2023 CONCACAF Nations League final

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2023 CONCACAF Nations League final
Allegiant Stadium, the host venue for the final
Event2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals
DateJune 18, 2023 (2023-06-18)
VenueAllegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Man of the MatchGiovanni Reyna (United States)[1]
RefereeSaíd Martínez (Honduras)
Attendance35,000
WeatherWindy, 95 °F (35 °C)[2]
2021
2024

The 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final was a

Canada and the United States to determine the winner of the 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League's top division, League A. The match was the second final match of the CONCACAF Nations League, an international tournament contested by the men's national teams of CONCACAF, covering North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It was played on June 18, 2023, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas area, which had hosted the finals tournament
.

The United States won the final 2–0 to secure a second consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title, with goals from

man of the match for his two assists. Canada finished as runners-up in their first Nations League final, which was also their first CONCACAF tournament final since the 2000 Gold Cup
.

Venue

The 2023 final was played at Allegiant Stadium, an indoor stadium in the Las Vegas-area community of Paradise, Nevada in the United States. The 65,000-seat stadium, primarily home to the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League, had a retractable grass surface and was designed to accommodate soccer.[3] The entire Nations League Finals tournament was hosted at Allegiant Stadium with two sets of doubleheaders for both rounds.[4] It was the second CONCACAF tournament final at the stadium, following the 2021 Gold Cup final. The entire 2023 Nations League Finals was played at Allegiant Stadium.[5]

Route to final

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away; N: neutral).

Canada Round United States
Opponents Result League phase Opponents Result
 Curaçao 4–0 (H) Match 1  Grenada 5–0 (H)
 Honduras 1–2 (A) Match 2  El Salvador 1–1 (A)
 Curaçao 2–0 (A) Match 3  Grenada 7–1 (A)
 Honduras 4–1 (H) Match 4  El Salvador 1–0 (H)
Group C winners
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Canada 4 9
2  Honduras 4 6
3  Curaçao 4 3
Source: CONCACAF
Final standings Group D winners
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  United States 4 10
2  El Salvador 4 5
3  Grenada 4 1
Source: CONCACAF
Opponents Result Nations League Finals Opponents Result
 Panama 2–0 (N) Semi-finals  Mexico 3–0 (H)

Canada

Jonathan David scored four goals for Canada in their run to the final

In the

stoppage time.[8]

For the

yellow card.[13] They were tied with Honduras on points and ahead on goal difference; the two teams would play each other in the final matchday.[13] Canada secured their first semifinal berth with a 4–1 victory in Toronto as Larin scored twice and extended his lead as the country's top international goalscorer.[14]

Canada qualified for their first Nations League final with a 2–0 win against Panama in the semifinals. They took the lead in the 25th minute with David's shot through goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera's legs; Davies, who had been recovering from an earlier thigh injury, scored the team's second goal in the 69th minute shortly after entering the match as substitute.[4][15] The Nations League final was their first CONCACAF tournament final since the 2000 Gold Cup, which they won.[4]

United States

Christian Pulisic scored two goals in the United States's 3–0 win in the Nations League semifinals

The United States were the defending champions of the Nations League and Gold Cup, having won both tournaments in 2021 against

Gio Reyna, were excluded from the roster while they recovered from injuries; among their replacements were Major League Soccer (MLS) players and newcomer dual-nationals from European leagues.[18][19]

The Americans opened their defense of the Nations League title with a 5–0 victory over Grenada in

red cards.[21] Head coach Gregg Berhalter was replaced by interim manager Anthony Hudson as the United States returned to Nations League play after the World Cup. Their 7–1 win in Grenada included two goals from Christian Pulisic, two from McKennie, and one from debutant Alejandro Zendejas.[22] The team finished their group stage play by defeating El Salvador 1–0 in Orlando to top Group D with 10 points; Ricardo Pepi scored the lone goal of the match shortly after entering as a substitute.[23]

Hudson was replaced in May 2023 by former Berhalter assistant B. J. Callaghan, who would make his debut as interim head coach in the Nations League Finals' semifinal round against Mexico.[24] Callaghan called up a squad of players from European clubs, choosing to limit their playing time to the Nations League Finals and give them a longer break instead of reusing the same roster for the Gold Cup.[25] The United States earned a 3–0 victory against Mexico in the semifinal, which extended an unbeaten streak against their rivals to six matches. Pulisic scored late in the first half and in the opening minute of the second half before skirmishes broke out between players. Pepi added a third goal that was initially flagged as offside but granted following video review. Four players were shown red cards, including McKennie and Dest, and the match ended prematurely in stoppage time due to homophobic chants.[26][27]

Broadcasting

The Nations League final was broadcast on television in the United States on

TUDN in Spanish. It was carried in English on Paramount+, an online streaming service, with coverage provided by CBS Sports. The Canadian broadcast was produced by online streaming service OneSoccer and simulcast on Telus Optik TV.[28]

Match

Summary

The United States entered the final missing several players: McKennie and Dest were suspended, while

Brendan Aaronson would replace McKennie in the midfield.[29][30] It was the youngest-ever lineup for the United States in a tournament final, with an average age of 23 years, 314 days.[31] Canada's starting lineup had two changes from the semifinal against Panama: defender Scott Kennedy replaced Steven Vitória; and midfielder Jonathan Osorio started in place of Tajon Buchanan.[32]

