USMNT vs Canada: A crunch clash awaits in final Gold Cup group stage match on July 18th

Topics: TV Schedules, USMNT, Canada, CONCACAF Gold Cup

Familiar opponents USA and Canada will lock horns on in the final day of group stage matches, with top spot up for grabs.

Preview: USMNT vs Canada

North American neighbors USA and Canada will lock horns in on the final group stage matchday in a game that will decide the winner of Group B. In short, the script couldn't have been written any better. Both teams come into this match on six points and thus are already through to the quarter-finals; however, a positive result from this tie will be absolutely essential to each side in order to determine who they face in the knock-out rounds.

Let's take a quick look at how each team got to this juncture, and what they'll be up against in this highly anticipated showdown between the USMNT and Canada.

USMNT

The Stars and Stripes started off slowly, as they ground out a gritty 1-0 win over Haiti in a performance that garnered some criticism from some quarters. However, they came roaring back to crush Martinique 6-1, albeit Gregg Berhalter's men may be a bit disappointed not to keep a clean sheet against the minnows as goal differential sees them sitting behind Canada in the table. It was also a great day for youngster Daryl Dike, who now is the second-youngest player to score at least two goals in a CONCACAF Gold Cup match, and he'll certainly hope to continue having an impact for the Yanks at this competition.

Still, the USMNT will be fancying their chances against Les Rouges for several reasons. First, their opponents are missing two very key players: Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, with both youngsters not even taking part in the tournament. And second, Team USA have never lost to Canada in a Gold Cup match, with three wins and a draw so far.

That being said, Canada have been in excellent form as of late, meaning that the hosts won't be totally relying on their strong historic track record against their northern neighbors to see them through.

Canada

Led by John Herdman, who notably has previously enjoyed success with the women's side, Canada come into this game on an eight game winning streak that leads back to March 25th. During that time, Les Rouges managed to maintain five consecutive clean sheets, and overall, have conceded just three times while scoring 39. Since Herdman took over in 2018, Canada have been in truly sparkling form, winning 20 of their last 24 games and certainly will be fancying their chances at pipping the USMNT to top spot in their group.

And why not? Canada come into this game having beaten Martinique and Haiti quite comfortably, cruising to 4-1 wins in each game. As such, they've scored eight goals, which is enough to see them top the table heading into this match. That means that Les Rouges simply need a draw to progress to the next round as group winners, whereas the Stars and Stripes will need a win.

Team news: USMNT vs Canada

USA: Both Reggie Cannon and Paul Arriola missed out against Martinique due to hamstring issues, and it's not likely that Berhalter will want to risk them for this match.

Canada: Les Rouges are missing two key players for this competition. Bayern Munich's young star Alphonso Davies injured his ankle in training before the Gold Cup and thus has flown back to Munich to undergo rehab. Meanwhile, Lille's Jonathan Davis, who had an outstanding season as Les Dogues won the Ligue 1 title, has been given the summer off to prepare his team's upcoming campaigns.

In terms of this actual game, Herdman doesn't have any major injury concerns.

Match facts: USMNT vs Canada

The USMNT and Canada will be meeting for the 36th time on Sunday
So far, the USMNT's record against Canada is W15 L11 D9
In Gold Cup meetings, Canada have never beaten the USA, with a record of W0 L3 D1
This will be the third time the USMNT and Canada meet in the group stages of a CONCACAF Gold Cup
Since 1991, the Stars and Stripes have only lost once to Canada - a 2-0 defeat during the CONCACAF Nations League group stages in October 2019; other from that their record is W10 D6