Credit Concacaf
By Juan Carlos Maygua
The CONCACAF Nations League concluded with a match full of expectations. Two of the most dominant teams of the region were deciding the tournament’s first winner. The USMNT arrived as the favorite because of the individual talent within the squad.
Mexico however, possessed more experience, and it spelled trouble for the National team. Mainly because this final was the first major appearance for many of the members in the USMNT. The game lived up to the expectations and was memorable from start to finish.
A heroic night
The home advantage factor could have played in favor of the National Team, but even that aspect was split in half because of the diversity in the population. The return of fans added the emotional factor that many of these high-profile games were missing. I would say that the hostility that the crowd generated played a part in the opening goal. However, the experience factor played a big part in the development of the game. Mark McKenzie fell victim to the pressure after a misplaced pass was picked off by Jesus Corona within the first minute of play. The interception left “El Tecatito” with an open goal, Steffen, unfortunately, stood no chance against that shot. I’m sure the game plan did not include scenarios where the team was down a goal within the first play of the game. However, the USMNT was quick to respond with a chance of their own after Josh Sargent also intercepted a pass near Mexico’s box. Unfortunately, he lost his footing right before taking his shot, giving Ochoa a chance to make a good save. From that moment on Mexico grew in confidence and was able to create critical chances with long passes, as well as exploiting individual qualities on the wings. John Brooks would receive a yellow card after a mistimed tackle in midfield. The game could have taken a dark turn if a goal off a corner kick by Hector Moreno was not ruled as offside. The goal would have sealed the fate of the national team, but destiny had other plans in store. In the following play, the USMNT won a corner kick where Weston McKennie saw his header hit the post, thankfully Giovanni Reyna was quick to catch the rebound that gave the national team equalizing goal. The first half concluded with Mexico in control. Zack Steffen had a key save in a one-on-one opportunity against Hirvin Lozano, the goalkeeper stood his ground and blocked a shot that could have changed the course of the game.
The second half continued to display a dominant game by Mexico. In contrast, the USMNT increased their threat in set-piece plays. One key difference in this game, however, was Christian Pulisic and his absence in terms of game creation. Mexico did well in that aspect, it’s not easy to isolate a player with his characteristics for almost 90 minutes. The game reached a turning point in the 68th minute when ZackSteffen suffered a knee injury. In addition, both Josh Sargent and Sergino Dest would be substituted around this time frame. The changes looked to refresh the options in attack to win the game in regular time. However, Mexico would also make a key substitution that went hand in hand with Steffen’s situation. Ethan Horvath was the man to take over the goalkeeper position. The switch came in a decisive moment, something that in my opinion gave the USMNT a significant disadvantage. The goalkeeper needs a significant amount of time to adapt to the game conditions and also to gain confidence inside the field. Horvath didn’t have time to do any of that. He stepped into the field with Mexico on the attack and a new striker off the bench ready to make a difference in the scoreboard. Diego Lainez was Mexico’s answer to Timothy Wea for the USMNT. The game turned into a constant back and forth. McKennie proved to be lethal in corner kicks, forcing Ochoa to make two key interventions for Mexico. The switch for Lainez would eventually pay off after he was left unmarked in the right-wing. Something that he used to his advantage as he created space for himself and found the back of the net as a result.
The match clock struck the 78th minute and Mexico had a 2-1 lead. While the National Team still had time to fight for an equalizer, not even the most optimistic of fans would have thought that the USMNT was going to equalize instantly. Weston McKennie was able to find the goal with a header off a corner kick, the clock signaled 82 minutes. It was at this moment when I realized this wasn’t going to be just another final. The final play of the game saw Ethan Horvath make a spectacular flying save after a long-distance shot from “El Chucky” Lozano. With no time left on the clock, the match was going to be decided in extra time.
At that point, the USMNT opted to hold the result and strategically aim for a counterattack in specific moments. This gave Mexico more possession time, but the game saw an increase in fouls for both sides, both teams had given their absolute best up to that point. However, in another mixture of heart-stopping events, the final 15 minutes of extra time were not going to be easy to watch.
Remember those specific counter-attack moments I mentioned before? Well, it was precisely in one of them where Pulisic found enough room to penetrate Mexico’s box. He would receive a double tackle which brought him down. The match official would make the moment even more dramatic after he was advised to check the play through the V.A.R. and after a close analysis, a penalty kick was given to the USMNT. Christian Pulisic stepped up to take the shot and scored without a problem, a shot to the top corner, unreachable for Ochoa. Unfortunately, the goal celebration showcased the first of a series of embarrassing moments from fans at the stadium. Reynal would take a hit, but thankfully it was something small. Until that moment the game seemed set, but with two minutes to go Mexico gained a penalty kick after a handball was called. The stadium was going crazy, the game could have gone either way. Andres Guardado, Mexico’s most experienced player, stepped up to take the shot. Ethan Horvath, the Colorado native became the night’s unexpected hero after stopping Guardado’s shot. The game reached an unfortunate end after fans invaded the pitch and player fights broke out constantly. All things considered; however, the game will be remembered as one of the most epic finals between the two countries.
“We’re thrilled to have won, and we’re thrilled to be part of U.S soccer,” said head coach Gregg Berhalter praising the importance of the victory. He also highlighted the squad’s ability to adapt to every situation of the game. The victory signaled the first USMNT win over Mexico in a major tournament since 2007. This could be the beginning of a new era in the CONCACAF region. The Gold Cup is the next challenge, and this team is ready for more.