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USMNT Holds on for Key World Cup Qualifying Point vs. Mexico at the Azteca

The U.S. had its chance to seize a famous first qualifying win at the Azteca, but it settles for a useful point on the road to Qatar.

Avi Creditor

There has been plenty of chatter in the build-up to Thursday night that the match between the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico was the last World Cup qualifier between the two. If that’s the case, then on the field it wound up going down with the trademark intensity that has marked the rivalry—and it yielded a point apiece that should help both on their quest to reach the 2022 World Cup.

The U.S. and Mexico played to a 0-0 draw at Estadio Azteca Thursday night, with the U.S. having multiple chances thwarted by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and missing one golden opportunity through substitute forward Jordan Pefok. The result ended the U.S.’s three-game winning streak against Mexico, but serves both teams well after Panama’s draw vs. Honduras earlier in the night. It also marks the third straight World Cup qualifier at the Azteca in which the U.S. has taken a point off Mexico. With the nations co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Canada, and with the expanded World Cup field making future head-to-head U.S.-Mexico qualifying matchups unlikely, this could have been the last dance for the two teams on this stage.

The U.S. was shorthanded for that dance, with Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Matt Turner all ruled out through injury. Four more key U.S. players—Tyler Adams, Tim Weah, Zack Steffen and DeAndre Yedlin—carried yellow cards into the match, which put them at risk of missing Sunday’s home match vs. Panama if they were to pick up another card. That was of no mind to Gregg Berhalter: all four got the start Thursday night. Problem is, two of them—Yedlin and Weah—saw yellow, so they’ll miss the next game.

The Azteca appeared to be at half capacity, and the U.S. came out aggressively sensing the opportunity, with Christian Pulisic firing in a cross 30 seconds in that forced Ochoa into action and off his line.

The U.S. had another potential opportunity at the three-minute mark, after Kellyn Acosta drew a foul in a dangerous area. His free kick—taken from a similar spot as his free kick that led to the Gold Cup-winning goal—sailed harmlessly through the Mexico box, though, letting El Tri off easy.

Mexico’s most threatening early chances in the run of play came down both of the flanks, but it earned its first dangerous set piece in the 10th minute, when Miles Robinson saw yellow for fouling Raúl Jiménez. 

Tecatito Corona’s free kick curled through the U.S. box, but it was flicked out of play without ever posing a problem for Steffen in goal.

Tecatito served in a more dangerous ball in the run of play three minutes later, with his cross picking out Cesar Montes for a header, but the defender directed it right at goal for Steffen’s first save of the match.

On the other end, the U.S. looked to strike quickly, with Antonee Robinson’s cross being deflected into Yunus Musah’s path. The Valencia midfielder’s low shot was turned around the post by a diving Ochoa, though.

The first real moment of brute physicality came in the 21st minute, when Edson Álvarez yanked Pulisic down from behind by his neck, which resulted in a yellow card for the Ajax midfielder. That gave Acosta another free kick, and he had a go at goal, only to hit his powerful blast right at Ochoa.

Yedlin countered with a hard tackle of his own a few minutes later, and it came at a big price. The yellow card he was shown results in a one-match suspension, and with Dest already unavailable and Reggie Cannon contracting COVID-19, the U.S. will need a new right back solution Sunday vs. Panama. Reports out of Spain said that Shaq Moore, of Tenerife, would be joining the U.S., and Berhalter confirmed as much in his postgame comments.

Ochoa came up with the moment of the match in the 35th minute. Weah crossed from the right and picked out a wide-open Pulisic in the center of the box, but the goalkeeper held his ground to deny the U.S. star of the opener with a point-blank save.

Things got worse for the U.S. a few minutes later, when Weah was cautioned. That put him in the same boat as Yedlin: suspended for Sunday.

The second half started with another Ochoa denial of Pulisic, with the Chelsea star getting free down the left-hand side and trying to pick out the far netting, only for the Mexico goalkeeper to swat it around the post.

Mexico’s possession in the U.S. third was largely fruitless, but Hector Herrera nearly teed up Jorge Sánchez for the opener in the 57th minute with a perfectly weighted pass. Sánchez couldn’t quite get to it with his outstretched leg, though, perhaps deterred a bit by Steffen coming off is line to cut the angle. 

A minute later, Hirving Lozano had his first true dangerous moment of the night, trying to pick out the upper right-hand corner with a cheeky attempt from the edge of the area, sending it just over the bar instead.

With Mexico getting a stronger foothold in the match, Berhalter went to his bench for the first time at the hour mark, taking out Weah and Ricardo Pepi and bringing on Gio Reyna and Pefok. For both substitutes, it was their first action in qualifying since the opening window in September, with Reyna getting hurt in the U.S.’s first qualifier and missing five months.

Mexico had penalty shouts go unheard in the 70th minute, when Jiménez went 1-v-1 with Walker Zimmerman and went down in the box. No call was given, though, nor did the play go to VAR review, with play continuing and the score still 0-0.

The U.S. blew its best chance of the match a couple of minutes later. Acosta served up a great ball to Reyna on the right side of the box, and he crossed to the center of the box with his first touch, where Pefok completely shanked his first-time chance.

With the game screaming for a winner, Mexico took its chance in the 79th minute, with Lozano firing just over the bar. Perhaps sensing the game starting to slip, Berhalter brought on two defensive subs, with Erik Palmer-Brown and Aaron Long coming on for Yedlin and Adams. Minutes later, Pulisic came off for Jordan Morris, with Berhalter staying true to his pregame word that he would use all five substitutes.

Mexico thought it had another penalty in the 90th minute, with Alexis Vega taking on Morris inside the U.S. box and going down, only to see yellow for diving.

With the result, combined with the other results across the region on Thursday, no Concacaf teams have clinched World Cup berths just yet. For the U.S., that could come Sunday. It’ll take a win over Panama and a Costa Rica draw or loss vs. El Salvador (or a draw and a Costa Rica loss) to finish the job. Given the U.S.’s goal differential edge over Costa Rica (+7), a win for both would still give the U.S. a comfortable buffer heading into the finale in San José.

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Avi Creditor
AVI CREDITOR

Avi Creditor is a senior editor and has covered soccer for more than a decade. He’s also a scrappy left back. 

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