Both teams are looking for their first win in qualifying
2 min read
The United States men’s national team plays their second World Cup qualifying match Sunday when Canada visit Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. The Americans failed to win their opener, drawing El Salvador 1-1 on Thursday night with no Christian Pulisic and no John Brooks. USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter hopes to have both back and ready to go in a match that the U.S. will expect to win. A failure to get three points in this one would only add pressure to Wednesday’s match at Honduras.
Here’s are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
Storylines
USMNT: Will Christian Pulisic play? After missing the El Salvador game as he looks reach game shape after testing positive for COVID, boy do the U.S. need him to play. The team is so young almost everywhere to the point where Pulisic is one of the more experienced players. Not having a reference point in attack saw this team really struggle to generate enough good chances against El Salvador. Expect this team to look much more stable if he plays, and we should also see some changes in the middle of the park Berhalter got it wrong against La Selecta.
Canada: They had to claw back a goal against Los Catrachos but looked sharp overall. The mistake of conceding a penalty in the first half prevented them from taking the three points, despite having the chances. Against the U.S., they’ll want to again win the possession battle and exploit the wings if the American fullbacks get forward. With talented players in attack, led by Jonathan David, expect the chances to be there. The key will be getting forward down the wings and for the deliveries in to be sharp. Expect them to aim to play balls in that are low, especially if John Brooks starts for the U.S.
Craving even more coverage of the world’s game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 5 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Nissan Stadium — Nashville, Tenn.
- TV: FS1 and TUDN
- Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: USA -187; Draw +260; Canada +480 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
- Live updates: USA vs. Canada
Prediction
Pulisic plays, he scores and leads his country to a momentum-building victory with Matt Turner starting over Zack Steffen in goal and making key saves late. Pick: USMNT 2, Canada 1
