Christian Pulisic did his best on Thursday to stifle the USMNT celebration after a dominating 3-0 victory over Mexico in a fierce rivalry game. It was only a semi-final, so a shirtless Pulisic took the floor.
“Be humble with it, guys,” Pulisic intervened. “Enjoy it tonight, enjoy it tonight, but we’re here to win the final. We’re here to beat Canada.”
And that’s exactly what they did on Sunday night in a 2-0 win against their other regional rivals, in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final. On Thursday, they made their “fucking statement”, as Pulisic had asked. On Sunday, they lifted the trophy – and prevented Canada from winning its first in more than two decades.
The USMNT played shorthanded, without Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest, both suspended after red cards against Mexico. And Canada were confident, having beaten and drawn against the United States in World Cup qualifying, and finishing atop the CONCACAF table. But in the end, the USMNT, the reigning kings of CONCACAF, went back to back in the tournament thanks to first-half goals from Chris Richards and newcomer Folarin Balogun.
Here’s how the match between the USMNT and Canada went: