United States vs Canada

The United States and Canada will battle it out for a top place in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B when they meet at Children’s Mercy Park this weekend.

Sam Vines’ eighth-minute strike proved enough for the United States to overcome Haiti 1-0 in their tournament opener. However, the ‘Stars and Stripes’ showcased their tremendous attacking potential on Matchday 2, hammering Martinique 6-1 to book a place in the knock-outs with a game to spare. The ‘Yanks’ now go up against a side they have lost to just once across their last 13 encounters in all competitions, including friendlies (W8, D4). Fresh from conquering the CONCACAF Nations League thanks to a penalty shoot-out win over bitter rivals Mexico, the United States are looking to reclaim continental glory following the 2019 final heartache. Gregg Berhalter’s men can draw confidence from going unbeaten in their last six competitive matches in a row (W5, D1 – 90 mins only) since succumbing to a 2-0 loss to Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League in October 2019.

On the other hand, Canada’s eye-catching pre-tournament form has continued in the early stage of the 2021 Gold Cup, with the ‘Canucks’ winning their opening two Group B fixtures by an aggregate scoreline of 8-2. Indeed, both of Canada’s victories over Martinique and Haiti came by the identical 4-1 score, with John Herdman’s team drawing first blood within 16 minutes of play on each occasion. Despite losing each of their four Gold Cup meetings with the neighbors (penalties included), confidence must be bursting at the seams within the Canada camp following an imperious eight-game winning streak in all competitions, including friendlies. Remarkably, the free-scoring Canadians netted 3+ goals seven times during that eight-match sequence, notching up an average of 4.85 goals per game.