Sport

Concacaf Nations League final live updates: USMNT vs. Mexico lineup, highlights, analysis

88d49a80 Ea4d 11ee Be5b 48e7b6ec1efe.jpeg

[ad_1]

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 24: Tyler Adams #4 of the United States celebrates scoring with teammate Christian Pulisic #10 during the first half against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League Final at AT&T Stadium on March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Fresh off its dramatic 3-1 win over Jamaica on Thursday, the U.S. menā€™s national team meets a familiar foe in Sundayā€™s Concacaf Nations League final against Mexico at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

For nearly 95 minutes in Thursdayā€™s semifinal the USMNT trailed the Reggae Boyz 1-0 after Greg Leighā€™s opening-minute goal stunned the Americans and killed any momentum they had heading into the match as the favorites on home soil. But then, in the final minute of regular time, Christian Pulisic sailed a corner kick into the box that Miles Robinson was able to flick toward Jamaicaā€™s Cory Burke, who, unfortunately for the visiting squad and fans, redirected it into the net for an equalizer. Thirty minutes of extra time later, the USMNT was up 3-1 ā€” thanks to some late magic from Gio Reyna and Haji Wright ā€” and headed to Sundayā€™s final.

El Tri had no such problems in their semifinal match and cruised to a 3-0 victory over Panama thanks to goals from Edson Ɓlvarez, JuliƔn QuiƱones and Orbelƭn Pineda.

Last year, the USMNT defeated Mexico 3-0 in the Nations League semifinals before taking down Canada in the final for the trophy. But the semifinal against Mexico was memorable for how heated the North American rivalry unfolded. The match became an intense battle marked by physical play and unruly behavior from both sides. Pulisic netted the first two goals, however, sealing the most lopsided victory for the USMNT against its main rival to date.

Will Sunday be a repeat of that ugly semifinal? Yahoo Sports senior soccer reporter Henry Bushnell is on the scene and will provide updates and analysis in our live blog below. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast on Paramount+.

Concacaf Nations League final live tracker: USMNT vs. Mexico lineup, highlights, analysis

Live19 updates

  • Tyler Adams BANGER.

    1-0 to the U.S. right before halftime.

  • U.S. has settled into the game a bit, and taken control. Possession percentage is rising. But they’re struggling to find space between Mexico’s lines.

    0-0 after 40 minutes. Very tame, by U.S.-Mexico standards.

  • ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 24: Guillermo Ochoa #13 of Mexico  shakes hands with Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States during the coin toss prior to the Concacaf Nations League Final at AT&T Stadium on March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

    ARLINGTON, TEXAS – MARCH 24: Guillermo Ochoa #13 of Mexico shakes hands with Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States during the coin toss prior to the Concacaf Nations League Final at AT&T Stadium on March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

  • Weston McKennie sees a yellow card for grabbing Chucky Lozano and halting a potential break.

    One of the USMNT’s feistiest (and most important) players now needs to go 60-plus minutes without getting involved in any scuffles or afters. Not ideal.

  • Relatively tame opening 20 minutes, but U.S.-Mexico standards.

    Physical, but not yet spicy.

    Pulisic had the best chance five minutes in. Not much of note since.

  • Underway in Arlington.

    Festive atmosphere. Not a full house, but you can hardly tell.

    Mexico targets SergiƱo Dest, via Chucky Lozano, in the very first minute. Expect a lot of that.

  • Big USMNT lineup decisions

    Between fitness concerns, minutes restrictions, disparate club form, Thursday struggles, and a short turnaround after a 120-minute grind, this had to be one of the most difficult USMNT lineups for Gregg Berhalter to select.

    His big calls:

    • Haji Wright over Folarin Balogun up front

    • Gio Reyna. Can he go 90, or even 75, after going 75 on Thursday? He hasn’t started a soccer game of any kind, for club or country, since Nov. 1, 2023. (And before Thursday, he hadn’t played more than 45 minutes since then either.)

    • Tyler Adams over Yunus Musah. Adams hasn’t started a competitive game in over a year. His stated capacity, as of Monday, was “45-60 minutes.” He played a little less than 45 on Thursday.

    (Tim Ream over Miles Robinson at center back was the easy call, and likely always the plan.)

USMNT Lineup vs. Mexico

1-Matt Turner
2-SergiƱo Dest
3-Chris Richards
4-Tyler Adams
5-Antonee Robinson
7-Gio Reyna
8-Weston McKennie
10-Christian Pulisic
13-Tim Ream
14-Haji Wright
21-Tim Weah



[ad_2]

Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *