Canada handed the United States men's national team (USMNT) its first home loss to them in 67 years, continuing their struggles from this summer's Copa América during Saturday's friendly in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Americans struggled on Saturday, showing a clear lack of direction, and creativity. In front of a small crowd, they made numerous mistakes and appeared unfocused, while Canada—usually considered a regional rival rather than a global powerhouse—demonstrated greater cohesion and ambition, securing a win at Children’s Mercy Park.
In their first match since exiting the Copa América in the group stage and parting ways with head coach Gregg Berhalter, the US team suffered a solid defeat against Canada. The 2-1 victory marked Canada's second win over the USMNT on US soil in 27 games, with their last triumph dating back to 1957 in St. Louis.
Historic night for Canada
Canada also scored their first goal against the U.S. on American soil for the first time in 19 games, dating back to 1985.
As Mauricio Pochettino is anticipated to soon be named as Berhalter’s high-profile successor, the US team is currently managed on an interim basis by former assistant Mikey Varas. Meanwhile, Canada is building on its progress under Jesse Marsch, a former US assistant coach and once a candidate for the US head coach position.
Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David capitalized on defensive errors to secure a 2-1 victory for Canada in a friendly match on Saturday. This win represents Canada's second triumph over the US in 27 encounters spanning 99 years on American soil.
Canada, fresh from a semifinal appearance in its Copa América debut, controlled the first half. Jacob Shaffelburg struck early with a goal in the 17th minute, and Canada had multiple opportunities to increase their lead against a sluggish US side before the halftime break.
The Great White North secured a second goal courtesy of forward Jonathan David just shy of the 60-minute mark. Despite a stronger performance from the U.S. after the break, with Luca de la Torre netting his first international goal in the 66th minute to narrow the gap, the USMNT couldn't avoid slipping to their third straight defeat.
USMNT's continuing underwhelming perfomance
Following losses to Panama and Uruguay in the Copa América, the U.S. men's national team has now dropped three consecutive matches for the first time since 2015, when they fell to Brazil, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Another defeat to New Zealand on Tuesday in Cincinnati would mark their first four-game losing streak since 2007.
Canada dominated the USMNT, outshooting them 17-8, including a lopsided 11-1 in the first half, and held a 31-12 advantage in tackles—the worst differential for the US since a 2020 friendly against Wales. Before this match, Canada had gone winless in 23 consecutive games on American soil, with their last victory dating back to a 3-2 win in a 1957 World Cup qualifier in St. Louis.
The USMNT's 23-game home unbeaten streak against Canada, its longest against any opponent, came to an end with little indication of past dominance. Canada outshot a sluggish US team, exposing the Americans' lack of energy and cohesion.
Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte earned his second international start for USMNT, taking the place of Matt Turner, who has been sidelined from club action since April 2. Meanwhile, Tim Ream made his debut for the USMNT after his recent move from Fulham to Charlotte
In the previous six matches, no MLS players had been included in the starting lineup. Additionally, only eight of the 198 starting spots have gone to MLS players in the 18 games where the full roster has been available since the 2022 World Cup.
Six USMNT players carried over from the Copa América defeat to Uruguay: Ream, defenders Chris Richards and Joe Scally, midfielder Yunus Musah, and forwards Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic.
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