USWNT Recap: United States 0 - Mexico 2
The US falls to second place in Group A following a disappointing loss in their group stage finale.
Interim head coach Twila Kilgore and the United States concluded their run in the Group Stage of the Concacaf W Gold Cup as they faced Mexico inside Dignity Health Sports Park.
Kilgore and the U.S. came into Monday’s contest knowing they booked their ticket to the knockout stage thanks to a 5-0 win over the Dominican Republic and a 4-0 win over Argentina.
With six points and a plus-nine goal differential, the U.S. found themselves in first place in Group A and only needed a draw or a win over second-place Mexico to claim the top seed in the group. History had been on the United States side, as they secured wins in their last 16 meetings with Mexico, where they outscored Mexico 65-4.
Six personnel changes and a formation change came as Kilgore rolled out a 3-4-3 formation. Alyssa Naeher returned between the sticks as Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Fox, and Abby Dahlkemper formed the backline. Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Crystal Dunn, and Sam Coffey were in the midfield, with Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Lynn Williams providing the attack.
Both sides put on a masterclass display of defense through the opening 30 minutes as the U.S. and Mexico defenders put an end to every attack thrown their way. Mexico’s Lizbeth Ovalle was the first player to enter the book after she received a yellow card in the 29th minute after fouling Sam Coffey.
The first dangerous U.S. chance came in the 35th minute when Fox found herself one-on-one with a defender outside the box. After slipping free from the defender, Fox attempted to catch goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras off guard by rocketing a shot on goal but Barreras was alert to the shot as she deflected it away from danger.
Catastrophe struck the United States in the 38th minute when Mexico lobbed the ball into the U.S. defensive half from midfield. Sauerbrunn turned on the jets as she darted to the loose ball with Lizbeth Ovalle trailing right behind her.
Sauerbrunn beat out Ovalle and looked to clear it downfield, but Ovalle was at the right place at the right time as Sauerbrunn’s clearance deflected off her and bounced back toward the U.S. goal.
Ovalle got onto the ball as Naeher came off her line in an attempt to put an end to Mexico’s dangerous chance. Ovalle chipped the ball over Naeher and into the net to give Mexico a 1-0 lead.
Mexico nearly put a second goal on the board just before halftime as Karla Nieto’s long-distance shot reverberated off the crossbar and was cleared away from danger by the U.S.
Kilgore made two changes before the start of the second half, as Emily Sonnett and Alex Morgan came on for Williams and Smith. Another pair of substitutions came in the 71st minute, as Korbin Albert and Midge Purce replaced Coffey and Fox.
The United States nearly found their equalizer in the 78th minute when Horan chipped the ball centrally from the right flank. Barreras leaped into the air and got a touch on the ball, but it fell directly to Rodman. She slotted her shot past Barreras, but the Mexico backline was all over the dribbling shot as they cleared it off the line and away from danger.
The final US change came in the 78th minute when Jaedyn Shaw came on for Lavelle.
Mexico had two rapid-fire chances in the 85th that nearly led to a second goal. It started with Mayra Pelayo attempting a shot from distance. Naeher leaped into the air and touched the ball onto the woodwork as it bounced back into play.
Jasmine Casárez was at the right place at the right time as she got onto the loose ball. Casárez attempted to slot the short-ranged shot past Naeher, but Naeher deflected the ball away from danger.
The United States got a golden opportunity in the 89th minute when Rodman ran onto a ball lobbed up the left flank. She found herself one-on-one with Barreras and attempted to curl a shot to the far post. Unfortunately, Rodman’s shot didn’t curl enough as it rolled out for a goal kick.
Mayra Pelayo netted an absolute golazo in stoppage time to hammer the final nail in the coffin. It started with Pelayo driving up the left flank and finding herself one-on-one with Purce. Pelayo evaded Purce’s pressure and rocketed a shot into the upper-right corner of the net to extend Mexico’s lead to two.
It was a disappointing outing for the United States as they saw their grip on Group A slip as they fell to second place following the 2-0 loss against El Tri.
The United States now waits for Group B and C to finish play before the W Gold Cup knockout stage begins. It’s unknown who the US will face as the eight teams that advance will be reseeded before the knockout stage begins.