On January 30, in front of a limited-live audience (due to the enforcement of COVID safety protocols in Hamilton, Ontario), the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) suffered a setback in qualifying for the World Cup with a 2-0 loss to Canada.
It was a historic win for the Canadians, a team that had not defeated the U.S. in a World Cup Qualifying match since 1980.
The win also gives Canada breathing room atop the North America, Central America, and Caribbean qualifying standings. They are now incredibly close to clinching a spot in the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
With four qualifying games left, Canada has 22 points, while the U.S. and Mexico each have 18 points. The U.S. currently holds the goal differential tiebreaker over Mexico. Panama is just one point behind both in fourth place with 17 points.
The top three finishers automatically earn a spot in the World Cup. The fourth-place finisher will play a two-game playoff series, likely against New Zealand, for a berth in the competition.
Cyle Larin opened the scoring just seven minutes into the game when the long pass of American goalkeeper Matt Turner was intercepted by Kamal Miller, who headed the ball back toward the goal, and Jonathan Osorio.
Osorio touched the ball ahead to Larin, who quickly exchanged passes with Jonathan David to get past U.S. defender Miles Robinson. Larin then used his right foot to fire a shot toward the far post and past Turner from about 14 yards out.
It was the 23rd international goal executed by Larin for Canada. He was also the scorer of the game-tying goal in the September 2021 World Cup qualifier against the U.S., which ended in a 1-1 draw in Nashville, TN.
With the lead in hand, Canada shifted to a defensive-centric strategy. The Canadians played a pressing defense style and made a concentrated effort to get physical with American stars Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic whenever they possessed the ball.
In turn, the U.S. struggled immensely to create meaningful chances to score in the first half. Their best opportunity came from a corner kick just before halftime in the 43rd minute. Pulisic whipped the ball in, and McKennie connected with a solid header that went on target from just about six yards out. However, Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan made a leaping save, slapping the ball away with his outstretched right hand before it crossed into the goal.
The 1-0 halftime deficit of USMNT means that they have been outscored 4-2 in the first half of ten qualifying games so far. They had been able to overcome that by outscoring teams 11-3 in the second half of games.
However, by succumbing to Canada, the U.S. lost its second-half magic, as consequential chances continually failed to materialize for the U.S.
Their best opportunity in the second half came in the 87th minute when FC Dallas’ Paul Arriola attempted a bicycle kick that went just wide of the target.
In the waning minutes of the game, the U.S. had to neglect defense and send all their players forward in hopes of a last-second tying goal. Instead, Canada took advantage and used a counterattack to put an exclamation point on the victory.
With less than a minute to go, Canadian Sam Adekugbe stole the ball and dribbled past multiple American players, who appeared to have run out of gas by this point. Adekugbe fired from long range and beat Turner to seal the win and send his Canadian teammates and fans into jubilation.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for Canada in recent years. They had gone 15 games since 1993 against the U.S. without a first-half goal. Canada had also not beaten the USMNT for 34 years until they defeated the Americans in a Nations League game during October 2019.
Now, they have earned victories this qualifying cycle over the two regional traditional powers – the U.S. and Mexico – to cement their spot as the current best team in the region.
As for the U.S., they now have little margin for error in the final four qualifying games. The U.S. has grappled in qualifying games on the road, failing to win four of its last five games as a visitor. They lost at Panama and Canada, tied at El Salvador and Jamaica, and won at last-place Honduras.
Their remaining road games against Mexico and Costa Rica will be challenging for the U.S. They have 12 losses and four all-time draws in World Cup qualifiers at Mexico’s Estadio Azteca. They also have lost nine consecutive qualifiers played in Costa Rica.
That fact makes their home games crucial, beginning February 2 when they host Honduras in St. Paul, MN. Weather will be a significant factor in the game. Extreme cold has postponed international soccer games in the past; it may do the same for tomorrow’s match.
After their encounter with Honduras, the U.S. will play its next qualifying games in March, starting with its visit to Mexico.
Then, a matchup against Panama in Orlando must occur before the final game in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica played to a 0-0 draw in Mexico in other regional qualifying action. Meanwhile, Panama won 3-2 at home against Jamaica. El Salvador won 2-0 in Honduras.