the New York Red Bulls to MLS regular season titles in 2015 and 2018. He then ventured to Europe. Staying within the Red Bull system, Marsch won two Austrian Bundesliga championships in Salzburg and then moved on to the organization’s crown jewel in Leipzig, Germany, where he went 8W-9L-4D with the Bundesliga contender before they parted ways in December 2021.
Less than three months later, Marsch was coaching in England’s Premier League, hired by Leeds United to succeed the legendary Marcelo Bielsa. Marsch became just the second U.S.-born coach to take over an EPL side, joining his mentor, Bradley (Swansea City). Marsch and Leeds went 4W-5L-3D in the spring of 2022 and escaped relegation by three points. But after a 4W-10L-6D start to the subsequent Premier League campaign, Marsch was dismissed in February 2023.
Marsch re-entered management last May when he was appointed by Canada, and his 5W-4L-5D record includes a run to the 2024 Copa América semis and a friendly 2-1 win over his homeland on Sept. 7, 2024 in Kansas City, Kan.
Marsch added his name to the small list of U.S.-born coaches who’ve managed a foreign senior men’s national team. Among those who’ve done it are Bradley (Egypt, 2011-13), former USMNT coach Steve Sampson (Costa Rica, 2002-04), Jack Stefanowski (Nepal, 2013-15), Ian Mork (Belize, several stints in 2009-14) and Bill Moravek (British Virgin Islands, 2000-01).
CANADA’S SQUAD
The growth of Canada’s player pool is evident on its CNL roster, which includes men from clubs in England, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and more. Captain Alphonso Davies is a German Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup winner. Jonathan David won Ligue 1 with Lille, Stephen Eustáquio won Portugal’s Primeira Liga with Porto and Tajon Buchanan claimed a pair of Belgian Pro League crowns with Club Brugge before conquering Serie A with Inter Milan.
The squad also includes eight MLS players.
Canada’s leading all-time scorers, David (31 goals) and Cyle Larin (30), are joined by Davies (15) as the only members of coach Jesse Marsch’s roster who’ve reached double digits internationally. Davies missed the November matches against Suriname.
The midfield is experienced and versatile, with veterans like Eustáquio and Jonathan Osorio an option alongside Nashville’s Jacob Shaffelburg, who’s scored in each of his past two games against the USA, and Rennes’ 22-year-old box-to-box prospect Ismaël Koné. In back, 24-year-old Colorado Rapids draftee Moïse Bombito has emerged as a key figure for Marsch. Bombito left MLS for France’s Nice last summer.
A notable absence is outside back Richie Laryea, who was replaced on Canada’s CNL roster after failing to recover from a hamstring injury in time to contribute.His spot was filled by Sporting Kansas City's Zorhan Bassong. The familiar players that didn’t make the cut, like Kamal Miller, Sam Adekugbe and Mark-Anthony Kaye, are a testament to Canada’s improving depth.
DETAILED PANAMA ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Maxime Crépeau (Portland Timbers/USA; 24/0), Tom McGill (Brighton & Hove Albion/ENG; 0/0), Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United/USA; 10/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Zorhan Bassong (Sporting Kansas City/USA; 2/0), Moïse Bombito (Nice/FRA; 18/0), Derek Cornelius (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 30/0), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich/GER; 57/15), Alistair Johnson (Celtic/SCO; 52/1), Jamie Knight-Lebel (Crewe Alexandra/ENG; 1/0), Joel Waterman (CF Montréal; 6/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Ali Ahmed (Vancouver Whitecaps; 13/0), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal/ESP; 44/4), Mathieu Choinière (Grasshopper Club/SUI; 11/0), Stephen Eustáquio (Porto/POR; 48/4), Ismaël Koné (Rennes/FRA; 27/3), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC; 83/9), Jacob Shaffelburg (Nashville SC/USA; 21/6), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split/CRO; 2/0)
FORWARDS (5): Jonathan David (Lille/FRA; 60/31), Promise David (Union Saint-Gilloise/BEL; 0/0), Daniel Jebbison (Bournemouth/ENG; 1/0), Cyle Larin (Mallorca/ESP; 79/30), Tani Oluwaseyi (Minnesota United/USA; 10/0)