Despite the 'friendly' designation for the USMNT-Canada match, there is much at stake for both sides
Not all friendlies are created equal. Most are experimental in nature, allowing coaches and players to try new things or make new statements. The purpose of a friendly match in international soccer is to look inward, learn things about your team, rather than beat down the opponent in front of you.
In some ways, Saturday's friendly against Canada falls into that category for the U.S. men's national team. It's a chance for players to prove themselves, for new systems to take hold.
Of course, in this case, it's also more than that. Much more.
Saturday's 4 p.m. match in Kansas City is one of the most storyline-driven friendlies in recent memory, for a variety of reasons. Chief among them? The looming arrival of Mauricio Pochettino, who has reportedly agreed to become the next USMNT, though there has not been an official announcement. Players are on high alert as the new regime begins to take over. Things are changing, and everyone is desperate to be on the right side of the change.
It's not just that, though; it's who is on the other side. The USMNT crashed out of the Copa America, failing to make it past the group stage on home soil. Canada, meanwhile, went all the way to the third-place game under American-born coach Jesse Marsch, who has made no secret about his frustrations with U.S. Soccer. A loss to a surging Canada would be a bad look, even for a USMNT group awaiting the finalization of the Pocehttino situation.
"It's always nice to see the guys,” USMNT leader Christian Pulisic said. “Obviously, some newer faces as well, which is always good. We're hungry, man. We want to get some good results here and fix that bad taste that we have from the Copa. We want to rebound well."
It isn't a must-win game. Few friendlies are, but it is a unique moment for the USMNT, who have plenty to prove on Saturday – and over the next 20+ months leading up to the World Cup.
"Canada had a pretty good run during the Copa America, and we had a pretty disappointing run, and that's pretty much where it's left for me," said USMNT interim coach Mikey Varas. "We know that we're showing up here with the objective of showing who we are. We're showing ourselves who we are, but we want to show everyone else who we are. That's all we've really been focused on."
Getty ImagesTreading water
The hope was that the USMNT would have a permanent coach in place in time for these two matches. It didn't happen that way. Legal wranglings at Chelsea have reportedly kept Pochettino away for the time being. For now, this is Varas' job.
And he has a tough one, too. Being an interim coach is never easy. It's especially difficult when facing an opponent such as Canada, who has played the USMNT well for years. Now, Canada has Marsch, who will also be desperate to prove a point.
Varas is without several key players. Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson were left out of the squad. Tyler Adams and Tim Weah are injured. Gio Reyna was a late removal from the squad due to an injury of his own.
That leaves several newer faces fighting for spots. Kristoffer Lund and Caleb Wiley will look to prove themselves as Robinson's understudy. Johnny Cardoso is aiming to break up the "MMA" midfield. Rising star Cade Cowell has been given a new opportunity to prove himself out wide after being called in late to replace Reyna. This is a chance for the players to prove themselves.
And for the interim coach? It's a tough spot for Varas to be in, but one he obviously relishes.
"This is the honor of a lifetime for me," Varas said. "Any time you can represent your country, anyone who has gotten to represent the crest, it's not only the biggest honor of my life but it's a responsibility that I cherish."
His job in this camp is to generally keep things moving, laying the groundwork for Gregg Berhalter's successor. He'll be compared to the likes of Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan, who did just that while also getting massive results in 2023.
Varas has laid out short and long-term goals. Long-term, he says the team needs to move forward, saying "We can't stand still."
Mid-term, he need to lay the groundwork for the next coach. He must do so tactically, as he says the USMNT will play a more high-pressing style this window. And he must do so individually, as well. Upon his arrival, Varas made sure to meet with each player to both introduce himself and set the standard for what was to come.
In the short term, though? It's to win the game and build back some of the goodwill lost this summer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesPost-Copa hangover
There's a reason Varas is here to begin with. It's because the USMNT failed this summer. Miserably.
Berhalter paid for the Copa America disaster with his job, leading to a months-long search that should, hopefully, end soon. The fault didn't lie with Berhalter alone, though. The players are still here, and they still feel the sting of what happened.
"I think after the Copa ended, there was a mutual feeling within the dressing room of disappointment, but we knew that we had to put it to rest," star striker Folarin Balogun said. "We had to go away, reflect, and we've come back for this camp and we had the time to, as I said, reflect and speak together.
"We have two friendly games coming up, but as always, when we have the opportunity to wear this jersey, it's about putting a show on for our fans and giving it 100%, so we're not treating as friendlies. We want to make a statement and remind people."
It's an important reminder to send. The USMNT's stock is down after this summer, which saw them fail that they could go toe-to-toe with the elite. Making matters worse, it was one of their usual CONCACAF punching bags, Panama, that really sent the USMNT packing.
Saturday's game is against a much better team than Panama, but it's against another CONCACAF foe desperate to prove how good they are by winning games just like this.
GettyCanada on the rise
While the USMNT was flailing this summer, Canada thrived. Argentina were the only team to really beat them at the Copa, and Canada didn't go lightly. It was a big statement for their national team, who will now look to build into a World Cup they, too, are hosting.
Canada finished the Copa America in fourth place, with Uruguay winning a penalty kick shootout win in the third-place game. Getting that far, though, was a victory for Canada, who had spent the prior years of this cycle trying to recapture what made the 2022 World Cup qualifying run so special.
They famously finished atop the World Cup qualifying group, making it to their first World Cup in a generation. Not much went right thereafter but, in the wake of this summer's Copa America run, there's real reason for optimism around the Canada team.
"I've taken all those experiences [from Europe] and and created a new set of standards and demands for what I think this team can become," Marsch told GOAL. "I think that's the reason why we performed well in Copa America, right? They adapted. They learned. They could see that the information I'm giving them was helpful, and they were intelligent enough to and good enough and talented enough to apply it in all the right ways.
"So it gives me big hope for the future of what we're doing here."
GettyMarsch looking for revenge?
While Pochettino's shadow looms over this match, so too does Marsch's. He was, at one point, a candidate for the U.S. job. It could be argued he was the right one. On Saturday, though, he'll be on the Canada sideline, not the USMNT's.
Marsch has spoken openly about that fact. He criticized U.S. Soccer's handling of the hiring process last summer, saying that he wasn't treated very well by the federation. This week, Marsch spoke to GOAL about the protracted hiring process, which he is stunned is still ongoing.
"It's been strange, right?" Marsch said to GOAL. "I don't think I've ever seen an appointment in world football, club or national team, where the speculation has been so deep, but the information about what's actually happened has been such a mystery.
"I've checked almost every day over the past month, like 'OK is he going to be the head coach [or not]?' Because I'm trying to prepare a team [to face the U.S.] and not knowing what to expect. So, it's been strange."
On Saturday, you can expect Marsch, more than anyone, to take things personally. He'll be ready for the game and a chance to not just prove his team's strength, but his own.
"I'll be juiced on match day," Marsch said. "I know a lot of players on the team [the U.S.]…I'll be excited and I know our team will be too. This is big, for us as a country. We respect the U.S. a lot but we're excited to test ourselves now."