Canada beats USMNT to seal 3rd place in Nations League

Canada bounced back from a disappointing semifinal loss in the CONCACAF Nations League, defeating the United States 2-1 on Sunday to seal third place in the competition and claim back-to-back wins over its continental rival for the first time since 1985.

Jonathan David curled home the winning goal for Canada in the 59th minute, breaking the deadlock with a lovely left-footed effort from inside the penalty area for his 32nd international marker.

No Canadian has more goals for the men's national team than the Lille striker, whose five career goal contributions against the U.S. are also the most of any player since his first appearance against the Americans in 2019.

"We treated (this game) like it was a final," the 25-year-old told Matthew Scianitti of TSN after the match. "We showed great character."

Tani Oluwaseyi and Patrick Agyemang exchanged close-range tallies in the opening half at SoFi Stadium.

Canada finished the match without captain Alphonso Davies and head coach Jesse Marsch. The Bayern Munich left-back was substituted in the 12th minute with a knee issue, though he said he was "good" after leaving the pitch. The fiery bench boss, meanwhile, was shown a red card in the second half by referee Katia Itzel Garcia for overzealous protests after he thought Canada should've been awarded at least one penalty kick for successive incidents involving David inside the penalty area shortly before his eventual game-winning goal.

An irate Marsch watched the remainder of the match from the stands and will be banned for Canada's opening game at this summer's Gold Cup.

The United States, which conceded a stoppage-time goal in its shocking semifinal loss to Panama on Thursday, had won all three previous editions of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Instead of extending that streak, the Americans are now mired in their worst run against CONCACAF opposition in over five years, losing consecutive competitive games against regional opponents for the first time since 2019.

It was another dour display by Mauricio Pochettino's team, which once again struggled to turn its possession into sustained attacking pressure and clear-cut chances; outside of Agyemang's goal, the U.S. only had one other shot on target in the game despite trailing for the final 30-plus minutes.

Pochettino asked his players to be brave and show "character" ahead of the game but didn't get the response he'd hoped for after the loss to Panama.

His next opportunity to see progress from his team comes in June, when the U.S. will host Turkey (June 7) and Switzerland (June 10) in a pair of friendlies on home soil. Canada is also back in action on those same dates with home matches against Ukraine and Ivory Coast, respectively.

The two nations, which are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Mexico, will also participate in this summer's Gold Cup. However, both will likely be missing several stars as the CONCACAF event is taking place at the same time as the revamped Club World Cup.