USA vs Mexico final score, result, highlights: Christian Pulisic, USMNT dominate to reach Nations League final

Kyle Bonn

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USA vs Mexico final score, result, highlights: Christian Pulisic, USMNT dominate to reach Nations League final image

The U.S. men's national team tore a sorry Mexico side to shreds as Christian Pulisic scored a brace and Ricardo Pepi added a third, leading the USA to a thorough 3-0 win over their rivals to reach the CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada on Sunday.

Yet in truth, that was only a small part of the final story of this match that was jam-packed with action, storylines, news, and most of all, complete mayhem.

With interim head coach BJ Callaghan at the helm, 21-year-old Folarin Balogun made his much-anticipated first cap for the U.S. national team, having committed to the USA just a month ago. He was quality throughout the match, but couldn't find big moments in front of net.

The match devolved into chaos in the second half, as Mexican players resorted to ugly tackles and red mist, with Cesar Montes and Gerardo Arteaga sent off. They baited two U.S. players into red cards in retaliation as well, with Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest also shown red cards, and they will be suspended for the final on Sunday.

Mexican fans at Allegiant Stadium were also part of the story, as their homophobic chant twice stopped the game, and the second time forced the referee to stop the match early in stoppage time. CONCACAF will have its hands full sorting out all the details of this one.

Oh, and that was all after it was widely reported that Gregg Berhalter would be returning as U.S. national team head coach, right as the game was kicking off.

MORE: Why Gregg Berhalter is being brought back by USMNT

USA vs Mexico final score

  Final Goal scorers
USA 3 Pulisic (37', 47'), Pepi (78')
Mexico 0 —

Lineups:

USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Turner (GK) — 2. Dest (red card, 86'), 4. Richards, 12. M. Robinson (Zimmerman, 82'), 5. A. Robinson — 8. McKennie (red card, 72'), 6. Musah — 21. Weah (Aaronson, 82'), 10. Pulisic (Scally, 89'), 7. Reyna (de la Torre, 74') — 20. Balogun (Pepi, 74').

Mexico (3-4-3, right to left): 13. Ochoa (GK) — 15. Reyes, 3. Montes (red card, 69'), 22. Guzman — 19. J. Sanchez, 18. L. Chavez, 4. E. Alvarez, 23. Gallardo (Herrera, 54') — 21. Antuna (Arteaga, 77' — red card, 86'), 20. Martin (Gimenez, 54'), 17. Pineda

MORE: When was the last time that Mexico beat the U.S. men's national team?

Christian Pulisic shreds Mexico, makes statement ahead of summer

If there was ever a summer to have a performance like Christian Pulisic registered, it was in 2023. With his Chelsea career likely coming to a close, having fallen down the depth chart at Stamford Bridge, Pulisic balled out against Mexico, showing guts, determination, and pure skill.

Pulisic owned Jorge Sanchez and Cesar Montes, completing two dribbles, winning all seven of his ground duels, and putting four of his five shots on target. He was a force, worthy of the captain's armband in place of the injured Tyler Adams.

It was a memorable performance from Pulisic, especially after bouncing back following his a big miss in the first big chance of the game. 

USA confirm superiority over Mexico

Before the match, Sporting News senior writer Mike DeCourcy detailed why the U.S. is on the verge of overtaking Mexico as the most talented team in CONCACAF. Tonight, that talent disparity was on full display.

It wasn't just Christian Pulisic who bossed the game against Mexico, but the likes of Gio Reyna, Chris Richards, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, and even Folarin Balogun who were miles better than their opponents.

Mexico just do not have the talent to match up, and while Diego Cocca is surely going to bear the brunt of this defeat in the media, in truth he simply doesn't have the same talent pool to work with. El Tri have not effectively replaced their aging old guard, and there isn't the breadth of exciting young players that U.S. fans are currently enjoying. This was a comprehensive defeat for El Tri in every respect.

Mexico embarrassed on the field and off it

There's no getting around what was an embarrassing display by the Mexican side on the night. Then as soon as the game was out of reach, they began playing dirty, hacking and thrashing about all over the pitch.

Cesar Montes earned the game's first of four red cards for straight-up kicking Folarin Balogun from behind, and the referee went to his pocket faster than you'll ever see.

And when they weren't kicking U.S. players on the field, they were pushing and shoving them, completely losing their heads. Just 11 minutes after coming off the bench Gerardo Arteaga was given a red for pushing Sergino Dest three times, and his antics eventually forced a response from the Dutch-born U.S. full-back. 

All this, however, pales in comparison to Mexico's fans being responsible for stopping the game twice due to the repeated use of a homophobic chant in full chorus, clearly audible on the broadcast. As match organizers pleaded with the fans to stop, they just continued to get louder and louder. Eventually, CONCACAF and perhaps FIFA will have no choice but to take extreme action beyond fines and fan bans, and the supporters will only have themselves to blame.

USA vs Mexico live updates, highlights, commentary

FULL-TIME: USA 3-0 Mexico

The match is halted just eight minutes into the 12 minutes of stoppage time, as Mexican fans begin the homophobic chant yet again, and the referee has seen enough.

Overall, it's a dominant performance by the United States, but that's only a small sliver of the final story of this match. The Mexican players embarrassed themselves up and down the pitch, both with their football and their complete lack of emotional restraint, and their fans continued to shame themselves as well.

The United States moves on to the final, but will have to do so without Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest, who were sent off in the match. Unless those two see their red cards rescinded between now and Sunday, they will be forced to sit against Canada.

90th min: The game is now halted by the referee thanks to the Mexican fans who are letting loose with the homophobic chant. They've already been warned. The referee also has a green laser in his face. This is an utter mess.

After an announcement was made, and fans begin to stream for the exits, the match is resumed and 12 minutes of stoppage time is shown.

86th min: RED CARD! MEXICO & USA! Oh no, it's all kicking off again, and both teams have seen more players sent off. Mexico are the aggressors again, as Edson Alvarez kicks Dest in the chest, and the American isn't terribly happy about it. That sees Gerardo Arteaga give Dest not one, not two, but three pushes, and is sent off for it, but then Dest gives in to the emotions and shoves back right in Arteaga's face.

Mexican players are completely losing their cool, and they are lashing out. It's resulted in two U.S. players succumbing to the idiocy, and will now be unable to compete in the final. While McKennie's is questionable from the referee crew, there's no excuse for Dest there to stoop to Mexico's level.

It's now 9 vs. 9 for the rest of the game. Memo Ochoa and Chris Richards were also shown yellow cards in the aftermath. Then, Christian Pulisic is withdrawn by BJ Callaghan, and he is also booked for taking too long to get off the field. This is a complete disaster.

84th min: El Tri players are screaming for a penalty after Antonee Robinson gets his legs tangled up amidst a Mexican attack, but the referee lets them play on. Luca de la Torre comes out of it, and Luis Chavez hacks him from behind...but doesn't get booked, somehow.

82nd min: BJ Callaghan makes another pair of substitutions, as the booked Miles Robinson is off in favor of Walker Zimmerman, while Brenden Aaronson replaces Tim Weah.

78th min: GOAL! USA! Ricardo Pepi has the ball in the back of the net, clean through from a brilliant bit of play by Sergino Dest, and that's the ballgame! The flag went up initially, but the replay shows that Pepi was clearly onside. What a beautiful job by Dest, and Pepi did wonderfully to round Memo Ochoa one-on-one. That's it, the U.S. will surely be playing in the Nations League final!

76th min: Chance, Mexico! WHAT A SAVE MATT TURNER! He makes a really sloppy pass out of the back to Yunus Musah, and it's picked off. Chris Richards makes a key block, and then Turner steps up to make a HUGE stop on the follow-up. The flag goes up, so it's moot, but that's a huge moment.

74th min: As play restarts, BJ Callaghan makes his substitutions as Folarin Balogun and Gio Reyna are withdrawn for Ricardo Pepi and Luca de la Torre.

72nd min: RED CARD! USA! For some unknown reason, Weston McKennie has also been sent off by the referee, which disqualifies him for the final against Canada. That makes very little sense, as he came out of the scrum with his jersey completely torn. The VAR crew was the one to make the call, appearing to have punished him for putting his hands around the neck of Jorge Sanchez.

It's 10 vs. 10 for the final 20 minutes and change of this match. It was always headed this way, but it's utterly ridiculous that McKennie was singled out for his role in that scrum, which happened very fast, and didn't see any punishment rendered to Sanchez.

69th min: RED CARD! MEXICO! IT'S ALL KICKED OFF!!! This was brewing for some time now.

A horrible foul from Cesar Montes takes out Folarin Balogun with a straight-up kick to the back of the hamstrings, and the referee IMMEDIATELY produces a red card. But even that isn't quick enough or effective enough to stop a full-on brawl from happening, and Weston McKennie emerges with his jersey completely torn to shreds. Let's see what happens in the aftermath of this mess.

Mexico's squad has completely lost their collective heads.

68th min: The U.S. has made a point to settle the game down, and have done so effectively. BJ Callaghan appears to be readying a few substitutes on the sideline.

