Familiar foes: USMNT pay tribute to Canada ahead of WCQ Octagonal showdown

HAMILTON, Ontario – Technically, they’re only 45 minutes or so from the nearest border crossing, near Niagara Falls. But Gregg Berhalter and his team have reason to feel far from home as they prepare for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Canada at Tim Horton’s Field (3:05 pm ET | Paramount+, Telemundo, Universo).

The US men’s national team didn’t know they would be visiting this icy destination, dubbed “The Hammer” for its steel and manufacturing heritage, until the last minute in logistical terms, thanks to Canada Soccer’s late-breaking decision to host this match here instead of the widely-reported option of Vancouver. That in turn influenced the USMNT to pick cold-weather sites in Ohio and Minnesota for their home games this window instead of West Coast locales, to reduce travel and climate acclimation concerns.

And the CanMNT squad awaiting them are a ferocious adversary, occupying first place in the Concacaf Octagonal standings, still undefeated in this cycle since they began their qualification campaign way back in the first round nearly a year ago. They also knocked the Yanks down a peg on the USMNT’s last trip north of the border, inflicting a 2-0 defeat in Concacaf Nations League at BMO Field in 2019 that snapped a 34-year US undefeated streak against Les Rouges.

Berhalter and his players were full of praise and respect for John Herdman and his side in Saturday’s pregame press availability.

“I think it's similar to us,” said Berhalter, whose team sits one point back of the Canucks in second place and can leapfrog them with a win on Sunday. “They have a young player pool, highly talented players when you think of Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David and Cyle Larin and all the guys, Tajon Buchanan and Jonathan Osorio. They have a talented group of players, make no mistake about it.

“If you guys remember what I said in 2019 after we lost to them, I said it's a good team. I didn't think that team was given enough credit. And here they go, a couple years later at the top of the table after nine games. They’re a well-coached team. They know how to play, they have a clear philosophy and they deserve to be where they are right now.”

Many of the USMNT’s current and former MLSers have had a view on Canada’s rise from perennial underachievers to a regional force to be reckoned with. Plenty of Canadian talent has been shining in the league, and the country’s three MLS clubs built substantial academy infrastructure. The birth of the Canadian Premier League has also enhanced opportunities for domestic players and as with the United States, big clubs across Europe now see the nation as a talent-rich market.

“You look at the shift, of players of theirs that are playing in Europe, playing in top leagues and playing well,” said defender Walker Zimmerman, whose participation in the media call hits strongly at another start for the Nashville SC anchor. “But I think there's been a shift in their mentality and they play with a chip on their shoulder, they play with something to prove, and they play with an intensity that is very high.

“They're a confident group. And so whenever you go out there, you know that they're going to compete and that you have to match that level of intensity and desire. And so I think that's something that John has brought to that group and that's a strength of theirs, so we're going have to be up for it.”

Holding this midwinter game at an outdoor Canadian football venue with artificial turf and open ends is seen as cultivating a cold and physically punishing environment for the visitors, though provincial COVID-19 restrictions will limit spectator capacity to 50% of full occupancy.

Even after the gamesmanship and all that’s riding on this matchup, however, Berhalter chose to tip his cap to Herdman, speaking of a “relationship filled with mutual respect” and framing the venue selection as something he’d do, too.

“I think it's the talented players that the group have, but it's also his strong leadership, painting a vision for where the Canadian program can go,” said Berhalter of Herdman, who also locked horns with the United States in big games in his previous post as head of the Canadian women’s national team.

“Once you have people buying into that vision, it's no surprise that they’ve had the success that they've had. We've been able to bounce some ideas and some notes off each other in qualifying. We're pulling for the Canadian team to qualify, there's no secret about that. And it's only tomorrow that I want them to lose and then every other game, I'm happy that they win.”

Some of the USMNT players involved in that Nations League defeat in Toronto have pointed to it as a watershed moment for the program, and Berhalter alluded to its lessons on Saturday.

“We know it's going to be a tough game, a physical game, and we're looking forward to the competitive nature of that game,” he said. “One major takeaway that we've had since my time as coach is that first Canada away game in the Nations League is where we really fell flat from a competitive standpoint. So that's the emphasis in this game. We know that they’re going to be fired up. We know they're playing in front of their home fans, we know they're going to be confident and it's going to be a competitive game. If we can embrace that, we'll be OK.”

The coach refused to be drawn into much detail on whether he expects Herdman’s XI to attack the Yanks aggressively, or sit deep and fly forward in speedy transitions as they did to such good effect in September’s 1-1 qualifying draw in Nashville, and their 2-0 win at Honduras on Thursday.

“They have weapons. I think that was surprising the way they approached that [Nashville] game," Berhalter said. "But when I look at how they create chances, a lot of them are from counterattacks; Honduras was no different. Now they may take a different posture at home, but who knows. We're preparing for everything.”