Despite the 'friendly' designation for the USMNT-Canada match, there is much at stake for both sides
Not all friendlies are created equal. Most are experimental in nature, allowing coaches and players to try new things or make new statements. The purpose of a friendly match in international soccer is to look inward, learn things about your team, rather than beat down the opponent in front of you.
In some ways, Saturday's friendly against Canada falls into that category for the U.S. men's national team. It's a chance for players to prove themselves, for new systems to take hold.
Of course, in this case, it's also more than that. Much more.
Saturday's 4 p.m. match in Kansas City is one of the most storyline-driven friendlies in recent memory, for a variety of reasons. Chief among them? The looming arrival of Mauricio Pochettino, who has reportedly agreed to become the next USMNT, though there has not been an official announcement. Players are on high alert as the new regime begins to take over. Things are changing, and everyone is desperate to be on the right side of the change.
It's not just that, though; it's who is on the other side. The USMNT crashed out of the Copa America, failing to make it past the group stage on home soil. Canada, meanwhile, went all the way to the third-place game under American-born coach Jesse Marsch, who has made no secret about his frustrations with U.S. Soccer. A loss to a surging Canada would be a bad look, even for a USMNT group awaiting the finalization of the Pocehttino situation.
"It's always nice to see the guys,” USMNT leader Christian Pulisic said. “Obviously, some newer faces as well, which is always good. We're hungry, man. We want to get some good results here and fix that bad taste that we have from the Copa. We want to rebound well."
It isn't a must-win game. Few friendlies are, but it is a unique moment for the USMNT, who have plenty to prove on Saturday – and over the next 20+ months leading up to the World Cup.
"Canada had a pretty good run during the Copa America, and we had a pretty disappointing run, and that's pretty much where it's left for me," said USMNT interim coach Mikey Varas. "We know that we're showing up here with the objective of showing who we are. We're showing ourselves who we are, but we want to show everyone else who we are. That's all we've really been focused on."
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