A chippy and at times ugly friendly nonetheless gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side four wins out of four, with another young player making the difference.

Before 1878, a referee trying to get players’ attention was left to waive a white handkerchief in the air. It was an imperfect practice, asking an infractor to be self-aware enough to look for a doffed doily after hard contact. The game forever changed when Joseph Hudson, a Birmingham-bred tool maker who founded Acme Whistles, showed up to an FA Cup match in 1878 with his signature product in tow.

On Tuesday, nearly 150 years after Hudson’s innovation, referee Steven Madrigal paid the architect a hearty tribute.

Justin Ellis scored in the first half to cap a perfect elongated international window for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Jeff is at the game.

Meanwhile, Pablo Maurer is following the Messi farewell:

Goalkeeper feels like a re-opened competition after shaky halves from World Cup incumbents Matt Freese and Chris Brady, while Diego Kochen shone bright in his first start against Mexico. Brian Schwake will try to make his case from the opening whistle, looking to carry his fine form with Nashville into his second appearance.

I was hoping to see Auston Trusty partner with Chris Richards, as he seems like the best partner in a post-Tim Ream US side, but he looks set to deploy at left-back. That said, Alex Freeman will likely advance further up the right, and Trusty could deputize as a wide center-back in build-up phases.

Mathis Albert may not yet be a regular with Dortmund’s B-team, much less the senior side, but his dynamism throughout this camp earned him a surprise start over the more polished and proven Zavier Gozo. A fascinating chance to get a long look at another star of the program’s future.

How will the USA and Canada fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options

Basking in the glow of a 3-0 win over Mexico on Saturday, the US men’s national team are in a good place right now. A fourth straight win would make this window a resounding success for Mauricio Pochettino and his players.

Canada, however, have won their last two encounters with the USMNT, and are fresh from back-to-back victories over Chile and Peru. Jesse Marsch’s side have good reason to believe they can leave Minnesota with a third successive win.