Tired USA Meets Canada Aiming To Kick Off 2030 World Cup Cycle With 4th Straight win

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 the best condition," Pochettino said. "But we cannot change the reality. We need to adapt to the reality and be ready to compete.

"The result," he continued, "Is important. But it's not our principal objective."

(Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Stylistically, Canada will provide a different challenge for the U.S. than any of the first three September/October tests.

Led by American and former U.S. player and assistant coach Jesse Marsch, the Reds are supremely athletic. They press with abandon, are deadly on the counterattack and take advantage of their scoring chances.

"I know Jesse very well, I respect him, and I like him like a coach," Pochettino said Monday. "It’s always difficult to play against teams that he coaches. It's very intense…yes, it's a very good challenge for us."

He also called Canadian goal machine Jonathan David, "one of the greatest strikers today in the world."

"When we were at different clubs, he was always on our radar to try to sign him," the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager said. "Now seeing him in La Liga, in a club like Atlético Madrid with a coach like Diego Simeone, is fantastic."

(Photo by Indrawan Kumala/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Meantime, the U.S. has been paced by Hall, who has three goals in his first three international games. World Cup strikers. The 18-year-old has stood in for World Cup strikers Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright, who are either hurt or returning from injury.

Mixing inexperienced youngsters — 20-year-old Cole Campbell, who’s been nursing a minor ailment, is the only one of the 28 players invited to this camp who hasn’t yet seen the field — alongside veterans like Chris Richards and captain Tyler Adams has been the theme for the U.S. as it starts down the long and winding path toward the 2030 FIFA World Cup. It will be the same on Tuesday, no matter the opponent.

" I think we all know what it means to play against Mexico and Canada," Pochettino said. "We need to be focused in our performance. It's not, ‘Oh, we need to win.’ We need to win. Yes, of course.

"But the journey is the most important" thing, he added.  "That is our focus now."