Canada and Mexico played to a scoreless draw Tuesday in a men's soccer game that was a friendly in name only. Mexico, ranked 17th in the world, played a physical game from the start, bundling over the 40th-ranked Canadians at will.
But while there were far more fouls (43 in total, with Mexico called for 24) than scoring chances, each goalkeeper had to make a highlight-reel save to keep a clean sheet.
American referee Victor Rivas, the 2023 MLS Referee of the Year, was kept busy. He handed out seven yellow cards, four to Mexico and three to Canada — and could have shown more. "It's a compliment to the progress that we've made as a team that a team like Mexico comes into this match and that's their strategy," said Canada coach Jesse Marsch.
Canada was coming off a 2-1 weekend win over the 16th-ranked U.S. in Kansas City, marking its first victory over the Americans on U.S.