Rivalry Reignited: USA and Canada Clash in Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Canada Will Face the Scoring Machine, USA, in the Quarterfinal of the 2023 Gold Cup, Led by the Hat Tricks Magician Jesus Ferreira
Photo: Gasner Delvarin Jr
United States after their National Anthem against Trinidad and Tobago.
July 8, 2023
Gasner Delvarin Jr, Writer
Cincinnati, Ohio – The neighboring nations, the United States and Canada set to face off in the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal match on Sunday night at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. This long-awaited encounter will mark their first meeting in the knockout stage since 2007.
The United States played 42 times against Canada and stands at W-18 D-12 L-11 in their all-time series. The United States also holds the upper hand against Canada in their five previous matches with zero defeats. They beat them four times and drew once.
The last time these two teams matchup in knockout rounds was during the 2007 tournament, resulting in a thrilling 2-1 victory for the United States. And their most recent clash was in the 2021 edition's group stage, where the United States secured another narrow victory, 1-0.
During the 2023 Gold Cup group stage, the U.S. showcased their attacking prowess in a scoring spree with an impressive 13 goals in just three matches.
Jesus Ferreira leads the charge and has already netted six goals in two consecutive hat tricks for the U.S. in those outbursts against Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-0 victory, also against Trinidad and Tobago, which finished 6-0.
Ferreira's two hat tricks achievement in back-to-back games during this 2023 edition of the Gold Cup is the first in the Gold Cup history and for an American player.
With Ferreira's hot start for the U.S., the question is, are more bunnies coming out of the hat against Canada?
Canada began their Gold Cup journey with two draws—a 2-2 against Guadeloupe in Toronto and a disappointing 0-0 stalemate with Guatemala. However, they secured a second-place finish in Group D with a convincing 4-2 victory over Cuba in their final group-stage match.
The match officials assigned for this quarterfinal are Referee Marco Ortiz from Mexico. Christian Espinosa will be the first Assistant Referee, and Jorge Sanchez, the second Referee from Mexico. Oshane Nation from Jamaica will be the fourth official, while VAR duties will be fulfilled by Enrique Santander from Mexico, with Ricardo Montero from Costa Rica serving as AVAR1.
The quarterfinal match will kick off on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, USA, Jesus Ferreira, Canada, Gasner Delvarin Jr., Sports Action Rundown