In their first major final since 2000, Canada were soundly beaten by a much better United States side by a scoreline of 2-0 that easily could have been worse on the night. Folarin Balogun and Chris Richards found the back of the net for the United States inside the opening 34 minutes as the Americans cruised to victory.
The United States now repeats as Concacaf Nations League champions, while this Canadian team is left with plenty of difficult questions to answer. In many ways, the performance has to be looked at as collectively poor, but on an individual level, there were also multiple players who were well below their standards.
Here is how the Canadian players performed on a disappointing night for the team:
Starting XI
Milan Borjan 4/10
Borjan made five saves in the end, and probably kept the match from getting more out of hand than it already was for Canada. With that being said, both goals were probably saveable, especially the opener.
Richie Laryea 6/10
Laryea was one of Canada’s most threatening players on the night, forcing a good save out of Turner in the first half. He also had a key pass and was fouled four times.
Alistair Johnston 4/10
Potentially the most Johnston has struggled in a Canada shirt, he was exposed on set pieces throughout the match. He also struggled in distribution, completing just 16 of his 26 passes.
Scott Kennedy 4/10
Kennedy, who was hardly put in a position to succeed in the centre of a back three, was exposed on multiple occasions, especially by Folarin Balogun on the second US goal, and nearly scored an own goal. He did, however, save a sure goal off of the line.
Kamal Miller 5/10
Canada’s best starting defender wasn’t exactly a high bar on the night, but Miller made three clearances and two interceptions as the only member of the back three to go the full 90 minutes.
Alphonso Davies 5/10
It was a frustrating performance from Davies, who did a lot of good things to get himself into good positions, but on the occasions he got into the final third he almost unanimously chose the wrong option.
Stephen Eustáquio 5.5/10
Like the rest of Canada’s midfield, Eustáquio was caught in transition far more than he is used to, often pressing at the wrong time and leaving the team exposed. He did make two key passes, but just two of his eight crosses were accurate, and he struggled to find teammates in the final third.
Ismaël Koné 6/10
His movement in midfield left something to be desired at times, but when he had it on his foot he was Canada’s most composed player. He completed 51 of his 60 passes, and made two key passes, while winning seven of his eight duels.
Jonathan Osorio 5.5/10
Osorio was tidy when Canada had the ball, but was caught in transition far too often on the defensive side of the ball — as he was dribbled past three times over the course of 90 minutes per SofaScore.
Cyle Larin 5/10
Larin had Canada’s best chances of the match, but especially in matches like this where those opportunities were always going to be limited, needed to have better composure in front of goal.
Jonathan David 5/10
David was involved all over the field as he always is, but just wasn’t able to combine well enough with teammates or get himself into dangerous positions. Canada’s most lethal striker in recent matches didn’t have a shot on target.
Substitutions
Tajon Buchanan 5.5/10
Buchanan came in for the final 30 minutes of the match but struggled to make any sort of significant influence, looking just as frustrated and out of ideas as the players who started the match.
Sam Adekugbe 6/10
Adekugbe was excellent down the left for Canada after coming onto the pitch. Despite playing just a half hour, he made two key passes, two tackles, and completed 90 per cent of his passes.
Steven Vitória 6.5/10
Perhaps he wasn’t 90 minutes fit to start this match, but Vitória’s fantastic performance when he came onto the pitch seemed frustrating in hindsight. Stepping into the pitch for the final half hour, he made four clearances, two blocks, an interception and a tackle — winning both of his aerial duels during a fantastic performance.
Lucas Cavallini 5.5/10
Cavallini came on for the final 14 minutes of the match, and didn’t have much of an influence as Canada were chasing the game but couldn’t get nearly enough service to their strikers.