USMNT youngsters tackle "another challenge" with Canada rivalry
· Yahoo Sports
By Charles Boehm
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Over the past half-decade, Canada have become the US men’s national team’s proverbial noisy neighbors, and the volume has dialed up several notches since Jesse Marsch, a USMNTer during his own playing career, took charge of Les Rouges two-plus years ago.
The former Red Bull New York and CF Montréal coach has been an outspoken critic of his homeland – and its soccer federation – since taking up his current post, and was at it again in the buildup to Tuesday’s USA-Canada friendly at Minnesota United FC’s Allianz Field (8 pm ET), telling The Guardian that the controversial suspension of USMNT star Folarin Balogun’s red card during the 2026 FIFA World Cup was “one of the things that infuriates the rest of the world about Americans.”
Yet his counterpart Mauricio Pochettino took a very different tone as he addressed the media on Monday morning. Poch was seemingly set on steering his team above the fray as they look to cinch up a perfect FIFA international window with a fourth consecutive victory, just three days after an emotional 3-0 drubbing of their oldest rivals, Mexico.
“External motivation, that is not what we want,” declared the Argentine. “I think we all know what it means to play against Mexico and Canada. It's there. I don't need to say, ‘Oh, we play against Canada. We need to be focused.’ No, we need to be focused on our performance.
“'We need to win.’ Yes, of course, that is the final result. But the journey is the most important, building our performance in the way that we want to be on the field, but also off the field, and that is our focus now. But yes, it's a great opportunity tomorrow, another challenge for us.”
Cross-border competitors
Poch has ample reason for this outlook. The USMNT are riding high at the moment, elevated out of the post-World Cup doldrums by a vibrant youth movement headlined by MLS phenoms Cavan Sullivan and Julian Hall, with 11 goals scored in their three friendly wins over Peru, Chile and El Tri.
As evenhanded as that may seem from a States perspective, it may hit different north of the border. A historical imbalance between these sides has colored the rivalry – a rivalry usually more prominent in the minds of the northern nation, much like the United States looked up to Mexico for decades.
As an ascendant program rising from obscurity and underachievement to one of Concacaf’s elite, the CanMNT in many ways used their southern neighbors as a measuring stick. The USMNT maintained a 34-year, 17-match unbeaten streak against Canada until Alphonso Davies & Co. finally broke through with a 2-0 Concacaf Nations League at Toronto FC’s BMO Field in 2019.
Les Rouges have compiled a winning record against the Yanks in the ensuing years, including a higher finish in the final round of 2022 World Cup qualifying and back-to-back wins under Marsch in their last two meetings.
As if to avoid providing any bulletin-board material for the traditional underdogs in this fixture, Pochettino expressed his respect for Marsch; the two managers also faced off in the English Premier League when in charge of Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United, respectively.
“Everyone has different qualities and different ways to feel that sport. I celebrate that we have coaches like Jesse that [express] pure emotion, I like this. In some moments, I was similar,” said Poch.
“It's obvious that there are times that we play against teams like Canada or Mexico, always the competitiveness is there, and the fans want to win,” he added. “It's a thing that we cannot solve. But it's important in that moment for us is to keep building our identity. That is the most important thing, and that is in the way that we want to grow.”
Loaded schedule
Pochettino is clearly not thrilled about his side playing four games in four different states across this newly expanded FIFA window, suggesting Canada will be fresher as they’ve scheduled one fewer, and noting that his group’s Sunday flight from Arizona to Minnesota was delayed significantly, forcing an adjustment of their itinerary.
“Not the best condition, but we cannot change the reality, and only we need to adapt to the reality and be ready to compete tomorrow,” he lamented. “Of course, for the future we will do some changes, but no, we are going to try to manage.
“It's not easy, but what I can tell you is that the behavior of the players, the energy of the players, the mentality, the commitment are amazing.”
According to reporters on site for the small portion of the USMNT’s Monday training session open to media, all 28 players on the roster were taking part.
That, combined with Pochettino’s emphasis on the draining calendar to date, may portend new faces in the lineup, perhaps the likes of Cole Campbell, the talented winger who studied in Atlanta United’s academy before moving to Germany, where he’s been a breakout talent for newly-promoted side SV Elversberg in the opening weeks of the new Bundesliga season.