Mexico, 210 minutes without a goal against the USMNT in Las Vegas
‘El Tri’ and the United States have met twice at Allegiant Stadium in official competition. Mexico haven’t scored in either of those games.
Mexico suffered yet another defeat to the United States on Thursday - the fourth consecutive defeat to their staunch rivals in official competition. The 3-0 defeat in Las Vegas not turned Diego Cocca’s project on its head, it also means that Mexico have failed to qualify for Sunday’s CONCACAF Nations League final.
The defeat is also the latest in a line for Mexico in their most recent meetings with the USMNT. They have lost the last four in a row - and one of them was at the same venue as last night’s 3-0 defeat: the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Mexico, with ‘Tata’ Martino at the helm, faced Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT in the 2021 Gold Cup final in Las Vegas. The United States were out for revenge after losing the 2019 final to El Tri at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The match, played on 1 August 2021, was taken to extra-time. Martino’s Mexico enjoyed at least six clear chances in the first half, but could not make them count. Berhalter’s youthful team regained prominence in the second half and also squandered chances. It ended 0-0 on 90 minutes. The winner came in the dying minutes, Miles Robinson met Kellyn Acosta’s free-kick to head the winner with three minutes remaining. The result gave the United States revenge - and their seventh Gold Cup. And, for ‘El Tri’, 120 minutes without a goal against their neighbors.
To those 120 minutes without a goal, another 90 have been added (not counting time added on) with Thursday’s Nations League semi-final. In total, an embarrassing 210 minutes without finding the net against ‘Team USA’ at Allegiant Stadium. And both times, they exited a CONCACAF tournament empty-handed.
Other recent defeats to the USMNT
In addition to the two Las Vegas setbacks, Mexico also lost 2-0 in Cincinnati, in the World Cup qualifying round for Qatar 2022; and 3-2, in the final of the first edition of the CONCACAF Nations League (2019-2020), played in Denver. So all in all, four official defeats for the ‘Tricolor’ against their greatest rival in the last two years. And only in Denver did they manage to score a goal.