61st min: There's a bit of a delay as Cesar Montes receives treatment for a leg issue. He gets the cooling spray and looks to have a cleat mark in his sock.

As play restarts, Miles Robinson is booked for going up over the back of Santi Gimenez. Fifth player booked in this match.

59th min: Israel Reyes is now into the referee's book after he is the latest to hack Gio Reyna. The young Dortmund playmaker gets up and pumps up the crowd. He's feelin it right now. Then, there's some handbags as the two sides exchange words. The referee is having none of it, and books both Antonee Robinson and Santi Gimenez for their role in the fracas.

57th min: Gio Reyna is down with his nose gushing blood after he is pulverized in the face by Uriel Antuna's shoulder. It's an absolutely awful challenge, with his shoulder barreling into Reyna's nose. Antuna has already been booked, and this feels like a bookable offense. The referee is chatting with his assistants and taking a very long time to make a decision. It doesn't appear at this point that he will card Antuna, who is very lucky to stay on the field.

54th min: Mexico is the first to dip into their bench, with Santi Gimenez and Ozziel Herrera enter in place of Henry Martin and Jesus Gallardo. Diego Cocca was criticized pre-match for his decision to start Martin over Gimenez, and it didn't work out. Not that any other El Tri attacking player was better, but...

52nd min: Christian Pulisic goes looking for a hat-trick, but it doesn't come off. Gio Reyna sends in a looped ball from deep to the doorstep, and Pulisic flicks it on frame, but it's weak and Ochoa is right there on his line to catch the attempt.

47th min: GOAL! USA! Christian Pulisic scores a second just moments after the second half began! It's just simply too easy for the United States, as Tim Weah shreds the Mexican left flank and feeds a cross laterally to the doorstep, where Pulisic slides to meet the ball with a quality finish. Mexico in disarray!

Kickoff: The second half is under way. Mexico manager Diego Cocca has a lot of questions to answer, with both the full-backs and forwards being beaten across the opening 45 by their U.S. counterparts.

HALFTIME: USA 1-0 Mexico

Christian Pulisic has been the best U.S. player across the opening 45 minutes, and he's the one to cash in as they lead at the break thanks to his 37th minute goal.

The captain has led the way, while Gio Reyna has also been impressive in midfield. It wasn't always pretty for the United States, but their talent is clearly above that of El Tri across the starting lineup.

It's the same old story for Mexico, who are battling across the board but just totally lack the individual skill to create key moments, and their mistakes at the back continue to haunt them. Diego Cocca said before the game that he was already under fire, and that's likely to continue unless they dazzle over the coming half.

43rd min: Mexico are finishing the half strong since going behind, and Uriel Antuna wins a corner after clipping a cross off Antonee Robinson. The corner is taken short, but the eventual delivery is cleared by Weston McKennie.

37th min: GOAL! USA! It's that man Christian Pulisic! He's driven Mexico absolutely mad, and while he came up empty on his previous attempt, he makes no mistake this time. The U.S. tries to go right down the center through Gio Reyna, and while it doesn't come off, Reyna's hard work produces a vertical feed that doinks off the feet of Jorge Sanchez right to Pulisic. He finishes with his left foot across the face of goal and inside the far post. The breakthrough for the United States!

After scoring, the referee had a long chat with Pulisic, possibly for kicking the ball away after scoring. The U.S. captain was apologetic.

36th min: Christian Pulisic, who continues to torch the Mexican midfield, draws a foul from Uriel Antuna which produces the game's first yellow card. Antuna is rightly booked for basically ankle tackling Pulisic who had jetted by him.

33rd min: Tim Weah latches onto a long ball down the right and sends a cross to the far post, but it's just inches over the head of Weston McKennie, who is a danger with his dome.

26th min: Christian Pulisic goes for goal with a free-kick, but it's held easily by Memo Ochoa on a hop. A tame effort overall, although it at least was on frame.

23rd min: Chance, USA! OH NO CHRISTIAN PULISIC HAS MISSED! The Chelsea man does all the hard work, weaving around Mexican defenders across half the field, and then goes past a hapless Memo Ochoa, getting free directly in front of goal on the penalty spot. All he has to do is finish around the two Mexico defenders standing on the goal mouth, but instead he blasts it over the crossbar. It's easily the best chance for either side so far, and a huge letoff for Mexico!

21st min: Uriel Antuna has a shot but it's blocked by Chris Richards.

18th min: The U.S. has its best moment so far as Gio Reyna overlaps with Tim Weah down the right side of the penalty area, but Reyna's cross doesn't find Folarin Balogun, and is instead turned over the end line for a corner.

