Preview: Canada vs. United States

Sandy Beeson

Another match for Canada's men’s national team means another opportunity for Russell Teibert, Tuesday night versus the United States. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. PT. The match will be shown live on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet ONE.

Despite a tough result for the team, Teibert made a positive impression in Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Denmark and will hope to retain his starting position as they take on the Americans in Houston, Texas.

In addition to Teibert, former Whitecaps FC Residency graduate Simon Thomas - currently on trial with Vancouver - looks set to start Tuesday's match after having made his international debut against Denmark, as first choice goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld will miss out through injury.

A pair of other 'Caps trialists could see the field, with Andres Fresenga passed as fit to play, while Evan James will be looking to see more action after having made a 28-minute cameo at the end of the Denmark game.

Interim head coach Colin Miller is hoping his young side can learn from their mistakes in the previous match. “We played well in certain spells against Denmark, but we have addressed the defensive concerns on video, at training,” noted the former 'Caps assistant coach. "We are going into the lion’s den tomorrow. The guys are looking forward to the challenge.”

The Americans have named a strong squad predominantly comprised of Major League Soccer (MLS) players, including 2012 MLS top scorer Chris Wondolowski of San Jose Earthquakes, as well as the last two recipients of the MLS Defender of the Year award, Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez.

United Stated head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is using the training camp as preparation for the upcoming 2014 World Cup Qualifying Hexagonal phase, which his team will kick off with a match against Honduras on February 6.

The U.S. have an impressive recent record against Canada, having gone unbeaten since 1985. Canada last beat their southern counterparts when Igor Vrablic scored two in a 2-0 victory against the U.S. back in '85 at BC Place. However, eight players in Miller’s Canadian squad were also part of the Canadian U-23 team that beat the U.S. 2-0 at last year’s CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

In the last meeting between the North American rivals, both teams drew a blank as they battled to a 0-0 draw at BMO Field in Toronto in a game which commemorated the Canadian Soccer Association’s centennial anniversary.

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