The U.S. men’s national team extended their unbeaten streak against rivals Mexico with an explosive 3-0 triumph to punch their ticket to the Nations League final against Canada.
Mexico kicked off strong, creating chances in the opening 20 minutes of the match before succumbing to the United States. Christian Pulisic danced past a few Mexico defenders and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa before he skied his shot over the crossbar despite the open net. It was a chance that you would expect the Chelsea figure to put in the back of the net.
The USA’s energetic pressing paid off as Christian Pulisic redeemed himself for the earlier big chance missed, putting his country 1-0 up after the ball bounced around in Mexico’s penalty area and found his feet. It was a clinical finish to the bottom far corner that Clint Dempsey would’ve been proud of.
USA dominated the first half, with Mexico only having a few strong spells in possession. The game could’ve been almost out of reach if Pulisic converted his earlier chance, but the Stars and Stripes weren’t complaining with their 1-0 lead. USA has seven shots to Mexico’s two, enjoying 54% possession. Mexico’s front three were cut off from any kind of service into the box.
After the halftime whistle, just two minutes into the second half, Tim Weah raced down the right-hand side and sent in a perfect cross for Pulisic grab his second goal of the game to put the U.S. 2-0 up. It seemed like Mexico were still in the locker room as the pressure kept mounting on head coach Diego Cocca.
El Tri’s head coach finally rolled the dice 10 minutes into second half, bringing on Santiago Gimenez and Ozziel Herrera, but by that point it was too late.
Mexico’s frustrations led to a boiling point in the 68th minute when Cesar Montes came in with a clumsy challenge on Tim Weah, resulting in a straigth red. However, Weston McKennie was also sent off for putting his hands on the neck of Montes. Both sides were down to 10 men with the U.S. leading 2-0 with roughly 20 minutes to go.
Ricardo Pepi finally secured all ecured the victory for the U.S. after slotting the ball home after rounding Guillermo Ochoa. Sergino Dest played a perfect through ball to Pepi and he made no mistake in front of goal.
Things continued to get scrappy when Dest responded to a slight shove by Edson Alvarez and being shown a red card, meaning that both he and McKennie will miss the final against Canada. Mexico’s Gerardo Arteaga, who had just been subbed on, was also sent off.
The game finished with both sides playing with nine men. Mexico fought back in the second half but it was too late as the Stars and Stripes advance to the Nations League final to face Canada on June 18.
GK: Matt Turner – 6/10 – Didn’t have much to do during the game and was a bystander for the most part. Made a good save late in the second half to preserve the clean sheet.
LB: Antonee Robinson – 7/10 – Made several important blocks to deny Antuna to send in crosses.
CB: Chris Richards – 7/10 – Didn’t have to do anything special in the game and was dominant aerially.
CB: Miles Robinson – 7/10 – Had a strong performance alongside Richards.
RB: Sergino Dest – 8/10 – Had several moments where he tucked into the midfield to get up the pitch. Also got the fans off their seats with a few moments of skill and flair. Assisted Pepi’s goal that killed the game.
DM: Yunus Musah – 8/10 – The Valencia player patrolled the middle of the park and limited Edson Alvarez’s time on the ball.
DM: Weston McKennie – 6/10 – Was responsible for the pre-assist for the second goal and kept the midfield in check. Had Weah’s back after the nasty challenge and saw red because of it.
LW: Christian Pulisic – 9/10 – The captain scored a brace and could’ve hat a hat trick but was a bit unlucky.
AM: Gio Reyna – 7/10 – Made several good runs up the middle that led to chances.
RW: Tim Weah – 7/10 – Provided the assist for Pulisic’s second goal and was a thorn in Victor Guzman’s side.
ST: Folarin Balogun – 6/10 – Didn’t really have an impact in his debut for the U.S.
Substitutes
AM: Luca de la Torre (74′ for Gio Reyna) – made a good run through the middle of the field, easing pressure off the U.S. defense.
ST: Ricardo Pepi (74′ for Folarin Balogun) – 7/10 – Ended any hope that Mexico had after scoring a few minutes after coming on.
CB: Walker Zimmeran (81′ for Miles Robinson) – N/A.
AM: Brenden Aaronson (82′ for Tim Weah) – N/A.
RB: Joe Scally (89′ for Christian Pulisic) – N/A.
Manager
B.J. Callaghan – 8/10 – Picked the dream starting XI for many U.S. fans and it worked to near perfection in the first half. His second half subs were also solid.
GK: Guillermo Ochoa – 5/10 – The legendary figure was under pressure for large parts of the game and did all he could to keep his country in the game.
CB: Victor Guzman – 5/10 – Like his fellow defenders, he struggled to keep up with the pace of the U.S. attack.
CB: Cesar Montes – 3/10 – His night went from bad to terrible after a lazy challenge on Weah that got him sent off.
CB: Israel Reyes – 4/10 – Struggled to keep up with the pace of Pulisic and had a night to forget in defense.
LM: Jesus Gallardo – 6/10 – Put in a few crosses that tested the U.S. defense, especially early on in the first half but was subbed out in the early stages of the second half.
CM: Edson Alvarez – 5/10 – Had a poor first half but rebounded somewhat in the second 45 after the early changes made by Cocca.
CM: Luis Chavez – 5/10 – Didn’t really offer much in the middle of the park.
RM: Jorge Sanchez – 6/10 – Linked up with Antuna on the right-hand side and tried to dance through the U.S. defense but was unsuccessful. Was a bright spot for El Tri.
LW: Orbelin Pineda – 5/10 – Didn’t really provide much at all on the left-wing.
ST: Henry Martin – 5/10 – Was poor but also didn’t receive much help up front. Got subbed off early in the second half.
RW: Uriel Antuna – 7/10 – Was the lone spark in El Tri’s front three and linked up with a few teammates down the right-hand side.
Substitutes
ST: Santiago Gimenez (54′ for Henry Martin) – 6/10 – Tried to inspire his team but it was too little too late.
LM: Jonathan Herrera (54′ for Jesus Gallardo) – 6/10 – Made a few good runs down the left-hand side.
LB: Gerardo Arteaga (77′ for Uriel Antuna) – 4/10 – came on and got sent off after a scuffle with Dest.
LW: Sebastian Cordova (83′ for Orbelin Pineda) – N/A.
Manager
Diego Cocca – 5/10 – Although he couldn’t do much about his players not wanting it more than the U.S., his decision to not start Santiago Gimenez was highly questionable. His second half subs provided some sparks but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback.
Player of the match – Christian Pulisic (USA)
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