The US Men’s National Team may be tired at the end of a busy four-match international window, but will be ready to end it on a winning note.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side face CONCACAF rivals Canada on Tuesday to finish 4-0-0 over the two-week span. Fresh from a 3-0 win over Mexico on Saturday, Pochettino’s side must be brimming with confidence after extending their unbeaten run to three matches.
Canada will present another tough test for the Americans, but Pochettino knows there is another good opportunity for his team to grow together.
“It’s going to continue to grow and I think you have to support the players and finish [window] Pochettino said during a press conference on Monday: “But I am sure that even if we compete and travel a lot, it can affect the players, we will be ready for it. [Tuesday]with fresh energy. I think this is a good opportunity for continuous development in that camp.”
Tuesday will be the first head-to-head meeting between the USMNT and Canada since Jesse Marsch’s side won the 2025 Nations League third-place match 2-1. Overall, the Canadians have won three of their last five meetings, including World Cup qualifying, the Nations League and a friendly.
Pochettino isn’t too concerned about the USMNT’s past history against Canada, believing Tuesday’s match is the basis for both teams to prepare for bigger competitions to come.
“Every game is different and it’s a different world,” Pochettino said. “We can’t combine the last game with the next one. We have to build our next game in the best way possible to try to be competitive and make sure we can be close to victory.
“I think it’s a new era, even for Canada [manager Jesse Marsch]”, Pochettino added. “I think that chapter was closed after the World Cup and now it’s a new chapter. I think it’s all new. The group is different than when we faced Canada before. The same for Canada. I think it’s a new, fresh start that we’re playing for every country like Mexico. Even if it’s Jesse and it’s us, the expectation and everything starts from scratch and I think it’s a fresh start. It has nothing to do with the game we played before.”
Canada is also unbeaten in the September-October window, beating Chile 1-0 and Peru 2-0 over the past two weeks. Marsch continued to rely heavily on many World Cup players such as Jonathan David, Jacob Schaffelburg, Stephen Eustaquio, but also sprinkled in some new faces.
The USMNT-Canada rivalry is showing increased intensity with Marsh being recruited by Soccer Canada and Pochettino aware of the challenge they will bring at Allianz Field.
“I know Jesse very well, I like him [as] coach. It is always difficult to play against the teams he coaches,” said Pochettino. “He is intense. Teams are aggressive. A good mix between being aggressive without the ball and then very different when they try with the ball [options] and then we must concentrate. “Yes, it’s a very good challenge for us tomorrow and yes, we hope to enjoy everything we can.”