Canada began the match with the majority of possession, but were vulnerable to counter-attacks from the United States. The first goal of the final came from a Reyna corner in the 12th minute that was headed in by Chris Richards from close range.[33] Folarin Balogun—who had recently joined the United States team—missed a header from a set-piece in the 28th minute but scored the team's second goal in the 34th minute. A turnover at midfield allowed Reyna to receive the ball and pass it forward into Balogun's run into the box.[33][34] A few minutes later, Canada had two chances to score that forced a pair of saves from Matt Turner and a clearance from Antonee Robinson.[34] Richards and Balogun both recorded their first international goals, becoming the first U.S. players to score their debut goal in a tournament final.[29][2] The United States entered half-time with a 2–0 lead.[34]

Reyna was replaced by

man of the match for his first-half performance.[30]

Details

Canada 0–2 United States
Report
Canada
United States
GK 18 Milan Borjan (c)
CB 2 Alistair Johnston downward-facing red arrow 60'
CB 23 Scott Kennedy Yellow card 16' downward-facing red arrow 61'
CB 4 Kamal Miller
RWB 22 Richie Laryea Yellow card 45+4'
LWB 19 Alphonso Davies
CM 7 Stephen Eustáquio downward-facing red arrow 89'
CM 8 Ismaël Koné
CM 21 Jonathan Osorio downward-facing red arrow 61'
CF 20 Jonathan David
CF 17 Cyle Larin downward-facing red arrow 76'
Substitutions:
FW 11 Tajon Buchanan upward-facing green arrow 60'
DF 5 Steven Vitória upward-facing green arrow 61'
DF 3 Sam Adekugbe upward-facing green arrow 61'
FW 9 Lucas Cavallini upward-facing green arrow 76'
FW 10 Junior Hoilett upward-facing green arrow 89'
Manager:
England John Herdman
GK 1 Matt Turner Yellow card 81'
RB 19 Joe Scally downward-facing red arrow 79'
CB 3 Walker Zimmerman
CB 4 Chris Richards
LB 5 Antonee Robinson
CM 11 Brenden Aaronson downward-facing red arrow 68'
CM 6 Yunus Musah
RW 21 Timothy Weah
AM 7 Giovanni Reyna downward-facing red arrow 46'
LW 10 Christian Pulisic (c)
CF 20 Folarin Balogun downward-facing red arrow 76'
Substitutions:
MF 14 Luca de la Torre upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 15 Johnny Cardoso Yellow card 80' upward-facing green arrow 68'
FW 9 Ricardo Pepi upward-facing green arrow 76'
DF 23 Auston Trusty upward-facing green arrow 79'
Manager:
B. J. Callaghan (interim)

Man of the Match:
Giovanni Reyna (United States)[1]

Assistant referees:[35]
Walter López (Honduras)
Christian Ramírez (Honduras)
Fourth official:
Selvin Brown (Honduras)
Video assistant referee:
Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Benjamín Pineda (Costa Rica)

Match rules[36]

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level
  • Maximum of twelve named substitutes
  • Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time[note 1]

Post-match

The United States clinched their second consecutive Nations Leagues title and ninth international trophy;[2] as winners of the competition, they also won a $1 million cash prize for the tournament.[33][37] A month after taking over as interim head coach, Callaghan won his first trophy;[38] he remained as head coach until Berhalter's return after the 2023 Gold Cup.[39] With the victory, the United States also extended their home unbeaten streak against Canada to 22 matches, with their most recent loss in 1957 during qualifiers for the 1958 FIFA World Cup.[38][40]

Atiba Hutchinson, Canada's captain, retired from international soccer after the match—his 104th appearance for the national team. Herdman attributed Canada's defeat to their lack of resources, as they only had four days to prepare for the tournament due to the financial issues that the Canada Soccer Association faced.[41]

Notes

  1. ^ Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.

References

  1. ^ a b CONCACAF [@CNationsLeague] (June 19, 2023). "The honor of Player of the Match goes to Giovanni Reyna!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^
    U.S. Soccer Federation
    . June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Akers, Mick (September 20, 2020). "Everything you need to know about Allegiant Stadium". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Canadian men blank Panama to move into CONCACAF Nations League final in Las Vegas". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Las Vegas to host 2022/23 CNL Finals in June" (Press release). CONCACAF. March 20, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Davidson, Neil (March 12, 2019). "Alphonso Davies returns to Vancouver for CONCACAF qualifying game". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Canadian men to learn CONCACAF Nations League A tournament draw on Monday". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. April 3, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  8. ^ Gallndo, Peter (July 29, 2021). "Three takeaways from Canada's heartbreaking Gold Cup semifinal loss to Mexico". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Canada in Concacaf Nations League Group C with Honduras, Curacao". MLSsoccer.com. April 4, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Galindo, Peter (June 7, 2022). "Explaining the Canadian men's national soccer team's compensation dispute". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  11. ^ Karstens-Smith, Gemma (June 10, 2022). "Davies scores twice, Canada tops Curacao 4-0 in CONCACAF Nations League play". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "Canada falls to Honduras in CONCACAF Nations League play". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Canadian men dispatch Curaçao 2-0 in first outing since World Cup in Qatar". The Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. March 25, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Attfield, Paul (March 28, 2023). "Canada beats Honduras with ease, advances to CONCACAF Nations League final four". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
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  35. ^ "2022/23 CNLF 3rd Place Match and Final Referee Appointments". CONCACAF. June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  36. ^ "CONCACAF Nations League 2022–2023 Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF. January 25, 2022. pp. 14, 23. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  37. ^ Cons, Roddy (June 18, 2023). "What do the winners of the Concacaf Nations League get? How much prize money?". AS. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Balogun seals Nations League against Canada after choosing US over England". The Guardian. Associated Press. June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  39. ^ Tannenwald, Jonathan (June 19, 2023). "Five takeaways on the USMNT's Concacaf Nations League final win over Canada". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  40. ^ Carr, Paul (May 30, 2014). "U.S. looks to extend streak vs. Canada". ESPN. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
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