FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The United States took just seven minutes to get on the board Saturday night and never looked back in cruising to a 4-0 victory over Canada in the national team's first friendly match of the year.
First-half goals by Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Mathis and Chris Klein set the tone and Steve Ralston added the icing in the 61st minute.
The United States extended its unbeaten streak to nine matches. The Americans had not scored as many as four goals against Canada since 1926. And Bocanegra, Klein and Ralston got on the board for the first time.
"It was a good start for us, although I think we got a little sloppy in the first half," Coach Bruce Arena said. "A lot of guys had good performances tonight."
"Obviously, we don't think just because we beat Canada, 4-0, that we'll beat Argentina, 4-0, in our next match," said Landon Donovan. "We're not fit and we have work to do."
The Americans are rebuilding after an unexpected trip to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Arena, who called in an exclusively MLS-based squad for the contest, started several players with only a handful of caps in an effort to test his young talent.
Canada's lineup, thinned by the absence of Tomas Radzinski and an injury to Dwayne Derosario, featured seven members of the Under-23 team, four of whom started.
