Another frustrating game, another embarrassing result for the U.S., who will have no excuses this time around
LOS ANGELES – The U.S. men's national team could find ways to dismiss the loss to Panama – perhaps – even with the prior history. It was a fluke, a bad break. One shot, one goal, one loss – if the USMNT had that kind of luck on the other side, they would have been through easily. These things happen in soccer, many around the team said. It was a bad day and a bad result.
There's no dismissing Sunday's dismal performance, though. There's no waving around and calling the loss to Canada a fluke. No, for most of Sunday's CONCACAF Nations League third-place game, the USMNT were second best and, as a result, they were beaten once again, this time 2-1 by Canada. Winners in each of the first three editions of this tournament, the U.S. finished fourth of four. An embarrassing result, to put it lightly.
It started early, with Canada motivated early on. They rightfully got their goal in the 27th minute through Tani Oluwaseyi, who finally burned the USMNT after they played with fire one too many times. The U.S. woke up after that, finishing the first half strong with Diego Luna and Patrick Agyemang combining on a 35th-minute equalizer from the Charlotte FC star.
The second half, though, was flat once again. Canada emerged from the locker room with fire, so much so that their coach, Jesse Marsch, was sent off for arguing a penalty call in the 54th minute. Just five minutes later, Jonathan David's curled effort picked out a corner.
"Obviously disappointed, yeah," said Christian Pulisic, who was U.S. captain for the Canada match but failed to score in either game this week. "We’ve got to come back from this, of course. We’re not at our best at the moment. Now all we can do is go be examples at our clubs every day, be the best we can be – that’s how the national team is – and when we come back, of course some things need to change.
"And we need to improve. We’re going to look back and see what that is – I don’t have all the answers at the moment."
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino made five changes to the lineup from the semifinal. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Mark McKenzie were the center back pairing, while Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten was inserted on the left. Diego Luna also started, and up top, Agyemang got the nod. Canada outshot the U.S., 8-5, and while the USMNT won the possession battle at 59.6 percent, Canada spent more time in its attacking third.
Despite the Luna-Agyemang combination on the lone U.S. goal, Marsch and Canada got one over on the USMNT – leaving his counterpart, Pochettino, shaking his head.
If Thursday's loss was a wake-up call, this was a full-blown alarm. They say once is a fluke and twice is a coincidence, but there was nothing coincidental about this. This time, the U.S. were rightfully beaten, and this disappointing side will need to reckon with that as the clock ticks toward the 2026 World Cup.
GOAL rates the USMNT's players from SoFi Stadium.
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Matt Turner (6/10):
Would have needed something special to get a hand to either Canada goal, with the first coming from too close and the second being too good of a shot. Still, sometimes you need a goalkeeper to make a special save, and there weren't any of those.
Max Arfsten (6/10):
Great effort to help survive a David one-on-one early in second half. Had a few good moments in the first, too, as he did show initiative to get forward. Had a golden chance late but, to be fair, you rarely want your golden chances falling to your fullbacks.
Mark McKenzie (4/10):
Had one very scary moment when a clearance banked into the box, but the U.S. survived. Was then totally twisted around on David's goal. Rough second half for him, and it cost the U.S.
Cameron Carter-Vickers (5/10):
Was caught flat-footed on a goal, but he was far from the only one to blame on it.
Joe Scally (6/10):
Really set a tone early when the U.S. needed it. May have taken it a little too far as he earned a yellow for one of several physical clashes. Was taken out at halftime as a result.
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Tyler Adams (6/10):
Has one very good tackle and a few other good defensive moments in midfield. Not his best game, but he's still a valuable shield every time he's out there.
Weston McKennie (5/10):
Was much more active on the ball, but less dynamic than he was against Panama. Was never quite was able to open anything up as Canada's midfield locked him down.
Diego Luna (8/10):
Pochettino asked for risk-takers after the Panama loss, and he found one in Luna. More of the same from January camp as Luna was brave and aggressive, ultimately playing the assist on Agyemang's goal in a moment of calm.
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Christian Pulisic (5/10):
Some good sequences off the dribble, including a winding run early in the second half, but little ever came from it. Just wasn't at his best in this game, much like he wasn't against Panama. The U.S. needed more.
Patrick Agyemang (7/10):
Battled with Canada's defenders all afternoon, offering a physical presence up top that the U.S. was never quite able to play off of. He did get his goal – his third in four USMNT appearances – to offer more evidence that he can help at this level.
Tim Weah (6/10):
Played a huge part in the goal but, outside of that, didn't threaten much. Poor touches killed several U.S. chances that could have changed the game.
AFPSubs & Manager
Marlon Fossey (5/10):
Replaced Scally at halftime. Didn't do anything particularly notable on either side.
Gio Reyna (6/10):
Quite clear that his mind was there, but the execution wasn't. To be fair, he should have been given more time to get into the game.
Tanner Tessmann (6/10):
Came on for Adams with the USMNT chasing the game, which meant his role was very different than the Bournemouth star's. Didn't see much of the ball, so not much impact.
Yunus Musah (6/10):
Added a bit of life and was decent enough on the ball, but the goal threat never came.
Brian White (6/10):
Had a few good touches and did make Canada somewhat uncomfortable. Never really got a look at goal, though.
Mauricio Pochettino (4/10):
Probably waited too long to make substitutions given how flat the USMNT was in the second half. Team is still lacking some creative ideas, with Luna the only one really capable of making anything happen. Ultimately, finished 0-2 in the Nation's League finals.
