U.S. Men’s National Team to play soccer match vs. Canada at Children’s Mercy Park

Kansas City will play host to the U.S. and Canadian men’s national soccer teams for an international friendly match on Sept. 7 at Children’s Mercy Park.

The United States Men’s National team (USMNT) on Tuesday announced a series of exhibition matches during the fall FIFA dates in September and October. The first will take place here, with the USMNT playing Canada in the first action for either squad following the 2024 COPA America.

Coincidentally, Canada is also scheduled to play this week at Children’s Mercy Park. The Canadians will take on Peru Tuesday in a Copa America match. Six days later, the USMNT will meet Uruguay at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The U.S. team has never lost at Children’s Mercy Park, which opened in 2011. The American side has a record there of eight wins and two draws, with 20 goals scored and just two against.

The U.S. and Canada last met the group stage of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Shaq Moore’s first-minute strike stood up as the winner in a 1-0 decision that helped the USMNT win Group B.

The USMNT would go on to win the Gold Cup that year.

The USMNT’s most recent visit to Children’s Mercy Park was a 0-0 draw against Uruguay. That match was a home-soil sendoff ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch has also had stints with European clubs Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds United. He previously coached the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer.

During a Monday news conference ahead of Canada’s Tuesday match with Peru, Marsch said he had many good memories at Children’s Mercy Park ... but also “some bad memories, too” — a hint to Sporting KC’s 2-1 win against the Red Bulls in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final.

“I think this is a great place to play,” Marsch said.

The Sept. 7 U.S.-Canada match will clash with a KC Current home match on the same date. The Current is scheduled to take on the Utah Royals at CPKC Stadium that day at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. The broadcast window for U.S.-Canada begins at 6 p.m., meaning kickoff could occur any time between 6-7 p.m.

Sporting KC is on the road that night, facing the New York Red Bulls at 6:30 p.m. Central.

U.S. Soccer is calling the Sept. 7 USMNT-Canada friendly a “fan appreciation” night. According to a news release, the evening will include “fun, interactive fan activations, opportunities to win prizes and more.”

Tickets for the Sept. 7 game go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.