The USMNT trails Canada 2-0 for another award

Christian Pulisic did his best on Thursday to quell the USMNT’s celebration after a dominant 3-0 victory over Mexico in a gritty contest. It was only a semi-final, so Pulisic spoke without a shirt.

“Be humble, guys.” Polisik intervened. “Enjoy it tonight, enjoy it tonight, but we’re here to win the final. We’re here to beat Canada.”

And that’s exactly what they did on Sunday night in the 2-0 win against them last regional rivals, in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final. On Thursday, they made their “rotten statement,” as Polisic request. On Sunday, they won the title — and prevented Canada from winning for the first time in more than two decades.

Short-handed, the USMNT were without Weston McKinney and Serginho Dest, who were both suspended after red cards against Mexico. And Canada was confident, having beaten and tied the United States in World Cup qualifiers, and secured the top of the CONCACAF table. But in the end, the CONCACAF Kings bounced back in the championship thanks to first-half goals from Chris Richards and newcomer Folarin Balogun.

Here’s how the match between the USMNT and Canada unfolded:

USMNT-Canada live updates, highlights, and analysis