The Continental Clásico might produce some memorable games, but the first edition won’t be the subject of many fond looks back.
The U.S. men’s national team and Mexico scrapped their way to a 1-1 draw in Glendale, Arizona, with a late kickoff seeing the match end in the wee hours of Thursday morning on the east coast.
Jesús Ferreira nabbed a late equalizer from the one true moment of inspiration from the USMNT, leveling the scores after Uriel Antuna had pounced on a terrible giveaway to give El Tri a 55th minute lead.
Interim head coach Anthony Hudson started eight players that went to Qatar for last year’s World Cup, but after Jordan Morris nearly gave the USMNT an early lead by blocking a clearance attempt, both teams had little to offer in terms of class on the ball.
In truth, the first half was as uneventful as it was sloppy. With no real training time for either side due to the non-FIFA window timing of this event, interim coach Anthony Hudson set his side up in a mid-block. That conceded possession at the back from Mexico, and saw the USMNT look to hit on the break for the most part.
That approach didn’t result in an eventful match, but it did serve to bottle up El Tri. New manager Diego Cocca cut a frustrated figure on the touchline, with Sean Johnson only given a couple of worries (and literally nothing to save). The USMNT did have some worries while trying to hold possession in their own half, but invariably wriggled out of any jams created by Mexico’s press.
Finally things changed as the second half got underway, but not in a way the USMNT would want. A U.S. attacking move devolved into disaster as Kellyn Acosta’s attempt to pass back to Aaron Long ended up becoming a feed for Antuna instead.
Intercepting the ball virtually on the midfield stripe, the Cruz Azul winger raced clear of the entire USMNT defense, eventually tucking a low shot past Johnson in the 55th minute.
El Tri strike first!
Uriel Antuna takes advantage of the #USMNT backline and puts it home.
📺: @Telemundo & @Peacock for Spanish coverage. pic.twitter.com/HGPiILcTkx— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 20, 2023
Turnovers were increasingly more of a factor for the USMNT in the second half, with Hudson eventually moving into a back three in the hopes that something could unsettle Mexico.
The adjustment did change the terms, opening up a game that needed some life. Ferreira slipped Morris into a great spot to pick out substitute Alan Soñora only for the Seattle Sounders attacker’s square ball arriving behind its target.
Still, there were risks, as El Tri remained the more potent attacking side. Another U.S. giveaway ended with Roberto de la Rosa pushing Johnson to his limits with a 23-yard shot, while Erick Sánchez flashed a shot inches wide of the top corner in the 79th minute.
Barely two minutes later, Carlos Rodríguez nearly mimicked Sánchez’s shot, only to go closer and smack his bid off the crossbar. That proved critical, as Sergiño Dest pushed play forward immediately with a mazy run.
Eventually Soñora fed Morris up the left, and Morris played a perfect angled pass in for Ferreira to redirect the ball past Acevedo. A turgid game had suddenly come to life with an utterly wild end-to-end sequence.
Jesus Ferreira levels the match for the #USMNT!
📺: @Telemundo & @Peacock for Spanish Coverage. pic.twitter.com/VmBGwVSYea
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 20, 2023
The USMNT seemed to have a little left in the tank in pursuit of an unlikely winner, but in the end couldn’t quite find the one last chance needed to make a surprise comeback.
These teams will meet again in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in June, and all signs point to that being a very different sort of affair.
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