Final Score: United States 1-2 Canada
Goalscorers: De La Torre 66′; Shaffelburg 17′, David 58′
International Friendly

For the first time since 1957, the Canadian men’s national team has defeated the United States on American soil, as they won 2-1 in a friendly on Saturday in Kansas City.

It’s another achievement to mark in Jesse Marsch’s ledger early in his tenure as Canada’s head coach, as Les Rouges were generally excellent and undoubtedly the better side in a well-earned victory over the nation of Marsch’s birth.

Canada’s lineup had few surprises, although the setup in midfield was interesting with Mathieu Choinière and Ali Ahmed both getting the nod, partly due to Ismaël Koné’s injury, but both players ended up making crucial impacts on the result.

From minute one, Canada were clear in their intention of taking the game to their opponents; they were pressing high and frequently looking to play directly forward, relying on pace and skill to break lines and pull the Americans out of their shape to chase.

Jonathan David produced the first good chance of the match just three and a half minutes in; Cyle Larin flicked a speculative ball into space over the American backline and it came down in a good spot for David, who picked it out of the air with a first-time volley that demanded a very good reaction save by goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.

Soon after, the Canadians did in fact take a deserved lead. They pressed the Americans trying to play out of the back, prompting midfielder Johnny Cardoso to mishandle a heavy pass that Stephen Eustáquio retrieved quickly. He played it into the box for David, who unselfishly sent it across goal to Jacob Shaffelburg in more space; the Halifax native made no mistake with a well-driven finish into the top right corner to put Les Rouges in front.

Canada’s good fortunes didn’t last the half, though; a few minutes after their goal, fullback Alistair Johnston pulled up with injury, forcing Jesse Marsch into an early change as Richie Laryea came in on the right side of defence.

Still though, the Canadians were by far the more dangerous side throughout the half, threatening the U.S. both in transition and from hard-earned set-pieces. A combination of intent and energy from Canada, mixed with sluggish and disjointed play from the Americans, resulted in frequent Canadian opportunities to counter-attack.

It was a clear tenet of Canada’s game plan to press the Americans hard, especially early in the first half to set a tone.

Although the U.S. settled a little in the second half and threaded a few more passes together, they still gave the ball away in a few key moments. Just over 10 minutes after halftime, David picked off a pass from Tim Ream just outside the box and battled through the defence to play through Larin, who tapped it back to David for a calm finish.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Canada, though; the U.S. struck back shortly after conceding the second. As Aidan Morris danced through the penalty area after retrieving a loose ball, he slipped it to Luca De La Torre — arguably in an offside position — and the Celta Vigo midfielder scored to cut Canada’s lead in half.

Still, Canada remained generally comfortable on the ball and sought to go forward after Marsch injected some fresh legs in the final 20 minutes. Two players earned senior national team debuts, as Sporting Kansas City’s Stephen Afrifa entered the pitch in the home stadium of his club, while Nathan Saliba of CF Montréal also got his first look in a Canada shirt.

Overall, things got a little dicier in the second half with a handful of U.S. chances that threatened the result, but nonetheless it was a composed victory for Canada.

This, the ninth game of Marsch’s tenure in charge of Canada, was arguably the best performance we’ve seen from the team since he took over, particularly from a tactical sense. They had identified key vulnerabilities in the American team that allowed them to win the ball in dangerous areas, which produced both Canadian goals.

Canada pressed higher and more aggressively than in any of their games at the Copa América, exhibiting more of the Red Bull DNA that some expected Marsch to deploy since he took over. Clearly, he hasn’t attempted to instill a one-dimensional tactical identity in his Canadian team, but it’s a style of play Marsch is comfortable turning to in games where it can be effective — which, of course, it was on Saturday.

Above all though, Canada’s confidence was the most impressive part of their performance. This is certainly not a side that can be intimidated by playing the United States; rather, they evidently went into the match with a clear understanding of how to win, and expecting to do so.

The fact that Canada outshot the U.S. 17 to eight on American soil is a demonstration of just how aggressive they were, as is the fact they made 31 tackles to 12 for the opponents — an indicator of Canada’s eagerness to win the ball when out of possession. They won 61 per cent of the ground duels and generated 36 touches in the box.

Across the board, it was a dominant display from Canada and a clear statement from a team that’s been on a steady upward trajectory all summer.

Box Score

Lineups

United States: Schulte; Scally, Richards, Ream, Lund; Cardoso (Morris 62′), Musah (Wright 71′), Tillman (De La Torre 62′); Aaronson (Cowell 77′), Balogun (Pepi 82′), Pulisic

Canada: Crépeau; Johnston (Laryea 25′), Bombito, Cornelius (Waterman 70′), Davies; Choinière (Saliba 90+4′), Ahmed, Eustáquio (Osorio 67′); Larin (Millar 67′), David (Afrifa 90+4′), Shaffelburg (Oluwaseyi 67′)

Goals

17′ — Jacob Shaffelburg (Canada)
58′ — Jonathan David (Canada)
66′ — Luca De La Torre (United States)

Discipline

53′ — Yellow: Folarin Balogun (United States)
63′ — Yellow: Cyle Larin (Canada)

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Jonathan David, Canada

David was the attacking talisman for Canada and delivered a goal and an assist. His running and workrate at the front of the attacking line was also key to Canada’s pressing structure, helping them consistently put the Americans under pressure and win the ball back.

What’s Next?

Canada’s second friendly of this international window will be on Tuesday, Sept. 10 against Mexico at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT).