Main events
42 min: The game continues. The air has already left the stadium. There’s a home crowd for most of the first half hour, but now you can make individual noises here.
40 min: Canada intentionally clears the ball as Eustáquio goes down with a shoulder grab. Reyna receives a yellow card.
39 min: Ellis brilliantly sets up Albert and for a moment it looks like the USA might create a promising angle for the youngster to shoot, but he loses possession and Canada ends up with another free kick in their own half.
37 min: I’m trying to think who Schaffelburg looks like with his mustache and half-mullet curls. Maybe a member of the .38 Special? Some other 70s or early 80s band?
In any case, he is a constant thorn in the side of the United States.
36 min: Schaffelburg again takes a free-kick to the edge of the box, this time fouled by Freeman.
35 min: A bad pass from the USA was picked off, but Eustáquio squandered the opportunity with a shot that Schwake easily smothered.
34 min: Foul on USA – second unforced foul in as many minutes, ending possession.
33 min: Confidently jumps high and manages to head the Canadian cross.
32 min: USA test the other side of the field for the first time in a while, but they are held back.
30 min: Oluwaseyi was booked at his old home. It was obviously too late and he grabbed the leg of a US player. There is no arguing with that.
GOAL!! USA 1-0 Canada (Ellis 29)
Freeman and Tillman combine wonderfully down the right and Freeman knocks one in towards the far post. Ellis, last seen in agony, hits the ball into the net from about two feet.
Replays show he was… maybe offside?
28 min: Continue past the US back line.
And that’s the… goal?
26 min: USA looked a little dangerous down the right when they weren’t worried about the lack of calls.
US fans may disagree, but I think Costa Rican referee Madrigal has done a good job so far.
25 min: The referee ignores this as Tillman is late to the challenge. Schaffelburg sends the free kick towards the border.
24 min: Another good ball from Canada and it’s Campbell who makes the vital intervention.
He gives a potential foul, but the referee gets tired of blowing the whistle.
23 min: Dangerous diagonal ball from Millar, but the USA hold the center firmly.
Ellis is back on the field looking like me after knocking out my knee this weekend pulling musical instruments. But I’m a third less old, so maybe the recovery will be faster.
22 min: Reyna puts the free kick into heavy traffic and Canada clears it.
20 min: USA free kick, Ellis 25 yards short of goal. He rolls over in obvious pain. Eustáquio was at fault as Ellis moved his foot forward trying to play the ball. There is a slight nervous conflict.
Ellis is limping. In a World Cup game, he might get over it, but it seems reckless to leave him out here.
19 min: Clever mid-ranger Freeman charges towards Musah as he drives towards the touchline, but Musah loses control and takes him out.
18 min: More Canadian pressure and Schwake should pull it off. Freeman almost ends up with it, but can’t manage it.
I took 18 minutes without mentioning that this month I was going to see Canada’s most legendary band.
16 min: Some lungs, but a fair fight from each side, and Shaffelburg has some power, but Schwake unleashes a shot from 25 yards straight.
Then it’s Schaffelburg again from an acute angle – probably more of a cross than a shot – but Schwake controls well. Making his first start, the USA goalkeeper has been up to the task so far, although he hasn’t been asked to do anything spectacular.
15 min: David with a non-violent but completely unnecessary foul in his own half. That’s eight fouls, and I wouldn’t say they were bad calls.
14 min: Late call to give USA a free kick. Canada was starting to go to the races.
This is Canada’s seventh foul. Fast forward to 45!
13 min: Eustáquio surprises everyone with a short pass to Liam Millar, who shoots well.
12 min: Corner to Canada. Not a great pass from Eustáquio, but Schaffelburg fights for possession and is fouled. Free kick a few meters from the top corner of the pitch.
11 min: This is the second time that St. Clair is forced to play the ball with his feet and scrambles to keep the ball from rolling into the corner. Awkward.
10 min: A little more direct here from the USA, looking for Albert on the left wing, but the young USA player is fouled by Sigurla.
Canada plays a quick field, resulting in a misfire.
9 min: Reyna draws a foul, maybe a little fancy, but there was contact on the ankle.
USA choose not to do anything aggressive with free kicks in midfield, for example they continue to practice possession.
8 min: Play is limited to a 30-yard stretch along the far sideline.
6 min: The font of the names on the Canada T-shirts is similar to the rejected design scheme at Epcot Center.
Canada gets fouled in midfield but they get the ball back right after the free kick.
5 min: The Canadian press gets possession, but an errant pass by Oluwaseyi turns it over. Reyna breaks deep in their own half and the USA attack.
4 min: Schwake takes the first touch, confidently approaches the ball.
Continue to pass behind while the Canadian forwards hide like icebergs.
2 min: Canada does not mess with this press. But the US is breaking the Canadian defense and forcing it to be alert.
The beginning
USA in red and white rings. Canada in secret dark sets.
USA fans presented a huge banner saying “TRY”. At first I thought it said “DRAKE NOISE”. That would be surprising.
Jeff is in the game.
Meanwhile, Pablo Maurer watches Messi’s farewell:
Jeff Rueter
A few players I will be watching most closely in this game:
Goalkeeping feels like a re-opened competition after the shock spells of current World Cup players Matt Freese and Chris Brady, while Diego Kochen shone on his first start against Mexico. Brian Schwake Will look to make his case from the opening whistle to carry his fine form into his second appearance with Nashville.
I was hoping to see Auston Trusty Partner with Chris Richards as he looks to be the best partner in the US side since Tim Ream, but he is set to deploy at left-back. However, Alex Freeman is likely to move to the right and Trusty could feature as a wide centre-back in the build-up stages.
Mathis Albert He may not yet be a regular with Dortmund’s B-team, much less the big side, but his dynamism in this camp has earned him a surprise start over the more polished and proven Xavier Gozo. An exciting chance to get a long look at another star of the program’s future.
More game facts
Weather: Beautiful. It’s currently 69 degrees and clear.
Referee: Stephen Madrigal (Costa Rica). Follow her on Instagram.
First email of the day is from JL Kalanga …
As a neutral foreigner in this business, I’ll be watching Benin vs Messi on my laptop with cheers pouring out of my apartment window across the street from Allianz Field.
I would like to point out that the lovely Tani Oluwaseyi is currently playing for Villarreal in Spain and not Minnesota United FC. But it will be his first return to Allianz Field since being sold out last summer, so it will be emotional for him and other Loons fans.
Is Messi playing in that game? This is it goodbye?
By the way, I still see kids at the local elementary school arguing about Messi and Ronaldo.
From this morning…
In case you missed it, the Faroe Islands drew Kazakhstan, who had to come back from 0-2 down.
Also, England won a lot.
In the Americas, Uruguay thrashed India 6-1, Venezuela drew Jordan 0-0, Colombia and Peru are soon to kick off, Mexico and Chile are next, while Argentina begin their game against Benin.
Canadian row
Dayne St. Louis Clair (29, Inter Miami); Nico Sigur (23, Toulouse), Luc De Fugerolles (20, Fulham, on loan from Real Salt Lake), Richie Laryea (31, Toronto FC); Ralph Prison (24, Vancouver Whitecaps), Steven Eustachio (29, Swansea City), Nathan Saliba (22, Villarreal), Liam Millar (27, Birmingham City), Jacob Schaffelburg (26, LAFC); Jonathan David (26, Atletico Madrid), Tani Oluwaseyi (26, Villarreal)
Alphonso Davies will not be here as he is on his honeymoon.
Clubs are fixed.
US ranking
Clubs and ages are given here…
Brian Schwake (25, Nashville SC); George Campbell (25, Montreal), Auston Trusty (28, Celtic), Alex Freeman (22, Villarreal), Chris Richards (26, Crystal Palace); Joe Reyna (23, Borussia Dortmund), Brooklyn Raines (21, Houston Dynamo), Yunus Musah (23, Milan), Malik Tillman (24, PSV Eindhoven), Mathis Albert (17, Borussia Dortmund); Justin Ellis (19, San Jose Earthquakes)
Matt Freese is not wearing one. Alex Freeman, Gio Reyna, Chris Richards, Malik Tillman and Auston Trusty started against Mexico.
This is Schwak’s second appearance after appearing against Chile. You can safely say that this is his first start.
Preamble
Ah, friendship. This is an impossible game to lose. Win and this is proof that the team is on the rise. Lose and it was all just a test.
That said, when a bunch of young people roll over Mexico, it’s hard to completely suppress the optimism.
And it has all the additional sub-areas of the two countries, which share the world’s longest border – 5,525 miles or 8,891 kilometers – with no real negotiating terms at the moment.
Did we mention that Canadian coach Jesse Marsh is from the US and tends to throw a few punches in his home country?
So it might be worth more popcorn than a typical friendship. Enjoy it.
Jeff Rueter on the guys after Cavan Sullivan’s long-range chip helped the USA to a 3-0 win over Mexico:
Aside from its historical nature and semi-fictional origins, what’s most incredible about Sullivan’s moment is how normal this window is for the United States. Of the 13 potential debutants called up by Mauricio Pochettino, all but one saw time on the pitch, most impressively. 18-year-old Julian Hall has scored in all three games. Mathis Albert broke Christian Pulisic’s decade-old mark to become the program’s youngest goal scorer, holding the record four days before Sullivan chipped in.
Considering the competition so far, it’s fair to say these players aren’t in the shallow end of the pool. They’ve been thrown into the deep end and they’re swimming.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Guardian USA v Canada live. Beau will be with us soon.