USA U-23 and Mexico vying for first place in the Olympic qualifying group

USA U-23 and Mexico vying for first place in the Olympic qualifying group

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USA and Mexico renew their rivalry, this time at the Under-23 level in a CONCACAF Olympic tryouts that will decide where the two countries will end in Group A and help determine each nation’s semifinal opponent. The two teams have a maximum of six points in two games and guarantee a spot in the last four, with the two semifinal winners guaranteeing a spot in the Tokyo games later this year.

The winner of Group A between the United States and Mexico will face the runner-up of Group B (Honduras, Canada, El Salvador or Haiti), while the runner-up will play against the winner of Group B. Finally, in the case of two teams ending in equal points, the ties are differentials of goals and then scored goals.

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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 upside down 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.

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 goes through 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 again this is USA vs. Mexico!

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 Tessman, formerly of Clemson, from football 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 even arrives with a red 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 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 wins again over the American side, this time Aaron Herrera, which gives Alvardo a chance. Henry Kessler’s brave block frustrates the effort. Mexico pressing 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 talent, 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 goalkeeper 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 removed from the stretcher and Sebastian Jurado will replace him.

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 American right-back Julian Araujo inside out. Aruajo is the most relieved man on the field. It remains 0-0.

23 MINUTES: Mexico is starting to seize the moment here, with Ochoa making a comfortable first save, before Uriel Antuna, a former LA Galaxy striker, 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: Guadalajara is getting physical, 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 move from Alvarado’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 victory 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 ready to debut its new Rosa Mexicano t-shirts.

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.

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