For the third consecutive tournament, the US Men's National Team reached the podium to hoist the CONCACAF Nations League trophy for the second time; they defeated Mexico in the final, this time in regulation at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The final was once again Dos a Cero. The first goal came late in regulation time of the first half, as a familiar face was missing and finished off the goal of the tournament.
In the forty-fifth minute, Tyler Adams was demanding the ball from Weston McKennie. When he received the ball, Adams came out of nowhere with a cannon of a shot and smashed the back of the net, taking down Guillermo Ochoa and taking the lead before the halftime whistle blew. Adams has been missing for a while with a terrible hamstring injury, and while he was on a minutes clock from Gregg Berhalter and his club, Bournemouth. He got subbed out at halftime on a heck of a flourish.
Another player we have discussed who's been out from playing time at his club is Gio Reyna, as he is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest and has come up big once again in Nations League action. The two-assist game in extra time against Jamaica during the Semi-Finals, then a big smasher with a bit of a hop went short side toward the front post and made it two goals to nil in the 63rd minute. When Gregg Berhalter took Reyna off, both men hugged each other late in the match.
When you see this Mexico side, they had nothing in this match; they seemed to be playing for the referee's sympathy and trying to bait fouls. Even when it looked like there was going to be a penalty awarded to Mexico, VAR came into play as they took it away, as a better angle on the near side of the net showed Antonee Robinson never made contact with Santi Gimenez, who slid down and avoided the boot.
For the seventh consecutive matchup between these two rivals, the USA has shown its dominance over Mexico, and right now, this is worrying those fans who wear the green shirts of their national team. Their anger and frustration continue to show when they chant that homophobic chant, intentionally stopping the game when their team is behind. CONCACAF should change their three-step rules into a single-step rule and end the match when it happens once.
Matt Turner didn't get a lot of work, but when he had to be in position to make a save, he was able to grab the ball at moments. Nothing fazed Turner from his job at making saves. I was also impressed by Sergino Dest's performance when he was with and without the ball. He looked sharp and didn't look out of place. Maybe some of these players are finally starting to grow up and act like professionals.
While this victory ended with a trophy, it's time to look toward the next tournament and prepare for the mighty Copa America. This time around, Gregg Berhalter will have stiffer competition with those coming from the South American confederation known as CONMEBOL. He will get no quarter, and those teams will destroy any mistake they can exploit and punish the boys if Berhalter is not careful.
Hey, so starting Gio Reyna (despite "poor match fit, etc." was a good idea after all!! Anyone get a quote after the match from Jesse Marsch?