USA beat Mexico to win Nations League trophy
Hosts lift inaugural title after feisty clash with their arch-rivals
The rivalry is back.
In a chaotic and dramatic match, with unexpected heroes and plenty of controversy, the United States beat Mexico 3-2 to win the first CONCACAF Nations League and break an eight-year drought in official matches against its regional arch-rivals.
As expected, the result provoked diametrically different reactions among players, press and fans in the two countries. North of the border they described the victory as “historic” and considered that the match had been one of the best in the history of the rivalry; down south, they generally considered it to be a blip on the radar and preferred to focus on the specific errors of Tata Martino’s team.
Reality, as always, is somewhere between the two extremes. The match was very exciting and marked the first official title for the new generation of the USMNT but, having taken place just a month before the Gold Cup and with Qatar 2022 qualifiers starting in September, it may not have ever-lasting consequences.
The truth is that the fans were on the edge of their seats from literally the first minute to the last. After just 59 seconds, an error by American defender Mark McKenzie allowed Porto winger Jesus Corona to open the scoring for Mexico, slamming the ball into the roof of the net to the delight of the majority of the crowd in Denver, Colorado, composed of Mexican immigrants.
After 20 minutes of end-to-end football, the next five completely changed the course of the game. First, Mexico seemed to have put
the game out of reach when Hector Moreno finished off a cross from Hirving Lozano at the far post. However, after consulting VAR, Panamanian referee John Pitti decided to disallow the goal, even though there appeared to be no evidence of offside. 180 seconds later, the United States equalised when Giovanni Reyna finished a scramble in the Mexican box after a corner.
The first half continued to be an intense affair, with chances at both ends, the most important of which came three minutes before the break, when Napoli’s Hirving Lozano failed to beat Zack Steffen in a one-on-one.
The American side improved in the second half, forcing some outstanding saves from Guillermo Ochoa, but it was Mexico who took the lead in the 78th minute. Young starlet Diego Lainez, just minutes after coming onto the field, sent a shot between three defenders to beat reserve keeper Ethan Horvath, who had replaced the injured Steffen midway through the second half.
Horvath would have the last laugh but more drama was still the come. Just two minutes after goal, the United States equalised again. And it was once again from a corner, their most important weapon. Weston McKennie got the best of the Mexican defence and with a strong header, made Ochoa’s dive useless.
The match went into extra-time, and two new protagonists appeared. The first was the referee Pitti, who whistled two highly controversial penalties. The first was at the 108th minute, when Christian Pulisic fell in the Mexican box. At first, the referee did not consider it a foul, but changed his mind after consulting the VAR. The replays, however, seemed to show that Mexican defender Carlos Salcedo had touched the ball before Pulisic. Amid the chaos, Mexico’s coach, Tata Martino, was sent off for hugging the referees while watching the VAR screen.
The American No.10 converted the spot-kick and put the Americans ahead for the first time in the match. Mexico rushed forward desperately and, at the last minute, their prayers seemed to have been answered when Pitti, again with the help of the VAR, gave another very dubious penalty. McKenzie handled the ball, but only after the ball was fired at him from close-range by a Luis Romo header.
Andres Guardado, Mexico’s captain, prepared to take his penalty, with two countries holding their breath. But his shot, weak and badly-placed, was saved by Ethan Horvath, who became the unexpected hero of the night.
And thus ended an unforgettable night in Denver, Colorado, with a revitalised rivalry and much to remember for each side. The next few months will tell if it really was the first of many achievements for this exciting new American generation, or if the result was just a setback in the continued Mexican dominance of the last decade.