It’s one of the most anticipated matchups of the Octagonal stage of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying, as the United States and Canada do battle Sunday at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
Both teams are coming off draws that left them unfulfilled on Thursday, with Canada rallying to secure a 1-1 tie against Honduras at BMO Field and the USMNT battling El Salvador to a 0-0 stalemate in San Salvador.
The fixtures have been getting bigger between the neighboring nations, with Canada memorably winning 2-0 at home in the Nations League and the US topping their group thanks to a 1-0 win over Les Rouges en route to lifting the Gold Cup in July.
But with Canada reaching the final stage of World Cup qualification for the first time since 1997, this is the biggest match between the North American neighbors in a long time. Here’s what you need to know.
When
- Sunday, September 5 | 8 pm ET
Where
- Nissan Stadium | Nashville, Tenn.
How to watch and stream
- FS1, UniMás, TUDN, OneSoccer
United States
Is the glass half full or half empty after a 0-0 draw in San Salvador? Many in the young USMNT squad got their first taste of a Concacaf qualifier on the road – the dodgy pitch, the passionate home support, taking corners backed by armed officers attempting to block projectiles.
The United States struggled to put away the few clear chances they had to score, but they picked up a point on the road, which they didn’t do in their first away fixtures in both of the last two qualifying campaigns.
Now, they return to home soil where anything but three points will be a disappointment. The status of Christian Pulisic is another key storyline to watch after he remained back in Nashville to regain fitness, while center back John Brooks will surely get reintroduced to the starting XI.
Canada
Playing in front of fans on Canadian soil for the first time since a 2-0 win over the USMNT in Nations League play, on Oct. 15, 2019, John Herdman’s squad nearly suffered a devastating defeat before rallying to draw Honduras 1-1 at BMO Field.
For all of the momentum accrued through earlier rounds of qualification and a march to the Gold Cup semifinals, this was a dose of reality for Les Rouges. Reaching the World Cup is hard, it's a grind in Concacaf.
Honduras, which have been a bit of a boogeyman for Canada, led after 45 minutes. But Canada responded by finding the equalizer and were unlucky not to get more before the final whistle. Not securing three points at home leaves Canada for searching for them away from home, all while navigating a second match in seven days.
