USMNT blanks Mexico 3-0, reaches Nations League final
Two goals from Pulisic powered the Americans to victory
The United States defeated Mexico 3-0 on Thursday in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League before a sellout crowd of 65,000 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Two goals from Christian Pulisic, in the 37th minute and at the start of the second half, fueled the U.S. to victory. Ricardo Pepi, who came in as a sub, added a third in the 78th minute to seal the win.
Winners of the inaugural Nations League two years ago, the USMNT will look to take the trophy for a second straight time when they face Canada on Sunday in the championship game. Canada defeated Panama 2-0 in the other semifinal.
Pulisic’s brace took his career national team tally to 25 goals — pushing him past Joe-Max Moore and into sole possession of sixth place on the U.S.’s all-time scoring list.
The win allowed the USMNT to extend its unbeaten streak against Mexico to six straight games (4-0-2), equaling the longest streak against its regional rivals since a similar run that lasted four years starting in 2011.
The game itself was tense — the sides combined for 13 cards, including 12 in the second half — after the USMNT had taken a 2-0 lead.
In all, nine yellow cards were issued and two players from each side — Mexico’s Cesar Montes in the 69th minute and Weston McKennie two minutes later — were ejected. Red cards were also given to the U.S.’s Sergino Dest and Mexico’s Gerardo Arteaga in the 89th minute after the two were involved in a scuffle.
In his first game as interim USMNT coach, B.J. Callaghan’s starting lineup featured eight players from the 2022 World Cup as well as striker Folarin Balogun , who made his senior national team debut.
The win comes amid growing speculation that Gregg Berhalter could return as USMNT coach. The Athletic reported that Berhalter is close to finalizing a deal that would run through the 2026 World Cup.