Justin Ellis strike seals 1-0 friendly win for United States over Canada in Minnesota
The United States beat Canada 1-0 in a friendly at Allianz Field in Minnesota on Tuesday as Justin Ellis scored and goalkeeper Brian Schwake kept a clean sheet in his first international start. The hosts closed the international window with the victory on an autumn evening that saw frequent stoppages and physical play.
Referee Steven Madrigal presided over a stop-start contest that the report describes as chippy and at times ugly, with the match producing 43 fouls in total and the United States leading that count by one. The article recalls Joseph Hudson’s 1878 invention of the whistle and notes Madrigal’s prominent use of it during the game. The fixture was the final match of a lengthy international window for both sides.
Canada and the US set the tone early, with Jesse Marsch’s side committing nine fouls in the opening 16 minutes to the hosts’ three, disrupting the visitors’ attempts to build momentum. Home boos greeted several interventions, particularly touches from Canada goalkeeper Dayne St Clair, who was returning to the venue for the first time since leaving Minnesota United for Inter Miami as a free agent after seven seasons in Saint Paul. The physicality limited sustained sequences for both teams.
Justin Ellis was initially left down after a heavy challenge in the 20th minute but was able to continue following treatment; five minutes after re-entering the game he moved into the channel after a one-two with Alex Freeman to finish a first-time shot. Freeman’s cross bypassed St Clair for Ellis to slam home, and the 19-year-old now has two goals in his first three appearances for the United States, doubling his club goal tally from 19 MLS appearances to date.
Costa Rican referee Steven Madrigal was kept busy throughout the first half as he adjudicated numerous 50/50 challenges and at times struggled to play the advantage consistently. By half-time Canada had received 13 cautions to the United States’ 10, and a late sequence of corners and set pieces for the hosts — five dead-ball deliveries in close range — failed to produce a clear scoring opportunity.
Few substantive changes arrived after the break despite substitutions: Marsch made one change at half-time and Mauricio Pochettino made two. In the 59th minute Auston Trusty absorbed a heavy challenge from Jonathan David as the striker attempted to win a header; Cole Campbell made his US debut in the 61st minute, becoming the 13th player to debut for the United States in the window and immediately probed the Canadian backline. Julian Hall later ran onto a through ball for a one-on-one with St Clair but his shot struck the outside netting.
Second-half action was sparse: each side managed just two attempts after the interval, with only one of Canada’s efforts on target, and both teams registered a 72% pass completion rate entering second-half stoppage. The crowd largely remained after the final whistle to enjoy the crisp post-sunset weather, with supporters, a drum corps and a post-win rendition of "Country Roads" audible as the match concluded.
The 1-0 victory completed a perfect international window for Pochettino’s United States side, delivering four wins from four matches in the lengthy series of fixtures.
