Mexico overtakes US U-23s to secure first place in Olympics qualifying group

Mexico overtakes US U-23s to secure first place in Olympics qualifying group

by

Uriel Antuna’s goal led Mexico to a 1-0 victory over the United States on Wednesday, securing El Tri first place in Group A of the CONCACAF men’s Olympic qualifying tournament.

Both teams were already guaranteed to advance from Group A places to the semifinals on Sunday. The USA finished Group B in second place and will play against Honduras, unless Canada wins the Catrachos at the end of Thursday of Group B.

See how the match took place on Wednesday night in Guadalajara:

– WATCH: Futbol Americas on ESPN +
– Broadcast ESPN FC Daily on ESPN + (U.S. only)

LIVE BLOG

11:50 pm ET: This will be done by us and we hope you enjoyed joining us tonight. Remember to check back on Sunday, as the US plays to secure a spot in the Tokyo games, while the main team is in action on Thursday in an international friendly against Jamaica (13:00 ET on ESPN / Watch ESPN). Goodnight!

11:42 pm ET: Let’s check out Jeff Carlisle again after the frustrating 1-0 loss to the United States.

“The result was not a surprise, but the US attack was expected to show much more in this weekend’s semifinals than was shown tonight. On the positive side, the two defenders showed well. A difficult decision for Kreis in terms whether Pineda or Kessler are partners with Justen Glad from the start in the next game. ‘

“The strength of this team remains the goalkeeper and the five defenders, if they want. They will need to run this to qualify for Tokyo.”

FULL TIME: MEXICO 1-0 UNITED STATES. El Tri wins Group A and faces the runner-up of Group B on Sunday, while the Americans finish in second place and face the winner of Group B on the same day.

93 MINUTES: Djordje Mihailovic’s corner is deflected and Mexico tries to score. Aaron Herrera commits a deliberate foul on Erick Aguirre and the referee marks a foul and then whistles the finish. 1-0 Mexico is its final.

93 MINUTES: The USA wins a corner just before the end of the three minutes of clearing time. This is certainly your last chance!

92 MINUTES: SUB. Uriel Antuna, the unquestionable Man of the Game, receives applause and is replaced by Alan Mozo.

90 MINUTES: Although the United States did not create much, it was an encouraging performance by goalkeeper David Ochoa. Herculez Gomes, a former US international and current ESPN analyst, is impressed.

88 MIN: THE The US attack does not really seem to mark tonight.

83 MINUTES: Alexis Vega shoots a dangerous ball, but the ball passes to Ochoa, who can handle it. Ochoa and Vasquez come together at the top of the box and moods rise on both sides. There is not much in it, but officially we have a USA vs Mexico game!

80 MINUTES: There are only 10 minutes left plus the stop time. Can the USA find an equalizer? As it stands, they need two goals to win the game and beat Mexico.

75 MINUTES: SUB. Jason Kreis uses his last throw of the dice when bringing Tanner Tessmann, former footballer Clemson, to Hassani Dotson.

71 MINUTES: SUB. Benji Michel becomes the fourth submarine in the United States, while the Orlando City man replaces Sebastian Saucedo. The United States has a remaining replacement.

70 MINUTES: SUB. It’s Mexico’s turn to make subs, as El Tri bring Jesus Ricardo Angulo and Carlos Rodriguez to Jose Macias and Roberto Alvarado.

69 MINUTES: The USA creates a half chance, but despite Jurado’s escalation, they are unable to hit the target. Mihailovic remains the best threat of attack for Americans

61 MINUTES: SUB. Triple Sub to the United States. Jesus Ferreira comes in with a yellow card. He will need to be careful not to be suspended for the semifinal.

59 MINUTES: Antuna gives the dangerous Jose Macias a chance, but the Chivas man gives Mexico a golden chance. Another disappointment for USYNT.

58 MINUTES: CHANCE. Perhaps the best time for the US all night, as Sebastian Saucedo’s shot is blocked by Gilbert Sepulveda. US players appeal for a handball, but it is not awarded. Johnny then heads to his knees in the next corner, but is picked up by Jurado. First shot at the US target of the night

56 MINS: Antuna takes the lead on the American side again, this time Aaron Herrera, which gives Alvarado a chance. A bold block by Henry Kessler frustrates the effort, but Mexico is pushing for a second now.

53 MINUTES: The USA finally enters the midfield of Mexico, but, despite his best protests, Johnny fails to get a corner from the referee. Good job from Soto to start the move.

