The World Cup quarterfinals will feature a North American derby that promises to be a high-scoring affair. Canada enters the playoffs in perfect form, having won all seven group stage matches. The United States, meanwhile, finished only fourth in their group, but their attack picked up steam late in the game: in the last two rounds, they scored seven and four goals against Hungary and Austria, respectively. Meanwhile, both teams are struggling defensively, creating the perfect backdrop for a goal-scoring shootout.
The statistics from recent matches clearly point to the high-scoring nature of this encounter. Five of Canada's last seven games have seen the total exceed 5.5 goals, while the United States has done so in five of its last six. Even though head-to-head encounters between the two teams are traditionally low-scoring (the last three games have seen the total under 4.5 goals), the teams' current form and the intensity of the playoffs dictate a completely different scenario.
Considering that Team Canada will be looking to avenge their recent defeat in the Olympic final, and that the USA, despite their weak performance in the group stage, are always capable of surprises, they will not be closing in on defense.
