Canada-U.S. soccer rivalry is good for the game, now and down the road

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This article was published 29/01/2022 (1706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It would have been easy for Gregg Berhalter to write off the Canadian men’s soccer team as a one-hit-wonder in October 2019, after beating his American squad for the first time in 34 years to snap a 17-game winless streak.

Canada was ranked 74th by FIFA and Berhalter felt his team was flat that night at BMO Field. Anyone can pull off an upset from time to time.

But Berhalter already had an idea of what was to come for the Canadians.

“I didn’t think that team was given enough credit,” Berhalter said Saturday from Hamilton, where the teams will meet again Sunday afternoon in World Cup qualifying. “And here they go, a couple of years later, top of the table after nine games.”

A rivalry has quickly developed, and not just based on geography. Canada’s star has risen over the last four years, now on the verge of reaching the men’s World Cup for the first time since 1986. The U.S., meanwhile, has faced a reckoning after failing to qualify for the tournament in 2018, a first since 1986.

Today, the two programs are at similar stages in their development, pulling from talented young player pools. It makes Sunday’s head-to-head one of the most anticipated of all time, stoking the fires before they co-host (along with Mexico) the 2026 World Cup.

In qualifying for Qatar 2022, which starts in late November, Canada sits first through nine matches, a point ahead of the U.S. Both are on pace to earn berths in soccer’s biggest competition — and both want top spot.

“The purpose … obviously, it’s to qualify. But there’s a deeper purpose there and to maintain that mantle … it’s not easy,” said Canadian coach John Herdman.

The Americans will be without fullback Brooks Lennon because of an ankle injury, and forward Tim Weah, a teammate of Canadian Jonathan David on Ligue 1 side Lille. Weah meets COVID-19 vaccination standards in France, but did not meet the criteria for entry into Canada. He’s waiting on a second dose after contracting the virus following his first shot.

“This is something we can’t control, the nuances of the COVID protocol, and we just have to deal with it,” Berhalter told reporters. “It will be about the next man stepping up and doing their job.”

For Canada, midfielder Samuel Piette is nursing an ankle injury suffered in Thursday’s win in Honduras and will be a game-day decision.

Herdman was hopeful that midfielder Stephen Eustáquio, who missed the last match after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19, would join the squad in Hamilton before the game. Whether he will be in shape to log any minutes remained to be seen.

There won’t be any shortage of stars on either side: David, Tajon Buchanan and Cyle Larin among the Canadians; Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Ricardo Pepi representing the U.S.

Canada’s focus will be on winning individual battles with those American threats, and not leaving space for cutbacks into the box by letting the U.S. get in behind the fullbacks.

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The American strategy will depend on how the home team sets up. Herdman’s side sat deep when the teams met in September, a 1-1 tie in Nashville. But the Canadians also have the ability to press high.

Berhalter said his team was preparing for anything.

“He’s seen us play different ways and he’ll have to adapt to that,” Herdman said.

The U.S. having to adapt to Canada is new, just like their budding rivalry.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy