Inglewood (United States) (AFP) – Jonathan David scored the winner as Canada claimed a 2-1 victory over the United States in the CONCACAF Nations League third place game on Sunday. David’s second-half strike earned Canada a well-deserved win over their 2026 World Cup co-hosts at a sparsely attended SoFi Stadium, with the US slumping to their second straight competitive defeat under new coach Mauricio Pochettino.
A lackluster first-half display from the United States contained none of the fight and risk-taking urgency that Pochettino had demanded after Thursday’s abject 1-0 semi-final loss to Panama. Pochettino, who described his team’s performance against Panama as “really painful,” expressed disappointment following Sunday’s loss — but insisted there was still plenty of time to turn things around before next year’s World Cup.
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“My reaction is disappointment again,” the former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea manager said. “I think we are all responsible for these two results. But there is still a lot of time to the World Cup. If we are in this situation, in one year’s time, for sure, I will tell you, ‘Houston, we have a problem. S.O.S.'”
With the SoFi Stadium barely a quarter full, the low-key atmosphere appeared to affect both teams, with neither managing a single shot — on or off target — until Ismael Kone’s deflected effort on 22 minutes. That near-miss should have been a wake-up call for the US, but five minutes later, more lackadaisical marking by the hosts led to Canada’s opening goal. Ali Ahmed’s low cross was met by David just inside the area, and the France-based forward’s shot ricocheted into the path of Nigeria-born striker Tani Oluwaseyi, who stabbed home the finish for 1-0.
The US looked stunned by the goal and again struggled to muster an immediate response. But on 35 minutes, the US leveled with their first shot of the game. Tim Weah cut in from the left flank and found Diego Luna in the area, and the Real Salt Lake winger deftly passed to an unmarked Patrick Agyemang, who rifled in the equalizer. Yet any hopes Pochettino might have had that Agyemang’s goal would act as a catalyst proved misplaced as the teams headed in for half-time.
Instead, it was Canada who went on the front foot and looked likeliest to score after the restart. David had alarm bells ringing in the 50th minute after tumbling to the deck in a collision with Tyler Adams in the penalty area. Canadian appeals for a spot-kick were waved away. Two minutes later, Oluwaseyi shot over the bar after a sloppy Adams back-pass. In the 54th minute, David seemed poised to make it 2-1 after going clean through on goal. But US defender Max Arfsten did just enough to off-balance David, who slipped over in the area as he looked to check inside. Canada coach Jesse Marsch screamed for a penalty and was subsequently shown a red card for his protest by referee Katia Itzel Garcia.
But on 59 minutes, Canada got the breakthrough their dominance deserved, with neat interplay between Tajon Buchanan and Ahmed releasing David inside the area, who curled an unstoppable shot past US goalkeeper Matt Turner. Canada’s assistant coach Mauro Biello said the team had been determined to bounce back after Thursday’s semi-final loss to Mexico.
“We came into this tournament wanting to win,” Biello said. “It didn’t go our way. Today was another big test for us against a very good American team… it showed that we’re ready to compete and beat everybody in this region.” Mexico faces Panama in the Nations League final later Sunday.
© 2024 AFP
