The rivalry between the US men’s national team and Canada doesn’t rise to the level of USA-Mexico, but there’s no shortage of history when these two Concacaf nations meet.
The US and CanMNT will soon clash again, as they were drawn into Group B of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. It’ll be 36th meeting between the North American neighbors, with head coach Gregg Berhalter’s team holding a 15-9-11 all-time record.
Before that game arrives, here’s a look back at this bubbling rivalry, key players and where things stand.
Recent history
Rivalries are always shaped by hotpoint moments, and there are two key ones to draw from in Concacaf Nations League. They were drawn into Group A alongside Cuba, and only the first-place team would earn automatic qualification.
Canada caused plenty of introspection after a 2-0 beatdown at BMO Field on Oct. 15, 2019, as the USMNT struggled to generate chances. They’d meet again on Nov. 15, 2019 at Exploria Stadium, home of Orlando City SC, with passage to the inaugural semifinals on the line.
The USMNT rose to the occasion with a 4-1 win that included a Gyasi Zardes hat trick. Another shocking defeat was avoided, though the memory of that October setback still lingers. It was the USMNT’s first loss against Canada since 1985, so it was over three decades in the making.
Highlights: US 4, Canada 1 in Nations League
‘97 World Cup qualifiers
Canada’s only made one FIFA World Cup, crashing out of Group C at the 1986 tournament in Mexico with three straight defeats. That painful fact lingers in the CanMNT collective conscious, as they’ve fallen short of returning each successive time.
But they could’ve played spoilers in the buildup to the 1998 event, were it not for a pair of 3-0 USMNT wins in Concacaf qualifiers. The first came in March ‘97 at Stanford Stadium, while the other arrived in November ‘97 at Swangard Stadiumin British Columbia. The likes of Eric Wynalda and Roy Wegerle scored in those games, giving a sense of which players were in key roles back then.
Canada ultimately finished bottom of the first-ever Hexagonal, leading to another setback on the edge of the France 1998 World Cup. Check out the highlights from the second WC qualifier below:
2007 Gold Cup semifinal
A rivalry wouldn’t be complete without some drama, and there was plenty when USA-Canada resumed matters in the 2007 Gold Cup semifinals.
The USMNT eventually won 2-1 en route to a roaring title-clinching victory over Mexico at Soldier Field, but not first without some drama against their neighbors to the north.
Iain Hume scored in the 76th minute to half Canada’s deficit after Frankie Hejduk and Landon Donovan goals, then Atiba Hutchinson appeared to score a late equalizer that would’ve set up a nail-biting finish. But Hutchinson, who’s still playing for Beşiktaş at 37, was incorrectly flagged for being offside. The goal was disallowed, robbing Canada of a chance to advance to the final after previously winning the 2000 Gold Cup.
Such drama would likely be avoided nowadays by Video Review, avoiding the conspiracy theories and passionate reactions. But, man, to think what Soccer Twitter would’ve been like on that June evening. Upset doesn’t even begin to describe it.
New generations
Hope and youth define the state of both national teams, as young stars chart their course at some of Europe’s biggest teams.
We’ll start with Canada, who has Vancouver Whitecaps FC academy product Alphonso Davies winning the UEFA Champions League at Bayern Munich. There’s also Brooklyn-born forward Jonathan David securing a reported €30 million transfer this past summer to Ligue 1 side Lille from Belgium’s Gent.
As for the USMNT, their list includes midfielders like Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig). There’s then attackers like Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) and Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), striker Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen) and goalkeeper Zack Steffen (Manchester City)
Both squads have accomplished MLS cores, too, so there’s plenty of familiarity among the players. But it’ll be interesting to see how these up-and-coming stars chart their own USA-Canada memories in due time.
Odds and ends
Canada has one Gold Cup title in their history (2000), while the USMNT has six (last in 2017). They both trail Mexico, with El Tri owning a Concacaf-leading eight titles.
This rivalry began with a June 27, 1925 meeting in Montreal when Canada secured a 1-0 victory. It's nearly at its century point, with the likes of Brooklyn and Toronto also serving as early venues.
The USMNT qualified for seven consecutive World Cups from 1990 through 2014, only to spectacularly fall short on the final matchday ahead of Russia 2018. As for Canada, they only made the 1986 tournament. But both countries, alongside Mexico, are guaranteed passage to the 2026 tournament when the World Cup comes to North America for a joint event.
