Canada vs. Mexico: What you need to know
The Canadians will try to close out this month's international window with a second straight win over one of their biggest Concacaf rivals.
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The Canadian men's team continues to ride high since the appointment of new coach Jesse Marsch.
Fresh off its semifinal run at this summer's Copa América, Canada kept the momentum going with a dominant performance in Saturday's 2-1 win over the United States in an international friendly in Kansas City. But Les Rouges have more work to do during this month's international window, as another showdown with a top Concacaf rival looms large in the form of Mexico.
"I have so much respect for the game in Mexico. It's been some tough times for their national team, and part of it is that there's a lot of expectation to live up to in the country. But make no mistake that we are expecting a very good team, an organized team, a team with more energy and more commitment, especially with a new manager, to show that these players want to be involved in the long-term project," Marsch said on Monday.
Here’s what you need to know about Tuesday's match between Canada and Mexico at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (9:00 p.m. ET/OneSoccer).
Canada's battle for respect within Concacaf continues
Tuesday's game at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys is a tale of two national teams going in opposite directions.
For the longest time, Canada was a doormat in Concacaf while Mexico was one of the kingpins of the region. But in recent years, Canada has established itself as a true Concacaf powerhouse while Mexico has stagnated.
While Les Rouges made it to the semifinals of this year's Copa América, El Tri failed to get out of the group stage. And in Concacaf qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it was Canada who topped the final table, well ahead of Mexico.
Yet, there is still a sense in some quarters that Canada, No. 40 in the current FIFA world rankings, is still not on par with 17-ranked Mexico, and that it still has to fight for respect in the region.
"There's always going to be a debate of who's a better team, who has the best players. I think all teams are pushing to be better, and we're one of those teams. … There's always going to be that debate but that's a situation that we don't really pay much attention to. We just try to be the best Canada possible. And if we're the best Canada possible, I think we're the best team in the region," midfielder Stephen Eustáquio said on Monday.
Jesse Marsch expects to make some lineup changes
Midfielders Ali Ahmed and Mathieu Choinière earned their first caps for Canada under John Herdman, but neither one featured prominently in the former national team coach's plans.
Jesse Marsch started both players against the U.S. and they rewarded him with a pair of outstanding performances. The visitors’ systematic pressing game, masterfully led by Ahmed and Choinière, made life very uncomfortable for the hosts when they were in possession and routinely forced them into making turnovers.
Marsch has often talked about the importance of expanding Canada's player pool in order to build up the team's depth and give itself a greater chance of being competitive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. So, it'll be interesting to see if he goes back with Ahmed and Choinière for the match against Mexico, or if he'll swap them out and make other lineup changes.
"We're going to evaluate who can recover and who can go again after a demanding game that we had against the U.S. And we will, for sure, bring some new players on the pitch and make sure that they're ready to perform," Marsch said.
"That's a really good sign of our group overall over the first nine games, almost to a man, [that] no matter who's played, the roles have been understood. The performances have been clear, and the collective has been sharp. So, if we can continue on that path, then we can continue to build upon what we're developing."
Alistair Johnston out, Sam Adekugbe in
Canada Soccer confirmed that Vancouver Whitecaps fullback Sam Adekugbe has been called into the squad as an injury replacement for Alistair Johnston.
Johnston aggravated a lower body injury during Canada’s match vs United States and had to be subbed out midway through the first half. Johnston returned to Scottish outfit Celtic, his pro club, for further assessment.
"He said he felt a little bit of tightness in his hamstring. And so, he just felt it was smarter to step out," Jesse Marsch said after the game.
Adekugbe was named to Marsch's original 23-man roster last week before being ruled out due to injury. His spot on the team was taken by CF Montreal's Nathan Saliba who came off the bench in the game against the Americans to earn his first cap for Canada.
The Columbus Crew's Jacen Russell-Rowe was also called up by Canada prior to the U.S. game as a replacement for Theo Bair. The Auxerre forward arrived at camp with an injury and before eventually returning to his pro club. Russell-Rowe didn't see any action against the U.S.
A quick look at Mexico
While Canada received goals from Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David to dispatch the U.S. in Kansas City on Saturday, Mexico shut out New Zealand 3-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on the same day.
It was the fourth win in nine matches this year for the Mexicans, who crashed out in the first round of this summer's Copa América following a loss to Venezuela and a draw to Ecuador.
After firing coach Jaime Lozano, El Tri is now trying to regroup under new bench boss Javier Aguirre (his third stint as coach). Despite the coaching change, Jesse Marsch isn't expecting to see anything radically different from Mexico.
“We know they have quality on the ball. We know they have a lot of players that are mobile and creative. And it'll be important for us to have a disciplined match, one where defensively we are organized and we press well and make it difficult for their talented players and mobile players to find space," Canada's coach said.
"We can expect that they will be aggressive at certain moments to press us and make it difficult for us. We have to have a good plan with the ball and be active and confident on the ball. And then have dynamic movements to try to test their back line and make it difficult for their defence.
"So, it's similar to the U.S. in terms of some of the structure of what the game will look like, but it's different in that they have some very technical players that are good in tight spaces. If we're not organized specifically defensively, they can break us down and then start to get some of their talented attacking players on the run."
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What happened last time between Canada and Mexico
It was a win more than 21 years in the making, and one of the biggest results in the history of the Canadian men’s team.
In earning a 2-1 victory over Mexico on a wintry night at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 16, 2021, Canada took a giant leap towards qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986. It was Canada’s first win over El Tri since earning a 2-1 decision on Feb. 20, 2000 in the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup.
Cyle Larin was the hero of the night by bagging a brace for Canada, who extended its unbeaten run to eight games in the final round of World Cup qualifying.
"It was an amazing game. Obviously, it's always good to beat a team like Mexico. I understand that they're a top team in Concacaf. They had pretty, pretty good players back then… I think we're always going to remember that game," Stephen Eustáquio recalled on Monday.
Canada is 5-19-9 all-time against Mexico since 1957.
What's next for Canada
Canada hosts Panama in another international friendly at BMO Field on Oct. 15.
(Top photo courtesy of Canada Soccer)
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