TAC Day 8 - Revos Rout Canada, Advance to Final

There have been 25 years of USA Revolution football.  Many unique moments of glory across many dozens of players in locations all over the world.

But never have they played themselves into a tournament final.

Archrival Canada, despite their best efforts, were no match for the Revos in the 2024 AFL Transatlantic Cup semifinal.  Thanks to a 65-11 victory, Kyle Strenski’s team will face off against Ireland on Sunday at 1:45pm ET/10:45am PT in their first ever tournament Grand Final.

With a 2-1 record after the group stage, the US were the only Americas’ team with a winning resume.  Canada had gone 0-3, but advanced to the semi thanks to a superior points percentage over Colombia in their group.  Captain Daniel Livy reminded his team, however, not to take the Northwind lightly.  No previous records mattered, not even the fact that the US had won 17 of the previous 18 meetings over the Canadians and hadn’t lost since 2007.

And from the opening get go, it was the Revolution’s game.  Playing on a waterlogged ground thanks to rain overnight and all through the morning, Mark McClure took an early mark and banged home a goal in the first two minutes.  The US’s pressure was relentless in the sticky conditions, with Gabriel Martin del Campo and Jevon Mason putting the hard hats on and winning balls early.  MdC’s work would be rewarded with a goal, Jacob Gross kicked a handsome major and McClure would earn a second as the US would go into quarter-time up 26-0.

McClure’s dominance in the forward line continued as he booted home his third of the game in the first minute of play.  Canada answered quickly, and the game was an arm wrestle for the next eight or nine minutes.  The defense got involved more, with Kendall Hutchings and Ryan McGettigan pinching in and giving the Revos more scoring chances.  How hot was McClure?  He scored a goal seemingly on a pass.  With Mike Linehan in the square and Stork just fifteen meters out, a centering ball got away and drifted over the line and the helpless Northwind defender.  At the main break it was 42-7, with Team USA in complete control.

No goals were scored in the third term, but that was okay with the Americans.  Each team only added a behind then, but everyone up and down the ground was doing work.  The Revos had to remain ready; Canada kept the push going, but could only manage a couple more minor scores.  But where the Northwind weren’t efficient in their score finishing, Team USA was.  Julian David kicked two goals in the final term - one from being in the right place at the right time, and one getting a great leading ball from Tim Lindfelt and showing the defense a clean pair of heels and running it through.  Max DePina completed the scoring, and the US saw out the comprehensive 52-point triumph.

Canada deserves all the credit in the world for not giving up and putting pressure on the US.  There have been many tough battles between the teams, and the effort has always been there from the Bloods.  Today was just the Revos’ day.

“We just stuck to the game plan and tried to find our forwards,” said Mason, whose energy up front and finding of targets earned him a TASMANIAN Player of the Game nod.  “We knew Canada was going to be a really tough opponent, they try to play us tough every single time and we didn’t look at their record or anything.  It didn’t matter in the semifinals, we just brought it to them early, and we stayed clinical.”

Though the Americans already have that thrilling, two-point victory in the group stage over Ireland in arrears, Mason and the rest of his team knows that the Warriors will be out to avenge that defeat and that winning the program’s first ever major championship will be no easy feat.

“I think we really hit ‘em in the mouth in that first one, so we just expect them to come out fiery.  They played really hard in their last game [against Great Britain], so we know that the first ten minutes of the game are going to be really pivotal for us to come out and show them that that wasn’t just a fluke.”

Goals:
USA -- McClure 4, David 2, DePina, Gross, Martin del Campo
Canada -- Lugarini