Our prediction for this match:
Children’s Mercy Park will be the centre of attention when USA and Canada lock horns in an eagerly-awaited friendly on Sunday. The Yanks aim to make amends for the unsuccessful Copa America campaign and we are positive that they will adopt an attack-minded approach against their neighbours. Interim boss Mikey Varas will rely on star players Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), and Folarin Balogun (AC Monaco) in Sunday’s showdown.
The Canucks, on the other hand, did well to make it to the 2024 Copa America semis, meaning that they are high on confidence ahead of the trip to Kansas City. As the visitors are likely to adopt an attack-oriented strategy as well, we are tempted to bet on both teams to score. Croatia youth international Niko Sigur is expected to make his Canada debut against USA, with Stephen Afrifa receiving a surprising call-up as well. A man to watch in the away team will be Lille striker Jonathan David.
Highlighted Player (Christian Pulisic):
Christian Pulisic is an American professional footballer who plays in the English Premier League with Chelsea. Born in Pennsylvania on the 18th of September, 1998, the talented midfielder joined Brackley Town's youth setup in 2005. He then went on to feature for Michigan Rush and PA classics before being recruited by Bundesliga outfit Borrusia Dortmund in February 2015.
Impressed with the rate of his progression at their academy, BVB integrated the teenager into their first team over the winter break. On the 30th of January, 2015, Pulisic made his professional debut at the age of 17, coming on as a substitute in Dortmund's 2-0 home win against Ingolstadt in the league. He then went on to score his first professional goal three months later in a 3-0 league win over Hamburger SV. Before joining English club Chelsea in 2018, Pulisic played a total of 4 seasons at Dortmund, three of which were as a full-time player and the last one on loan from the Blues.
The 21-year-old is now back at Chelsea for the 19/20 season and is currently on a contract that expires in 2024. Pulisic's club career honors include winning the 16/17 DFB Pokal with Dortmund. Additionally, Pulisic initially represented the USA at the under-15 and under-17 level before getting called up to the senior squad. He made his senior debut on the 29th of March,2016, as a substitute in USA's 4-0 thumping of Guatemala in the CONCACAF World cup qualifiers.
Highlighted Team (Canada):
Canada national football team played their first official match back in 1924 when they suffered a 3-2 loss to Australia in Brisbane. The following year the two teams faced each other one in Adelaide, with the Canadians managing to get their revenge on the Socceroos. The Canucks had several unsuccessful attempts to make it to the World Cup finals, but in 1986 they finally booked their place at the showpiece tournament.
Canada faced France in their opener, with Jean-Pierre Papin scoring the winner for les Tricolores in the dying minutes of the match. The Canadians were beaten by Hungary and USSR in the next two group games as well and, as a result, they failed to advance to the knockout stages.
Speaking of the team’s trophies, the Canucks won the CONCACAF Gold cup on two occasions (1985, 2000), with the team beating Honduras and Colombia respectively in the title games. Canada national football team play their home games at BMO Field and the capacity of the venue is 30,000.