Four storylines to watch as Canada and USA write another chapter in rivalry

The United States vs. Mexico has long been considered the most intense rivalry in men’s soccer in the Concacaf region.

But Canada vs. the U.S. has slowly been catching up thanks to a series of hotly contested games over the years between the two neighbouring nations.

The latest chapter in the red-hot soccer feud between the Canadians and Americans will be written in Sunday’s third-place match at the Concacaf Nations League in Los Angeles.

Here are four storylines to watch for in this game.

How will Canada respond after the loss to Mexico?

A 2-0 shutout loss to Mexico in Thursday’s semifinal meant Canada hasn’t won a major tournament since it defeated Colombia in the final of the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup in Los Angeles.

Although the Mexicans outplayed the Canadians on the night, their victory wasn’t without some controversy. Down 1-0 after only 46 seconds, Canada should’ve won a clear penalty in the ninth minute when Mexico’s Edson Álvarez caught Derek Cornelius’ foot with a high kick as the two players challenged for the ball. Inexplicably, Salvadoran referee Hector Martinez awarded Mexico a free kick on the play and the call wasn’t overturned via VAR.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Canadian coach Jesse Marsch vented over the officiating, saying his players were even more upset.

"I would say that my frustration paled in comparison to their anger. And the reason why is because I think they felt that disrespect for a long time," Marsch said.

He added: “There’s no debate … It’s one hundred percent a penalty, a thousand percent a penalty. And the fact that it's not even reviewed is inexcusable.”

Marsch has a valid point, but his players have to forget about it and find a way to put the non-penalty call behind them against the U.S.

“It's not about excuses. It's about competitively, finding ways to make sure that we give ourselves the best chance in big games. I think the players have moved on,” Marsch said.

Canada has to improve on set pieces

Canada’s wastefulness in free-kick situations has been a long-standing issue. The Canadians’ problems continued in the semifinals, as they never put goalkeeper Luis Malagón or the Mexican defence under any kind of danger from their set pieces.

Les Rouges have managed to score just twice off dead ball situations during Jesse Marsch’s 14 games in charge. Things were so bad during the Mexico game that Marsch held up a sign with the letter X emblazoned on it from his spot on the touchline in an attempt to communicate a set-piece play to his team.

“That was us trying to give some sign signals from the bench, so that we were clear on what things we were going to try at different times,” Marsch explained.

“[We] were just trying to create real clarity as to what kind of things we want to try. And I really value set pieces. …. I really care about this, and we need to become a good set-piece team.”

Marsch went on to reveal that he’s looking to add a set piece coach to his staff. But in the meantime, Canada has to find a way to make a lot more out of its free kick situations, starting with Sunday’s clash against the U.S.

“[Mexico was] really committed in those set piece situations. And even though we had more than double, they came away winning the set piece duel. And for me, in international football, when you have a strong athletic team, we have to win the set piece duel. This is a big way for us to push toward being really successful. … We’re gonna make sure that we have a better performance from a set piece perspective [against the U.S.],” Marsch promised.

We may see some squad rotation from Canada

Jesse Marsch fielded a very strong starting 11 in the semifinals. But with no trophy to play for in the third-place game, it’ll be interesting to see if he fields an equally strong lineup or if he’ll rotate his squad and turn to his bench.

Complicating matters for Marsch is that Sunday’s game kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET, less than 72 hours after the final whistle blew in Canada’s 2-0 loss to Mexico on Thursday night in Los Angeles. That’s a very tight turnaround, and one would have to think he’ll have to give a few of his starters who are banged up some rest and turn to a few of his bench players.

“A couple guys picked up a little knock here and there and [we’re] just evaluating where guys are at physically. We'll get through training [on Saturday]. We'll prepare for the U.S., and we'll make decisions [on Sunday] morning,” Marsch said in the buildup.

Which players could Marsch turn to for this third-place match?

Daniel Jebbison came off the bench late in the game against Mexico to earn his first cap for Canada, while fellow newcomer Promise David was an unused substitute. Given the fact that forward Jonathan David and Cyle Larin didn’t particularly impress against Mexico, Jebbison and David could see action on Sunday.

Marsch also might consider midfielder Niko Sigur, who has two caps to his credit since making his debut for Canada last September.

“We've brought in Promise David and Daniel Jebbison, but there's even guys like Nico Sigur; there's Zorhan Bassong, who we think really highly of,” Marsch said.

While there might be a few tweaks, don’t expect wholesale changes to the starting 11, as Marsch is looking to balance bringing in new faces with maintaining continuity with some regular starters

“We have a few more guys to be thinking about. [But] is it time? Is this the kind of match that would set them up for success [if we] introduce them into the team the right way? And then how [many] of our other guys are ready, so that we have a stable enough foundation for what we think this game is going to require,” Marsch said.

Poise will be important for Canada

The United States’ bid for a fourth consecutive Concacaf Nations League title came to an abrupt end on Thursday when it suffered a 1-0 loss to Panama courtesy of a Cecilio Waterman’s goal deep into injury time.

That shocking result, coupled with the ongoing political tension between Canada and the U.S., means the Americans have to win on Sunday in order to salvage a bit of pride and save some face.

That could lead to heightened tensions on the field for the third-place match, so Canada has to remain poised and stay focused on the task at hand, something it did with aplomb when it earned a 2-1 win over its neighbours in Kansas City in the previous meeting between the two nations.

"The climate politically has calmed down," Jesse Marsch said. "There's still the rhetoric out there about [Canada becoming] the 51st state. But I think people are becoming more numb to it than what they were a month ago during the Four Nations [Face-Off hockey] tournament. However, we are still very aware that there's still a different climate than what there was the last time we played the U.S. in September."

Marsch also expects to face an amped up American team who’ll be looking to make amends in front of their fans after their loss to Panama, which is even more reason why his Canadian side has to stay composed.

“I think that the [American] media has been very aggressive about how disappointed they are in this [U.S.] team, and now they've turned a little bit and put it toward the players. So, we would be very foolish …. if we don't expect a hard game and a big response from the U.S. national team. Now that being said, your guys are excited. Our guys are excited about the challenge,” Marsch said.

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.