13th min: Mexico are looking sharp when they get on the ball, and have yet to be put under a lot of pressure by the U.S. This El Tri side has come to play. Their fans, meanwhile, have been warned by the PA system about the homophobic chant which has been outlawed by CONCACAF.

8th min: Just as you'd expect, this match has been very tense and chippy. The U.S. has looked to attack Mexico in waves, but they've not displayed the sharpness necessary. Good ideas in the final third, but to this point a lack of execution. Yunus Musah and Antonee Robinson have committed a few fouls early on.

3rd min: Chance, Mexico! The U.S. has had much of the attacking possession early on, but Mexico has the first look on goal of the match as Matt Turner has to come off his line to make a point-blank save. Good looped vertical ball in front of goal from the left.

Kickoff: After a significant delay in Las Vegas...Here we go! They're off and running in Las Vegas, as Folarin Balogun officially makes his USMNT debut. This is a huge match, as there is so much on the line for both teams, both now and for the future. In the short term, the winner will advance to the CONCACAF Nations League final to play Canada.

USA vs Mexico: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

15 mins to kickoff: Mexico manager Diego Cocca said at his press conference yesterday that he's just five matches in, and hasn't lost yet, and still he's under fire. Speaking of fans and media, Cocca said, "there are more who want me to leave than to stay."

So today, he's under fire again for starting striker Henry Martin up front instead of exciting youngster Santi Gimenez. Fans and media alike always want to see the young, exciting prospects, and that's no different here as Gimenez is just 22 years old and in great form with Feyenoord, but so is Martin.

Will the fans criticize Cocca for his decision to start the Club America man instead of the one they want to see? Gimenez could still have an impact off the bench in the second half.

30 mins to kickoff: What kind of mentality does it take to be successful in a USA vs. Mexico rivalry match? Former U.S. international Eric Wynalda, who earned 106 international caps through his prolific career, says you need to strike a balance between "keep[ing] your emotions in check" and "still be right on the edge of anger."

"If you get a punch in, and you feel them give, and you see the insecurity or the fear in their eyes, you gotta go."

39 mins to kickoff: Canada have defeated Panama in the other semifinal, meaning the winner of this USA vs. Mexico match will take on Les Rouges in the CONCACAF Nations League final. It's the first major international final for Canada since they made the 2000 Gold Cup final, which they won.

Alphonso Davies, coming in off the bench, roofed one to provide their second goal in tonight's win.

51 mins to kickoff: Gio Reyna earns the start tonight as BJ Callaghan goes with a more attacking version of the 4-3-3 lineup, getting the spot in place of Luca de la Torre — although it remains to be seen whether Reyna will be in midfield, or whether he'll be on the wing in a formation that more resembles a 4-2-3-1. Gio is channeling his inner Goku, with a new hairstyle for tonight's game.

1 hour to kickoff: There's the moment everyone was waiting for. The U.S. lineup is out, and Folarin Balogun is indeed starting for the United States up front, with Ricardo Pepi on the bench. The only other surprise is that Chris Richards, not Walker Zimmerman, starts at center-back for the U.S. alongside Miles Robinson.

1 hour, 10 mins to kick: It's flooding USMNT news tonight. Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has stated that Weston McKennie is not in the plans next season for Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, and will be shopped this summer alongside Arthur and Denis Zakaria, while Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro will depart on free transfers.

Where will McKennie go? His loan spell at Leeds United was a flop, and his market value isn't exactly sky high, but he's clearly a valuable player who can play at a Champions League or Europa League level.

1 hour, 25 mins to kick: In the other CONCACAF Nations League semifinal, Canada is leading Panama 1-0 midway through the second half. The goal came in the first half via Jonathan David, but the highlight was the assist by defender Kamal Miller, who fed an absolutely inch-perfect vertical ball to his striker, who connected with the pass just before Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera could reach it. Mosquera has also made one insane save just a few minutes ago, and Alphonso Davies has come on for Canada on the hour mark.

Panama have had chances, but overall it's been a cagey game. After topping the World Cup qualifying Octagonal, could Canada now be headed for a continental final?

1 hour, 40 mins to kick: Some huge managerial news has just broken. One of the leading candidates for U.S. manager, Jesse Marsch, will not be the next USMNT head coach, according to Marsch's agent Ron Waxman.

Marsch was considered a prime candidate for a number of reasons. First, he is American, and has Premier League experience with Leeds United, also coaching in the Champions League with RB Salzburg. He also has ties to new U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker, as Crocker pursued Marsch for a time while he worked at Southampton.

Just a day after Gregg Berhalter reportedly turned down a big opportunity to lead Club America in the hopes that he can return as USMNT head coach, one of Berhalter's top rivals for the job is no longer in the running.

