USMNT repeats as CONCACAF Nations League champions with 2-0 win vs. Canada
PARADISE, Nevada — It's two CONCACAF Nations League finals, two wins for the United States.
The U.S. men beat northern rival Canada Sunday 2-0 to take the biennial competition for the second time in as many tries, leaving no doubt which country is the best the North and Central American and Caribbean region right now.
Gio Reyna was the star of the show, assisting on both American goals in the first half. The first was headed home by central defender Chris Richards off a Reyna corner kick. On the second, Reyna set up striker Folarin Balogun, who found the net in just his second game since committing to the U.S. program last month. It was the first international strike for both players.
Here are three quick takeaways from the match.
A statement win for the USMNT
After failing to beat Canada in two qualifying matches for last year's World Cup, the U.S. had a point to prove against the nation that finished atop the CONCACAF standings.
Prove it they did.
If the rout of historic nemesis Mexico was the most complete, impressive USMNT performance in recent memory, Sunday's showing wasn't too far behind. Canada has a solid team. Les Rouges boast possibly the best two players in the region in David and Davies.
The Americans made them look decidedly ordinary Sunday. A heavyweight slugfest was expected. Instead, even with starters Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie suspended because of the red cards they received against El Tri, the U.S. brushed Canada aside with surprising ease.
Just as they did versus Mexico, the hosts never looked back after taking the lead. And had they been just a bit sharper in front of the goal, they easily could've won by an even more lopsided score line than they did last week.
A statement performance by Gio Reyna
Good as Reyna was in last week's 3-0 drubbing of Mexico in the semifinals, the 20-year-old attacker was on a different level on Sunday. Reyna was the best player on the field for either team in this game — no small thing considering he was sharing the pitch with U.S. captain Christian Pulisic and Canada's dynamic duo, Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies.
Reyna seemed to make something happen every time he touched the ball. It took the Borussia Dortmund man just 12 minutes to find an unmarked Richards in the box for the opener:
His second helper was a thing of beauty. Reyna picked up the ball in midfield about 10 minutes before halftime, exploded forward into space and then dished a perfectly weighted no-look through ball exactly to where Balogun pointed — allowing Balogun, who became the first American to score 20 or more goals in a Top-five European league last season, to stroke the ball past Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan with his first touch.
Unfortunately, Reyna's night ended early — interim U.S. coach B.J. Callaghan replaced the playmaker with him Luca de la Torre to start the second half after Reyna suffered a calf injury just before the break. He hobbled back onto the field before the whistle blew, though, an indication that he should be fine for the start of Dortmund's preseason training camp next month.
"We want to get the best out of him, and we know that if we can unlock his talents, he's going to be a game changer for this program," just reappointed coach Gregg Berhalter said Friday.
Reyna was that on Sunday. It remains to be seen if Berhalter and Reyna can productively coexist when 2022 World Cup boss returns the sideline this fall, but this was easily the youngster's signature performance in a U.S. jersey so far. After all the drama in Qatar and since, Reyna on this night let his play do all the talking.
Folarin Balogun comes as advertised
The striker position has been among the shallowest in the U.S. player pool for decades. At the World Cup, the only goal any of the three strikers on the roster managed in four matches was a fluky, accidental strike off the heel of Haji Wright.
So even before Balogun's one-time switch of allegiance from England was approved by FIFA, the hope among USMNT supporters was that the 21-year-old New York-born, London-bred goal machine would prove to be a consistent scorer at the international level.
It took just Balogun just 109 minutes to net his first goal for the U.S. It wasn't an easy chance, but he made it look easy.
In his first two games in a U.S. shirt, the Arsenal product completely changed the look of the U.S. up front, and he should only become more dangerous as he gets more comfortable. That's understandably exciting for both the American players and their fans, who probably can't help wondering what could have happened in Qatar had Balogun committed to the cause a little earlier.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.