US menās national team bossĀ Gregg Berhalter saluted Canadaās climb back toward the Concacaf men's elite ahead of their Gold Cup Group B faceoff in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon (5 pm ET | FOX, Univision, TUDN in US, One Soccer in Canada).
For the first time in more than two decades, the CanMNT have booked their place in the final round of World Cup qualifying, the āOctagonalā phase that kicks off in September. And theyāll meet their southern neighbors right off the bat, as Les Rouges visit the USMNT at Nashvilleās Nissan Stadium on the fifth of that month for the second of three qualifiers in that FIFA window.
āFirst of all, I'm really happy thatĀ Canadaās in the final qualifying group,āĀ said Berhalter in Saturdayās matchday -1 press conference. āThey've done a great job of getting to this point, and I'm not happy because I want to face them, I'm happy for the group, for the players.Ā It's a lot of players that we're familiar with, weāve got a lot of respect for those guys.Ā It's been nice seeing them grow over the last five years, and they've arrived to this point and I think it's a good team.ā
Praising the Canucks'Ā navigation of the winding path of the first two rounds of 2022 qualifying, Berhalter later suggested that their comparable youth movements, much of whichĀ is rootedĀ in Major League Soccer, have made theĀ leagueās two home nations the fastest-rising programs in the region.
āI would say that we made a lot of strides in the last couple of years in terms of developing a young player pool and getting this young player pool to a point where they have international experience,āĀ said Berhalter. āThe Costa Ricans, Honduras, Mexico, those teams have been through it before, they know exactly what itās about. Iāll add Panama to that. But I think the resurgent teams in Concacaf are the United States and Canada.ā
John Herdman and his side snapped a 34-year winless streak against the United States when they ambushed them 2-0 at BMO Field in Toronto during the group stage of Concacaf Nations League play in 2019, and can now deal the Yanks another blow with a win or draw on Sunday.
Either outcome would earn Les Rouges top spot in the group, and push the USMNT into whatās expected to be a tougher side of the knockout bracket when the quarterfinals kick off in a weekās time.
āThere's a special aura and energy about that game,āĀ suggested US fullback Reggie Cannon, who said heāsĀ fully healed from a hamstring issueĀ and looks likely to start this match. āThey've been very strong these past eight games, theyāve been on a very hot streak.Ā So to us it's just about playing our game;Ā Gregg has prepared us very well tactically and physically for whatās to come. We know this is a very important step in our journey. Gold Cup obviously is a huge part of the plan, and everyone here knows that.ā
Cannon was alluding to the evaluation aspect of this tournament, which Berhalter has made clear is helping him sort out his best choices to fill the rosters heāll use for the intensely compacted qualifying schedule to come.
āEveryone in this tournamentĀ has an opportunity to be able toĀ secure their spot inĀ World Cup qualifying, that's the reality of the situation,ā said the FC Dallas product, now at Boavista in Portugal. āWe have a lot of players over in Europe that are succeeding at a high level, and it's going to be a matter of proving every step, every gameĀ withĀ the nationalĀ team that you canĀ compete inĀ those options.ā
There is a bit of tactical intrigue ahead of Sundayās match at Childrenās Mercy Park. The CanMNT have used a three-player backline in their first two matches, twin 4-1 wins over Martinique and Haiti, and the USMNTās shift to a 3-4-2-1 in Thursdayās win over Martinique hints at the possibility of Berhalter matching Herdmanās shape to blunt some of the northernersā weapons up top and in the wideĀ spaces.
Influential Canadian central midfielder Stephen Eustaquio is suspended on card accumulation, having picked up an odd-looking caution against Haiti that conveniently provides him a clean slate when the knockout stage begins. ButĀ Alistair Johnston, Steven Vitoria, Liam Fraser, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Lucas CavalliniĀ are all carrying yellows that could affect their deployment against the Yanks.
In positive news for everyone involved,Ā a sellout crowd is expectedĀ for this oneĀ ā something most of these players have experienced precious little of since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
āThat's one of the biggest things that's been missing from this year of football,āĀ said Cannon. āIt's going to be incredibly, incredibly important going forward that we have the support of our fans, because we know what it's like to almost play away in your home country ā I felt thatĀ in the 2019[Gold Cup]Ā finalĀ againstĀ Mexico, it was one of the craziest things, not beingĀ to hearĀ yourselfĀ think. Hearing that energy, being in that environment, it really motivates you to get to the next level, to find a way to win.ā