In the much-anticipated battle of New England Revolution teammates Tajon Buchanan and Matt Turner, it was advantage Turner as the U.S. Men's National Team claimed a 1-0 win over Canada on Sunday evening at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City. With the victory the Americans top Group B in the Concacaf Gold Cup, although both countries advance to next Sunday's quarterfinal round.
Turner made three saves in the win, including one on Buchanan early in the second half when he rushed off his line to cut down his Revolution teammate's angle. The 27-year-old played all 270 minutes of the group stage and led the U.S. to a perfect 3-0-0 record, conceding just a single goal from the penalty spot. Including a friendly win over Trinidad & Tobago in January, Turner is now 4-0-0 with the USMNT and boasts a goals against average of 0.25.
Buchanan also made his third straight start and was once again a focal point of the Canadian attack, earning widespread praise as the most dangerous player on the field for either side. He came closest to drawing the Canadians level in the 79th minute when he cut inside from the left and curled an effort towards the far post, only to see it fly inches wide with Turner at full stretch.
Both the U.S. and Canada will feature in the Gold Cup Quarterfinals next Sunday, July 25, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Their opponents will be Jamaica and Costa Rica, with Tuesday night's results determining which country each will face.
The Revolution, meanwhile, will look to extend their lead atop the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night when they visit Inter Miami CF for the first time, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET on TV38, myRITV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio.
