As palpable as the euphoria was among the Americans players who sauntered down the tunnel beneath State Farm Stadium following the USA’s 3-0 dismantling of Mexico last Saturday night in Arizona, so was the exhaustion.
There was no hooting or hollering. The smiles were tired ones. Before walking into the desert night, playmaker Gio was asked how he’d celebrate the Stars and Stripes most lopsided win against its arch nemesis since his father Claudio’s goal capped a 4-0 victory in 1995. The 23-year-old didn’t hesitate. “I’m gonna go to sleep,” Reyna deadpanned.
Mauricio Pochettino’s young U.S. team can’t rest quite yet. Led by a fresh generation of young players — including teenagers Cavan Sullivan and Julian Hall, who both scored against Mexico — the Americans are 3-0 so far during this extended, 16-day-long FIFA international window. They’ve managed 11 goals over those exhibitions, including multigoal strolls over South American foes Peru and Chile.
(Photo by Taylor Banner/USSF/Getty Images)
But before Pochettino’s players pack up this camp and return to their clubs, the American men’s other big rival, Canada, looms on Tuesday night in Minnesota. (Kickoff at 8 p.m. ET.)
Once a regional also-ran, the U.S. hasn’t beaten its northern neighbors in six tries dating to 2021; the USA’s shootout victory in the 2023 Gold Cup quarterfinals counts officially as a tie. They’ve lost two straight to Canada heading into Tuesday’s contest at Allianz Field in St. Paul, including last year under Pochettino in the Concacaf Nations League Finals’ consolation game.
So much has happened since then. The United States and Canada co-hosted the World Cup over the summer along with Mexico, with all three North American squads reaching the round of 16.
Both teams are different even since then; Pochettino’s current roster is almost four years younger than the one he named for soccer’s marquee quadrennial tournament. “It’s a new chapter,” the Argentine said on the eve of the match.
(Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Naturally, Pochettino and his players want to beat the Canadians, break the Americans’ five-year winless streak and complete the four-game sweep. But it’s not the coaching staff’s only priority.
The Reds have played just two times so far this window and have done far less travel. They’re better rested. Pochettino must plan accordingly.
“After three games, [the players are] not in one of the best situation,” Pochettino stated. “However we can not change the truth. We have to adapt to the truth and be able to compete.
“The end result,” he continued, “Is essential. However it’s not our principal goal.”
(Picture by Omar Vega/Getty Photos)
Stylistically, Canada will present a unique problem for the U.S. than any of the primary three September/October checks.
Led by American and former U.S. participant and assistant coach Jesse Marsch, the Reds are supremely athletic. They press with abandon, are lethal on the counterattack and reap the benefits of their scoring possibilities.
“I do know Jesse very nicely, I respect him, and I like him like a coach,” Pochettino stated Monday. “It’s all the time troublesome to play in opposition to groups that he coaches. It is very intense…sure, it is an excellent problem for us.”
He additionally referred to as Canadian aim machine Jonathan David, “one of many best strikers immediately on this planet.”
“Once we have been at totally different golf equipment, he was all the time on our radar to attempt to signal him,” the previous Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham supervisor stated. “Now seeing him in La Liga, in a membership like Atlético Madrid with a coach like Diego Simeone, is implausible.”
(Picture by Indrawan Kumala/NurPhoto by way of Getty Photos)
Meantime, the U.S. has been paced by Corridor, who has three targets in his first three worldwide video games. World Cup strikers. The 18-year-old has stood in for World Cup strikers Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright, who’re both harm or getting back from damage.
Mixing inexperienced kids — 20-year-old Cole Campbell, who’s been nursing a minor ailment, is the one one of many 28 gamers invited to this camp who hasn’t but seen the sphere — alongside veterans like Chris Richards and captain Tyler Adams has been the theme for the U.S. because it begins down the lengthy and winding path towards the 2030 FIFA World Cup. It is going to be the identical on Tuesday, irrespective of the opponent.
” I feel everyone knows what it means to play in opposition to Mexico and Canada,” Pochettino stated. “We have to be centered in our efficiency. It isn’t, ‘Oh, we have to win.’ We have to win. Sure, after all.
“However the journey is a very powerful” factor, he added. “That’s our focus now.”
