It's only the second match in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying and the pressure is already on. After Canada and the U.S. men's national team settled for draws in their opening matches Thursday, both will be aiming for a win against each other in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday night. But there will definitely be more pressure on the USMNT as the home team.
A slow start in qualifying doomed the USMNT in 2018 as it missed out on the FIFA World Cup, and anything short of a win Sunday would be considered the same. The team's third match will not be any easier as the Americans travel to face Honduras on Wednesday. Canada will return home to host El Salvador.
MORE: CONCACAF World Cup qualifying results & standings
The rivalry between the American and Canadian men's teams is growing. Canada has made strides to become more competitive. The sides faced off in the CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage in July and the USMNT snagged a 1-0 win, though Canada deserved better. The teams split CONCACAF Nations League matches in 2019.
Eight teams are involved in CONCACAF regional qualifying. The top three teams in the CONCACAF octagonal will advance to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The fourth-place team will play in an intercontinental playoff with a ticket to Qatar on the line.
USMNT vs. Canada live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| USA | — | — | — |
| Canada | — | — | — |
Goals: :
(All times Eastern)
7:12 p.m.: Here's a new report on the McKennie situation:
A #USMNT spox wouldn’t get into specifics, but reading between the lines it sounds like Weston McKennie broke Covid protocol.
— Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre) September 5, 2021
7:03 p.m.: Big news developments in USMNT camp:
Team Updates:
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@USMNT) September 5, 2021
▪️Gio Reyna has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and has been ruled of the matches against Canada and Honduras.
▪️Weston McKennie has not been included in today’s squad following a violation of team policy.
USA vs. Canada starting lineups
Big news in the USMNT camp: Christian Pulisic has recovered from his bout of COVID and will start as team captain, but Gio Reyna is out with a hamstring injury, Zack Steffen is out due to COVID-19 (replaced by NYCFC's Sean Johnson) and Weston McKennie is out of the squad entirely for violating team policy.
USMNT projected lineup (4-3-3, left to right): 1-Matt Turner-GK — 5-Antonee Robinson, 12-Miles Robinson, 6-John Brooks, 2-Sergino Dest — 17-Sebastian Lletget, 4-Tyler Adams, 23-Kellyn Acosta — 10-Christian Pulisic, 19-Jordan Pefok, 11-Brenden Aaronson
USMNT projected subs (12): Ethan Horvath-GK, Sean Johnson-GK, George Bello, 13-Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman, James Sands, 22-DeAndre Yedlin, Cristian Roldan, 20-Konrad de la Fuente, 9-Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi
As for Canada, head coach John Herdman looks set to return to a four-back system with Alphonso Davies and Richie Laryea as part of a four-man midfield. Star forward Jonathan David and Jonathan Osorio start on the bench.
Canada starting lineup (4-4-2, left to right): 18-Milan Borjan-GK — 3-Samuel Adekugbe, 23-Scott Kennedy, 15-Doneil Henry, 2-Alistair Johnston — 19-Alphonso Davies, 14-Mark-Anthony Kaye, 7-Stephen Eustaquio, 22-Richie Laryea — 17-Cyle Larin, 10-Junior Hoilett
Canada subs (12): Maxime Crepeau-GK, James Pantemis-GK, Steven Vitoria, Kamal Miller, Liam Fraser, Jonathan Osorio, Atiba Hutchinson, Samuel Piette, David Wotherspoon, Tajon Buchanan, Jonathan David, Lucas Cavallini
How to watch: USA vs. Canada
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 5
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- USA TV channel: FS1
- USA Spanish-language TV: UniMas, TUDN
- USA stream: fuboTV, Fox & TUDN apps
- Canada TV (English): TSN
- Canada TV (French): RDS
The match will be broadcast in the USA on FS1 in English, and UniMas and TUDN in Spanish. All three networks can be streamed on fuboTV (free 7-day trial). TSN and RDS will carry the match in Canada.
The event will be held at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., where more than 36,000 fans are expected.