USMNT earns crucial 4-1 win over Canada in Concacaf Nations League group play

ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 15, 2019) – The U.S. Men’s National Team paid back its northern neighbor with a 4-1 win vs. Canada in Concacaf Nations League A play at Exploria Stadium.

Gyasi Zardes grabbed a brace, Jordan Morris tallied a goal and an assist while Aaron Long also scored in the victory that pulled the U.S. within three points of Canada atop Group A and made head coach Gregg Berhalter the second-fastest coach in team history to reach 10 wins.

The USMNT can win Group A with a victory in its final Concacaf Nations League A game against Cuba next Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Truman Bodden Sports Complex in George Town, Cayman Islands.

• READ: Five Things to Know on the Nations League

Coming into the game in scintillating form for club and country, Morris gave the USA the perfect start when he volleyed home Sergiño Dest’s chip in just the second minute. The right back, who earned his first career international assist on the USA’s opening goal and came up through Ajax and the U.S. Youth National Teams, is now officially cap tied to the USA due to his participation in the match after declaring he would pursue his international ambitions with the USA last month.

Zardes doubled the USA’s lead in the 23rd minute when he headed home a Morris cross, and the USMNT took flight from there, controlling the flow of the game and carving out scoring chances with nearly every offensive foray.

In the 34th minute, it was Long’s turn to add his name to the score sheet, snapping home a Tim Ream cross with a towering header that extended the USA’s lead to 3-0 and underlined the its control of the match.

Dest initially came closest to adding the USA’s fourth in the 37 ^th minute. The speedy defender burst past the Canada backline on a breakaway and gave Samuel Piette, who had the defensive angle but not the speed to stay with Dest, a stutter step to create space for a shot from the right side of the box that flashed just outside the left post.

The second half was more of a battle for both teams as the physicality ratcheted up and Canada coach John Herdman went to his bench for all three subs before the hour mark in an effort to bring the visitors back into the match. It seemed for a moment, Canada might find a way back into the back when Steven Vitória headed home in the 72^nd minute to cut the lead to 3-1.

U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan made an important save in the 84^th minute, denying Davies with a quality save on a low effort after the Canadian starlet had worked his way through the U.S. defense to get off a sharp-angle shot.

Five minutes later, Zardes put the game to bed with a fierce, one-timer that made it 4-1 and put the USA a win against Cuba away from winning Concacaf Nations League A, Group A.

Next on the Schedule: The USA has a quick turnaround when it travels to George Town, Cayman Island for the conclusion of CNL Group A play vs. Cuba. The match at Truman Bodden Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 19 kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1, TUDN and UniMas.
Social: Twitter, Instagram (@USMNT) and Facebook.

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Jordan Morris (Sergino Dest), 2nd minute: The USA won a corner that Sebastian Lletget took from the right flag, hitting it low toward the top of the box. Dest arrived a hair before a closing defender to chip the ball toward the left side of the six-yard box where Morris lay in wait. The recently crowned MLS Cup champion sent a smart, one-time volley low beneath Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan into the center of the net. USA 1, CAN 0 [WATCH]

USA – Gyasi Zardes (Jordan Morris), 23rd minute: The USA charged up the right wing with Paul Arriola carrying the ball forward into Canada territory before lashing a dipping cross-field ball into the left side of the box for Morris whose touch took him toward the end line. He lifted a perfect cross to the center of the six-yard box for a leaping Zardes to nod home. USA 2, CAN 0 [WATCH]

USA – Aaron Long (Tim Ream), 34th minute: The USA won a free kick just outside the left end of the penalty area, and Tim Ream curled a cross to the penalty spot that Long rose highest for. The U.S. center back snapped a precise, headed shot down into the lower left corner. USA 3, CAN 0 [WATCH]

CAN – Steven Vitória (Jonathan Osorio), 72nd minute: A corner from the left flag was taken by Canada’s Davies, who bent it toward the near, left post where it was flicked on by Osorio to the back post. The crashingVitória was on hand to redirect the ball into the back of the net. USA 3, CAN 1 [WATCH]

USA – Gyasi Zardes, 89th minute: A long ball over the top of the Canada defense by Jackson Yueill was chased down by the speedy DeAndre Yedlin, who lofted a cross toward the penalty spot from the right side just before the ball crossed the end line. McKennie attempted an ambitious scissor kick but the ball was knocked away by a defender right to the feet of Zardes. With one goal already to his name, Zardes blasted a one-time shot into the far, left-side netting to ice the match. USA 4, CAN 1 FINAL

Key Saves and Defensive Plays:
USA – Brad Guzan, 84th minute: Canada’s Alphonso Davies dribbled into the U.S. box from the left wing and was able to evade multiple defenders before getting off a sharp angle shot that USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan did well to get down and smother when a goal would have drawn the visitors to within a goal of equalizing.

