Canada, US go goalless in qualifying tune-up

Canada goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld tipped Clarence Goodson's shot over the crossbar in stoppage time to preserve a goal-less football draw between the United States and the Canadians. Both teams used the international friendly as their last preparation for their start of North American qualifying for the 2014 Brazil World Cup on Friday, when Canada will visit Cuba and the US will host Antigua and Barbuda. "Now the big time starts, the important games," US captain Carlos Bocanegra said. "First and foremost, start off on the right foot. That's important for us." The Americans lead the rivalry with their northern neighbors 13-8 with 10 drawn. The Canadians have gone 15 matches without a victory over the US men, losing eight and drawing seven since last winning in 1985 at Vancouver by 2-0. The US squad was coming off a 4-1 loss to five-time World Cup champion Brazil at Washington last Wednesday. "All in all, we're ready," US goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "We were a little sloppy towards the end but we're getting into a better rhythm, we bounced back from a loss, we had a clean sheet and now we're ready to get down to business." The match was the first with Fulham striker Clint Dempsey and Los Angeles Galaxy playmaker Landon Donovan on the field at the same time since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as US coach last July. His record is 6-5 with two drawn.