Hoping to show their first-round exit at this summer’s Copa América was a fluke, the United States instead displayed an alarming lack of intensity that resulted in their first home loss to Canada since 1957.
Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David scored after US defensive misplays, and Canada dominated 2-1 in a friendly on Saturday for just their second win over the Americans in 27 matches on US soil.
While Jesse Marsch, Canada’s American-born coach, glowed following a win over a team that bypassed him for the USMNT job, interim US coach Mikey Varas rebuked himself and his players.
“The mentality is on the players. Sorry, they know it,” Varas said. “That mentality to fight and to run and to sacrifice, I can’t do that for them. I can’t do that for them. That’s on them.”
Coming off defeats to Panama and Uruguay at the Copa América, the US have lost three straight games for the first time since 2015. A defeat to New Zealand on Tuesday in Cincinnati would result in the Americans’ first four-game losing streak since 2007.
“All over the park today, our mentality just wasn’t quite there,” defender Chris Richards said.
Varas moved up from assistant after Gregg Berhalter was fired following the Copa América flop. The US Soccer Federation has been trying to reach an agreement for Mauricio Pochettino to become the team’s 10th coach in 14 years but has not commented on the talks, which began in mid-August.
“You just never know how it’s going to translate from training to the game after three training sessions, and I asked a lot of them,” Varas said. “The first goal, that’s on me, both the goals, because when you don’t have a lot of time to work and you want to play a certain way, it creates confusion.”
Before a crowd of 10,523 in a half-full Children’s Mercy Park, Shaffelburg put Canada ahead in the 17th minute after Tim Ream’s pass bounced away from Johnny Cardoso. David added his 29th international goal in the 58th when Ream turned over the ball in front of his own goal.
Luca de la Torre scored his first international goal for the US in the 66th minute off a pass from Aidan Morris, who entered with de la Torre four minutes earlier. Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau used his right hand to bat away Ricardo Pepi’s open shot in the 86th.
“The translation of the ideas weren’t clear enough because you shouldn’t be static and you shouldn’t pass the ball just to pass the ball,” Varas said.
Canada hired Marsch as coach in May and finished fourth in the Copa América. He had interviewed in 2023 with the USSF before Berhalter was rehired that June.
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“I’m not bitter,” Marsch said. “Most people, if they ask me a question, I answer it. That’s how I operate in the media.”
Canada outshot the US 17-8, including 11-1 in the first half, and had a 31-12 margin in tackles, the worst differential for the Americans since a 2020 friendly in Wales. The Canadians had been winless in 23 consecutive games against the US in America since a 3-2 victory in a World Cup qualifier in July 1957.
“I’d much rather coach Canada than the US right now,” Marsch said. “You can see the mentality that’s been developed. You can see the way this team plays. You can see how much they love playing for the national team and they’re willing to put their careers and lives and the way they play on the line to be the best they can be for each other and for the team.
Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made his second US start and displaced Matt Turner, who hasn’t played a club match since April. Ream started following his transfer from Fulham to Charlotte.
No MLS players had started in the prior six matches and just eight of 198 starting positions have been filled with MLS players in the 18 games the full pool has been available since the 2022 World Cup.
“We just weren’t intense enough at times,” de la Torre said.