46 MINUTES: We are back in the game, with Mexico resuming where it left off and advancing to half the United States.

10:42 pm, Eastern Time: Here are Jeff’s biggest conclusions from the first 45 minutes

1. Difficult to see where creativity is coming from tonight, especially with Kreis protecting guys like Jesus Ferreira on yellow cards.

2. Defensively, the USA has improved over time. Pineda, in particular, looks much sharper than the group’s debut against Costa Rica.

3. Despite all the talk about Johnny Cardoso’s offensive ability, he still hasn’t demonstrated it internationally.

10:31 pm ET: More analysis on Mexico’s final goal …

HALF-TIME: It’s 1-0 for Mexico at half-time, with Antuna’s goal in the 45th minute making the difference.

45 MINUTES: GOAAALLL! Mexico attacked first just before the break, through ex-Galaxy player Uriel Antuna.

37 MINUTES: The USA wins a promising free kick and Djordje Mihailovic’s dangerous ball leads to a dispute within the area. Mexico goalkeeper Luis Malagon falls awkwardly on his wrist and appears to have suffered an ugly injury. He is taken off the stretcher and Sebastian Jurado takes his place.

28 MINUTES: A big break for the USA! Mauricio Pineda makes a beautiful defensive play to deny Alejandro Mayorga’s goal, who seemed to be on the line after turning US right-back Julian Araujo inside out. Araújo is the most relieved man in the field. It remains 0-0.

23 MINUTES: Mexico is starting to gain momentum here, with Ochoa making a comfortable first save, before former LA Galaxy striker Uriel Antuna hits right in the side with a daisy cutter.

20 MINUTES: If the United States qualified, what would the eleventh dream of qualified players look like? While realizing that many of these players would not be dismissed by their clubs, here is our Jeff Carlisle’s XI dream:

GK David Ochoa; LB Antonee Robinson, CB Mark McKenzie, CB Chris Richards, RB Sergino Dest; MF Yunus Musah, MF Tyler Adams, MF Weston McKennie; FW Giovanni Reyna, FW Josh Sargent, FW Christian Pulisic

This is a team on paper that would be a great candidate for the medal.

16 MINUTES: The third corner of the night in Mexico does not produce any final product, as Vasquez goes harmlessly away from Ochoa.

13 MINUTES: It’s getting physical in Guadalajara, as both teams faced tough challenges in the early stages. Amen, Janusz.

9 MINUTES: Another corner for Mexico, which Roberto Alvarado takes. Goalkeeper David Ochoa tried to misjudge the flight of the Cruz Azul star’s cross, but he held on to avoid further danger.

7 MINUTES: After being pushed initially by Mexico, the United States started to grab a position in this match, first by winning a corner and now a foul in the attack midfield.

3 MINUTES: And Mexico wins the first corner of the match … which after a partial cleanup results in a long throw from Johan Vásquez who squeaks loudly.

21:40 ET: AND WE ARE ON THE WAY TO GUADALAJARA!

21:17 ET: Are you ready for the USA vs. Mexico? Midfielder Andres Perea certainly looks excited by his first experience of CONCACAF’s greatest rivalry …

9:02 pm (Eastern Time): AND El Tri’s lineup is out … Sebastian Cordova of Club America, the tournament’s top scorer with four goals, starts on the bench with an eye on Sunday’s semifinals.

8:56 PM ET: In case you lost … can some of the young stars of the USMNT play in Tokyo if the USA qualifies? Christian Pulisic, for example, said he would love the opportunity to represent Stars and Stripes this summer.

“It’s something I thought about and wanted to play,” Pulisic said in a Zoom conference call with reporters on how to play at the Olympics. “Obviously, I can’t control what happens. What is best for me at the moment and what is best for the team at the moment, obviously I cannot say. But it is something I would like to play.”

8:37 PM ET: The USINT’s eleventh title was eliminated and Jason Kreis made six changes, with Julian Araujo, Henry Kessler, Sebastian Saucedo, Andres Perea and Hassani Dotson, the only remnants of the 4-0 win over the Dominican Republic on Sunday.

8:24 pm ET: You know the old saying ‘Look well, play well ‘. Mexico is expected to debut its new Pink Mexican shirt tonight.

8:00 pm ET: It’s game day, as we are less than an hour and a half from the start between USMNT’s Under-23s and Mexico in the CONCACAF Olympics qualifiers! Remember to keep him locked up here throughout the night as we continue with this crucial Group A decision, with both sides trying to take a step closer to securing a spot in this summer’s games in Tokyo.

.Source