World Cup Qualifying: USMNT shut out by Canada, must beat Honduras
By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
HAMILTON, Canada – If the United States Men’s National Team are to return to the FIFA World Cup in 2022 for the first time in eight years, they will have to wait until March to punch their ticket to Qatar.
In a battle between the two teams that began the day atop the CONCACAF region’s eight-team Octagonal standings, Canada — minus their best player in Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies — beat the Americans 2-0 at Tim Hortons Field on a seventh-minute goal by Cyle Larin and another from defender Sam Adekugbe deep into second-half stoppage time.
The loss sets up a must-win game for the Americans against Honduras on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
Here are three takeaways from the USMNT's second loss in 2022 World Cup qualifying.
Christian Pulisic, USMNT attack continue to struggle
What seemed like a quirk through the first three qualifying windows has turned into a genuine concern in the fourth. For all their attacking talent, the U.S. still lack a proven finisher at the international level. And they’ve had a devil of a time putting the ball into the net because of it.
In last week’s 1-0 win over El Salvador, it took a defender, Jedi Robinson, to score the goal the Americans needed to secure three crucial points at home. Through 10 games, the squad’s strikers have managed just three of the USMNT’s 13 goals.
The USMNT have scored more than twice in a game just once, in the 4-1 victory in Honduras in September. All four goals in that match came in the second half. Including Sunday, the Americans have netted in the opening 45 minutes just twice in their 10 contests, though midfielder Weston McKennie would have had one Sunday if not for an otherworldly stop from home keeper Milan Borjan just before the intermission in Hamilton.
That was as close as they got. On Sunday, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter started Columbus Crew veteran Gyasi Zardes at center forward over inexperienced youngsters Ricardo Pepi and Jesus Ferreira, who started the previous match. But Zardes had played just one match since the MLS regular season ended in November, and despite the change in personnel, there was a lack of cohesion once again.
"I don't think we created that many clear-cut chances," Berhalter said. "I don't think today was an issue of poor finishing. It was more of lack of chance-creation that I think got us down a little bit, lack of precision in the final third."
Overall, the U.S. haven’t been nearly quick or sharp enough going forward. It hasn’t helped that Pulisic, the USMNT’s most dangerous player, has been ineffective so far this month.
On Sunday, Pulisic was hacked to the artificial turf almost every time he touched the ball. When he found himself in open space or standing over a free kick, his execution was for the most part missing. He moved into a more advanced position next to Zardes in the second half, but it didn’t change much. As it had been three nights earlier against the Salvadorans, frustration was etched on Pulisic's face throughout.
Canada all but qualified
Canada’s rapid and unlikely rise from soccer backwater to the best team in CONCACAF continues to be the story of qualifying, and not just in this corner of the world. In perhaps the Reds’ sternest test yet, they showed that their success is no fluke.
Even without Davies, Canada never looked close to losing this game. Larin’s early strike meant that the U.S. were chasing almost from the start.
"The first goal was key," Canadian coach John Herdman said. "Once you score that first goal, you've got control."
Having the lead meant Canada could sit back and let the U.S. have the ball; the U.S. owned 63% of the possession. But the hosts absorbed the pressure and tried to spring lightning-fast forwards Tajon Buchanan and Jonathan David the other way when the ball turned over.
"The U.S. have some top players, so we knew we were going to concede chances," Adekugbe said. "But our mentality was super strong. We just stayed together, and I thought we defended quite well. We know that if [we] keep a clean sheet, we have enough quality in the front attack."
With 22 points from 10 games, just a few more should be enough for Canada to get to Qatar — not that they’re getting ahead of themselves. Canada travels to El Salvador on Wednesday to close out the January/February window.
"We cannot celebrate yet," Borjan said. "There's still four games to play."
Still, the Canadians wouldn’t be human if they weren’t dreaming, at least a little, about ending the country's 36-year World Cup drought.
"It’s bigger than us," Herdman said. "These men know that they've got an opportunity to really leave a proper football legacy for this country."
Pressure is back on for the U.S.
After dropping two points to Canada in September’s 1-1 tie in Nashville, the Americans were hoping to return the favor north of the border. It would’ve given them a bit of breathing room heading into the final four games.
That’s gone now. With daunting trips to Mexico City and Costa Rica scheduled for March, the U.S. can’t afford to not win their final two home matches — starting with Honduras on Wednesday in St. Paul, Minnesota.
One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
