After finishing fourth in a deep Copa America run, coach Jesse Marsch and the 40th-ranked Canadian men now get to test themselves against the three top-ranked teams in CONCACAF.
The run of friendlies starts Saturday against the 16th-ranked U.S. in Kansas City, a matchup the Canadians go into with a "bit of swagger," according to Marsch.
"You see that they've grown. There's more self-confidence," Marsch said in a virtual availability Friday. "That they believe in themselves. They believe in the process that's been created. They're all committed, all the way.
"It's a great team to work with, in terms of the mentality, the work ethic, the commitment to play for the national team. It's a real special group. And it gives us the opportunity and optimism that we can continue to get better."
After the Americans, Canada faces No. 17 Mexico on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, before hosting No. 35 Panama on Oct. 15 at Toronto's BMO Field.
And while all three games are friendlies, it's a chance to make a mark.
"The U.S. has established itself as the best team in the region," said Marsch, a former U.S. international. "Even though Canada won the (CONCACAF) qualifying group for (the 2022) World Cup, I still think that everyone knows that with the resources, with the size of the country, with the establishment of what the sport has been in the United States, that this is a big measuring stick for us."
Saturday marks Canada's first action since a penalty shootout loss to No. 11 Uruguay in the July 13 third-place game at Copa America.
Canada is 1-3-4 — albeit against elite opposition, including a pair of 2-0 losses to top-ranked Argentina — since Marsch took the reins, with one of those ties turning into the shootout loss to Uruguay and another into a shootout win over No. 37 Venezuela in the Copa quarterfinal.
The two North American rivals last met in July 2023 when the U.S., under former coach Gregg Berhalter, defeated Canada in a penalty shootout in Cincinnati after the Gold Cup quarterfinal finished knotted at 2-2. The previous month, the U.S. blanked Canada and then-coach John Herdman 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League final in Las Vegas.
The U.S. are currently led by assistant coach Mikey Varas with former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino reportedly the favourite to become the permanent replacement for Berhalter, who was fired July 10 after the Americans failed to survive the Copa America group stage.
"I think Canada had a good run in Copa America and we had a disappointing run," Varas said Friday. "And that's pretty much where it's left for me.
"We know that we're showing up here with the objective of showing who we are. We want to show ourselves who we are but show everybody else who we are. And that's all we've really been focused on."
The U.S. goes into Saturday's game with a 17-10-13 record against Canada.
The Canadian men's last win over the U.S. was in January 2022, a 2-0 decision in World Cup qualifying play in Hamilton. Their last victory over the Americans on U.S. soil was in July 1957, a 3-2 World Cup qualifying victory in St. Louis.
"I don't think it's really important," Canada captain Alphonso Davies said of that history. "Every single game that we play, we want to win. Obviously playing the U.S. in the U.S. is a big game. Every time Canada plays the U.S., a lot of people tune in."
Watching the U.S. lift the Nations League trophy after beating Canada last year in Las Vegas is motivation enough "to go out there and try and do something that hasn't been done in a long time," he added.
"I think we're ready for it. And we're prepared for the occasion."
The Americans go into Saturday's contest with an 8-0-2 record at Children’s Mercy Park, where they have outscored their opposition 20-2.
Marsch's squad includes uncapped midfielders Niko Sigur (Hadjuk Split, Croatia) and Nathan Saliba (CF Montreal) and forward Stephen Afrifa (Sporting Kansas City).
Sigur, born in Burnaby, B.C., with parents of Croatian descent, represented Croatia at youth level but has switched international allegiance to Canada. The Toronto-born Afrifa was also eligible for Ghana.
The 20-year-old Saliba and 21-year-old Columbus forward Jacen Russell-Rowe have come in for the injured Sam Adekugbe and Theo Bair. York United assistant coach Mauro Eustaquio, the older bother of vice-captain Stephen Eustaquio, has been added to Marsch's coaching staff for the September window.
The U.S. brought in Chivas Guadalajara midfielder Cade Cowell to replace the injured Gio Reyna. The American roster includes uncapped defender Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege, Belgium) and goalkeeper Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona B).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
