The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) concluded a disappointing CONCACAF Nations League Finals with a 2-1 loss to Canada in Sunday’s third-place playoff. Jonathan David’s second-half goal proved decisive, condemning the USMNT to back-to-back home defeats against their northern rivals for the first time since 1925.
Canada took an early lead through Tani Oluwaseyi. The USMNT equalized before halftime with a well-worked team goal. Tim Weah played in Diego Luna, who cut the ball back for Patrick Agyemang to finish. “I knew that the center back was going to come and I had a little flick and just dropped it off for Patrick,” said Luna.
However, Canada’s defensive pressure and clinical finishing proved too much for the USMNT. The winning goal came with just over a half hour to play.
Defensive Woes and Lack of Cutting-Edge Cost USMNT
The loss, following a 1-0 defeat to Panama in the semi-finals, highlighted defensive vulnerabilities and a lack of consistent attacking threat. The USMNT outshot 1-4 in the first half.
USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner expressed his frustration: “It’s not just a given that we can step onto the pitch and perform at a certain level… End of the day, we’re conceding too many goals and not scoring enough. What we had to do was clear and we weren’t able to execute it consistently over 90 minutes in both games. Critical errors, critical mistakes, guys not taking ownership in big moments.”
Looking Ahead: Gold Cup and World Cup Preparations
The CONCACAF Nations League Finals served as the final competitive test for Mauricio Pochettino’s full-strength team before next year’s co-hosted FIFA World Cup. The disappointing results raise concerns about the team’s readiness for the tournament.
The USMNT will now turn their attention to the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June and July. The squad for that tournament is expected to feature some changes, particularly with Weston McKennie and Tim Weah unavailable due to Juventus’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, and potentially Gio Reyna. “Of course, we are open to [changing] the roster,” Pochettino confirmed.
The Gold Cup group stage draw will take place on April 10th. The USMNT will play pre-tournament friendlies against Turkey (June 7th, East Hartford, Connecticut) and Switzerland (June 10th, Nashville, Tennessee).
Canada, meanwhile, will also be focused on the Gold Cup, where they are considered one of the favorites alongside the USMNT and Mexico. They will prepare with friendlies against Ukraine and Ivory Coast, both in Toronto, on the same dates as the USMNT’s friendlies.
“It’s a big part of the process with us not being in [World Cup] qualifying,” St. Clair said. “For us, it’s just taking every moment that we’re together to make sure that come 2026, that we’re ready.” The Nations League results underscore the work that lies ahead for both teams as they build towards the 2026 World Cup.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.