1 hour, 50 mins to kick: There's still no word whether Folarin Balogun will start for the U.S. or not, earning his first international cap. Interim head coach BJ Callaghan was not going to be drawn during his pre-match press conference the day before, joking that "I know it's my first time as coach, but I'm not going to reveal the lineup."

While most expect Balogun to start, it's also entirely plausible that Callaghan wishes to send a message that players can't just walk into the squad and immediately start a huge competitive match against a rival like Mexico, but instead a spot like that must be earned with service time. If he doesn't start, Ricardo Pepi would be the man up top, but Balogun would still probably come off the bench.

Oh, and he wants you to know, he prefers "Balo" to "Flo" as his nickname, as he told Jenne

MORE: Where is Folarin Balogun from? 21-year-old commits to U.S. over England & Nigeria

2 hours to kickoff: As the United States presses on without a permanent head coach, all eyes are on new sporting director Matt Crocker who is in charge of the imminent hire. The rumors are picking up of late with Gregg Berhalter and Patrick Vieira the latest names to do the rounds on social media in the days leading up to this match.

USA vs Mexico lineups, team news

All eyes were on the U.S. starting lineup to see whether Folarin Balogun makes his USMNT debut at striker, and sure enough he does. With Ricardo Pepi on the bench, Balogun becomes the first American to make his international debut with a start against Mexico since 1976.

The U.S. coaching staff has favored the 4-3-3 lineup over recent years, which it was thought would mean Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson, or Gio Reyna would be vying for the third attacking role alongside Christian Pulisic and one of Balogun or Pepi. Instead, BJ Callaghan has opted to slot both Weah and Reyna in, with the formation possibly a 4-2-3-1, or with Reyna sliding back into midfield for the more familiar 4-3-3.

With Tyler Adams still recovering from his hamstring injury, Luca de la Torre is snubbed in midfield in favor of Reyna. Tim Ream and Cameron Carter-Vickers are also not in the squad due to injury, as is the case with goalkeepers Zack Steffen and Ethan Horvath.

USA confirmed starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Turner (GK) — Dest, Richards, M. Robinson, A. Robinson — McKennie, Musah — Weah, Pulisic, Reyna — Balogun.

USA subs (12): Callender (GK), Johnson (GK), Zimmerman, Scally, Trusty, Cardoso, Sonora, de la Torre, Aaronson, Zendejas, Booth, Pepi.

MORE: A full roundup of candidates for USMNT permanent head coach

Napoli winger Hirving Lozano (knee injury), forward Raul Jimenez, and Jesus 'Tecatito' Corona, who is not yet back to full match fitness after suffering a broken leg, are the most notable absences due to injury. Also, several members of the old guard were left out, including Hector Herrera, Nestor Araujo, and Hector Moreno, as new manager Diego Cocca looks to usher in a new era to start his tenure.

According to a report by Univision beat reporter Gibran Araije, Mexico's starting lineup will feature a 3-4-3 with Henry Martin starting at center forward. Alexis Vega and Sebastian Cordova, who are arguably Mexico's best playmakers, are carrying injury concerns heading into the semifinal, and neither will start according to Araije's information.

Mexico confirmed starting lineup (3-4-3): Ochoa (GK) — Reyes, Montes, Guzman — J. Sanchez, L. Chavez, E. Alvarez, Rocha — Antuna, Martin, Pineda

Mexico subs (12): J.A. Rodriguez (GK), Malagon (GK), J. Araujo, Arteaga, J. Vasquez, Romo, 'Charly' Rodriguez, E. Sanchez, Cordova, Oz. Herrera, Vega, S. Gimenez.

How to watch USA vs Mexico

The match is scheduled to kick off at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA and in Canada

Region TV channel Streaming
USA TUDN, Univision Fubo, Paramount+
Canada Telus (Ch. 980) Fubo, OneSoccer.ca

USA: The English-language broadcast of USA vs Mexico in the Nations League semifinals will be streamed exclusively on Paramount+.

The match will also be televised in Spanish on TUDN and Univision, both of which are streamed on Fubo, available on a free trial for new users.

Canada: In Canada, the match will be shown on OneSoccer, which is televised on Telus (Channel 980) and available to stream on Fubo Canada.

USA vs Mexico betting odds

  USA win
(90 mins)		 Draw Mexico win
(90 mins)		 Both teams
to score Y / N		 Over / Under
2.5 goals		 USA
advance		 MEX
advance
BetMGM
(USA)		 +130 +200 +180 -110 / -135 +120  / -175 -145 +100
Sports
Interaction
(Canada)		 +123 +200 +195 -114 / -137 +123 / -169 — —

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.