Additional Notes:

• The USMNT is now 15-9-11 all-time against Canada, 8-7-4 in official competitions and 12-1-9 in home matches against Les Rouges.
• Managing his 17th match, Gregg Berhalter became the second-fastest USMNT head coach to achieve double-digit victories after only Bob Bradley, who achieved his 10th win in his 11th match as head coach in 2007.
• The U.S. starting XI averaged 28 caps, tied for the USMNT’s second lowest in Concacaf Nations League/Semifinal Round World Cup Qualifying play when the team hasn’t already advanced to the next round. The lineup that began last month’s 7-0 win against Cuba is the only less experienced, coming in at 23 caps.
• The Starting XI averaged 26 years, 110 days old.
• Morris opened the scoring in the second minute with his eighth international goal and third of 2019. Morris then provided his team-leading sixth-assist on Gyasi Zardes’ 23rd minute header.
• On the night he became cap-tied to the United States, Serginño Dest also recorded his first career international assist, providing the helper on Morris’ opening strike in the second minute.
• Zardes’ collected his 11^th and 12^th career international goals and moved into the team lead with six in 2019.
• Ream captained the USMNT for the fifth time tonight. The team is 3-1-1 when he wears the armband.
• John Brooks earns his second cap of 2019 and returned to the USMNT starting XI for the first time since the 1-0 victory against Ecuador on March 21, a match also played in Orlando.

– U.S. Men’s National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Canada
Date: November 15, 2019
Competition: Concacaf Nations League – League A, Group A
Venue: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fl.
Attendance: 13,103
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: 63 degrees; cloudy

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA                          3 1 4
CAN                          0 1 1

USA – Jordan Morris (Sergiño Dest)          2^nd minute
USA – Gyasi Zardes (Jordan Morris)         23
USA – Aaron Long (Tim Ream)                 34
CAN – Steven Vitória                                 72
USA – Gyasi Zardes                                  89

Lineups:
USA: 1-Brad Guzan; 18-Sergiño Dest (21-Tyler Boyd, 90+2), 3-Aaron Long, 5-John Brooks, 13-Tim Ream; 8-Weston McKennie, 14-Jackson Yueill, 17-Sebastian Lletget (15-Alfredo Morales, 69); 11-Jordan Morris (2-DeAndre Yedlin, 86), 9-Gyasi Zardes, 7-Paul Arriola
Substitutes not used: 22-Matt Turner, 23-Sean Johnson, 4-Walker Zimmerman, 6-Wil Trapp, 10-Cristian Roldan, 12-Nick Lima, 16-Daniel Lovitz, 19-Josh Sargent, 20-Reggie Cannon
Head coach: Gregg Berhalter

CAN: 18-Milan Borjan; 2-Richie Laryea, 5-Steven Vitória, 15-Doneil Henry (4-Derek Cornelius, 48), 12-Alphonso Davies; 8-Scott Arfield (capt.), 14-Mark-Anthony Kaye (7-Stephen Eustáquio, 62), 6-Samuel Piette, 21-Jonathan Osorio; 19-Lucas Cavallini (10-Junior Hoilett, 61), 20-Jonathan David
Substitutes not used: 1-Jayson Leutwiler, 22-Maxime Crépeau, 3-Samuel Adekugbe, 9-David Wotherspoon, 11-Liam Miller, 13-Liam Fraser, 16-Amer Didić, 17-Kamal Miller, 23-Dominick Zator
Head coach: John Herdman

Stats Summary: USA / CAN
Shots: 12 / 11
Shots on Goal: 5 / 3
Saves: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks 3 / 6
Fouls: 20 / 11
Offside: 2 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
CAN – Lucas Cavallini (caution) 8^th minute
CAN – Milan Borjan (caution) 45
CAN – Junior Hoilett (caution) 67

Officials:
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinosa (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Michel Morales (MEX)
4th Official: Jorge Perez (MEX)

ussoccer.com Man of the Match: Gyasi Zardes