USMNT 1 Canada 2 takeaways: Pochettino arrival can’t come soon enough

If the friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in this international window were a chance to make an impression on expected incoming U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino, a 2-1 loss to Canada on Saturday did few favors.

The U.S. lacked energy and initiative in a 2-1 loss to Canada at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, a scoreline that could’ve been worse if not for several key saves from goalkeeper Patrick Schulte in the first half.

Canada pounced on two awful giveaways in the defensive third from the U.S. on either side of halftime — the first a misplaced pass by Johnny Cardoso, the second a giveaway from Tim Ream — to take a two-goal lead inside of an hour on finishes from Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David. The U.S. pulled one back on a goal from Luca de la Torre that would have been overturned for offside if video review was being utilized. The final scoreline didn’t fully capture the disappointing performance for the Americans.

After a strong showing at this summer’s Copa América, Canada will feel they are continuing to build momentum under Jesse Marsch with a win on the road against their CONCACAF rivals for the first time in 67 years.

The U.S., meanwhile, will have to hope they perform better once Pochettino arrives.

Friendlies can be tough games to judge for national teams simply because the results don’t matter. With a World Cup on the horizon and limited windows until the tournament, however, the hope was that there’d be a bit more bite than was on display on Saturday afternoon in Kansas City.

The U.S. was poor and lacked energy and quality against Canada, which had more opportunities and the better of the run of play. Both goals came from awful mistakes from the U.S., the first on a poor Cardoso giveaway when facing his own goal and the second on a pass from Ream that was intercepted and immediately punished.

It was clear that, from an American perspective, this U.S. team is ready for a reset.

Yes, they were missing numerous starters: Weston McKennie (getting fit at Juve), Tyler Adams (back surgery), Sergiño Dest (torn ACL), Tim Weah (hamstring), Gio Reyna (groin strain) and Antonee Robinson (rest) were all absent. Yes, they were playing under an interim manager in Mikey Varas. Still, the U.S. didn’t come out of the game with many real positives of which to speak. It was a performance that, for long stretches, lacked fight as much as quality.

The absences of several starters should have been seen as opportunities for others to make an impression, but there was not much to like in KC.

The drama of waiting to hear that Pochettino has officially been named coach — an announcement seems imminent, but has dragged on longer than expected — felt more entertaining by the end of the 90 minutes than the performance itself. At least there was hope that would come with that news.

When Jacob Shaffelburg missed a decent chance early in the first half, you could hear the whispers about Canada’s finishing problems throughout Copa America creeping up again.

But those concerns were short-lived.

Stephen Eustaquio – who had a particularly active first half after an up-and-down Copa America – corralled a loose ball just outside of the American 18-yard box and quickly played a pass to Jonathan David. David’s playmaking was evident against the Americans and instead of forcing a shot, he played a perfectly-weighted pass to Shaffelburg making his late run. Shaffelburg’s ability to push a shot past American goalkeeper Patrick Schulte silenced the concerns about Canada scoring just four goals in six Copa America matches.

The goal was Shaffelburg’s fourth for Canada in just his 17th national team appearance.

The Maritime Messi — As he the Nova Scotian-born midfielder is affectionately known — showcased his cheeky side afterwards, making a slow run towards the sideline and holding his right hand to his ear to troll American fans.

It’s been a long, long time since Canada could boss the American fans like this. Their last win on U.S. soil was in 1957. But the ease in which Canada worked their way through the United States’ back line on Shaffelburg’s goal? More evidence of the continued shift in Concacaf dominance.

It’s not typical for goalkeeper to be one of the unsettled positions on a U.S. roster.

The history of the U.S. men’s national team program is littered with legends, from Tony Meola to Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel and Tim Howard. In the last World Cup cycle, Matt Turner battled Zack Steffen for the starting job, with the former beating out the latter for the job in Qatar. Steffen, in fact, did not make the World Cup roster.

Turner, though, has lacked playing time since moving to Arsenal in 2022. He served as the back-up with the Gunners, making just seven appearances, before moving to Nottingham Forest. There, Turner struggled and eventually lost his job. Relegated to the third spot on the depth chart, he got a loan to Crystal Palace before the deadline last month.

Without a game since the Copa América, however, it left Varas with a tough decision: Play the veteran starter and try to help him find form, or give a chance to a younger goalkeeper who was playing more regularly? Varas opted to give Schulte, the Columbus Crew netminder, the start.

Schulte, who started for the U.S. Olympic team and has drawn Premier League interest, rewarded Varas for the decision. Schulte made a big save on David in the fourth minute, diving to his left to push a shot wide of the target, then got his glove to a strong Cyle Larin effort in the 32nd minute and saved another close-range Larin shot in the 43rd minute to keep the score 1-0.

With the goalkeeper job potentially up for grabs, it was a strong outing from Schulte in just his second cap with the senior team.

Throughout Jesse Marsch’s short tenure as Canada coach, he hasn’t been afraid to showcase different tactical approaches. Some games have seen Canada go full-throttle with a Red Bull-approved press, others have seen Canada set up in a mid block and be far more cautious and measured with their defensive actions.

Against the U.S., Marsch came out swinging with more of the former. With the Kansas City heat not nearly as oppressive as it was during Copa America, Marsch had hit attackers move actively and relentlessly against the American defenders. The hosts didn’t have many answers and struggled to play out of the back, with Canada all but eradicating their central midfield options.

Ali Ahmed’s tenacity was evident in one of his better performances for Canada.

When necessary, however, Canada’s Moise Bombito, fresh off a transfer to Ligue 1’s Nice, was a rock at centre-back.

Marsch’s decision to pull off a healthy press resulted in Canada throwing up 11 shots in the first half to the U.S.’s lone shot.