Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie Lead USA Past Mexico in 2022 World Cup Qualifier
Nov 13, 2021
CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 12: Christian Pulisic #10 of United States celebrate with his teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers match between United States and Mexico at TQL Stadium on November 12, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Gregg Berhalter’s United States men's national team defeated Mexico 2-0 in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match on Friday night at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati to take over the top spot in the CONCACAF qualifying standings.
It was the U.S.'s third straight win over Mexico following a 3-2 victory in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League Final in June and a 1-0 victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in August.
The first half was one to forget for the USMNT as Mexico's offense kept goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who got the start over New England Revolution keeper Matt Turner for the second straight time, on his toes early:
Zack Steffen passes his first test of the net, pushing Edson Álvarez's chance from the edge of the box around the post #USAvMEX
The best chances of the first half undoubtedly came from El Tri. However, the U.S. turned up the heat in the second half, with Weston McKennie getting a tremendous scoring opportunity just minutes after halftime:
As the U.S. turned up the heat, so did Mexico, and things between the two sides got chippy in the 71st minute as McKennie earned his second yellow card of the qualifying round. The Juventus star will now be suspended for the USMNT's next match because of the cards.
Chaka Rodriguez really hit Brenden Aaronson with the eye rake. That’s a red card, if only there were VAR.
Weston McKennie sees yellow in the aftermath and will now miss Tuesday’s trip to Jamaica.
Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic, who started on the bench after returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for three Cup qualifiers in October, entered the match in the 69th minute for the USMNT as a sub for Brendon Aaronson. He quickly made an impact, scoring on a cross from Timothy Weah in the 74th minute to give the Americans a 1-0 lead.
INSTANT. IMPACT.
@cpulisic_10 scores his 17th international goal, tying him with Michael Bradley, DaMarcus Beasley, and Earnie Stewart on the #USMNT all-time scoring leaderboard. pic.twitter.com/9vKOnFW9je
The United States held onto that lead and is now tied with Mexico for the top spot in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings at the halfway point.
The United States was without some of its best players Friday night in Cincinnati, which makes the win even more impressive. Defender Sergino Dest and budding superstar midfielder Gio Reyna were unavailable due to injuries.
However, Mexico was also without some players, too, as defender Nestor Araujo missed the match due to a suspension. Defenders Cesar Montes and Hector Moreno were also sidelined with injuries.
The USMNT's win Friday night was huge as a loss would have made things much more nerve-racking for the American's entering their next World Cup qualifying match. The top three teams in CONCACAF automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the fourth-place team has to compete in an intercontinental playoff.
The USMNT move on to face Jamaica on Nov. 16 as World Cup qualifiers continue, while Mexico is set to face Canada.
