Following a disastrous summer, the United States Men’s National Team is set to return to action. Gregg Berhalter has been fired and rumors abound that Mauricio Pochettino will be the next manager. But before the deal is official, the USMNT has a friendly against Canada, coached by American Jesse Marsch.

First squad after Berhalter features key changes

With the Pochettino deal yet to be signed, the USMNT will have another interim coach. Mikey Varas called in 24 players to face Canada and New Zealand.

However, several of the biggest names are missing from the roster. Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson are out. Gio Reyna has withdrawn due to an injury. Other than that, the roster is mostly routine.

Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath are in goal, as well as Olympic goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and Barcelona product Diego Kochen. Defenders include Tim Ream, Chris Richards, and Joe Scally. The midfield features Luca de la Torre, Lucas Musah, and Malik Tillman. The forwards include Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic.

Igniting a rivalry in North America

It’s fitting that the US begins life after Gregg Berhalter in the same city where Gregg Berhalter’s tenure ended. In the final Copa America group game, the US fell 1-0 to Uruguay and sealed Berhalter’s fate.

The new era begins but time is short. The World Cup on home soil is just around the corner. With no qualifying games, there are very few opportunities for the US to test themselves. Perhaps even more important, is there are very few opportunities for the country to build excitement for the World Cup. Wins in these two September friendlies would be a step in the right direction.

USA takes on Canada side that reached Copa semifinal

Canada is a team heading in the opposite direction as the USMNT. Under American Jesse Marsch, Les Rouges are performing like the best team in CONCACAF. While the US was grouped at the Copa America, Marsh guided Canada to the semi-finals.

The squad called in by Marsch is close to their best. Maxime Crepeau is in goal after his Copa America performance. The back line has plenty of experience as Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnson, Richie Laryea, and Kamal Miller all have more than 40 caps.

Jonathan Osorio and Stephen Eustaquio anchor the midfield. Up top, they have the likes of Cyle Larin and Jonathan David to fire home the goals.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. ET. Children’s Mercy Park, which hosted one of Canada’s group-stage games at the Copa America, is the venue for this friendly. For the USMNT, it is the 12th game in Kansas City since 2011. Moreover, it is the side’s 6th since 2021. Coverage of the game is available on TBS for English-language audiences. Telemundo has Spanish-language coverage.

PHOTOS: IMAGO