What happened in USA vs Mexico? Red cards, fights, and homophobic chants mar Nations League clash

The United States booked their place in the final of the Concacaf Nations League with a 3-0 win over Mexico at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

USMNT were comfortably the better side, with a brace from Christian Pulisic and a third from Riccardo Pepi securing a famous win over their closest rivals. The win sets up a final against Canada on Sunday, but the ill-tempered clash with El Tri will be remembered for much more than the final score.

The game was twice stopped for mass brawls; four players were sent off; and the game was eventually abandoned due to persistent homophobic chanting from a section of the Mexican support.

“It’s a great scoreline for us, it’s a big win and we’re into the finals,” said USMNT captain Pulisic. “But the game didn’t need to turn into all the madness that it did.

Pulisic continued: “They really need to control the game much more. It’s sad. And now we’re missing two good players just because everyone’s losing their heads... I’m a little bit upset but at the end of the day we’re in the final.”

Here’s what happened in the Nations League semi-final...

USA vs Mexico fights stop play

The fixture was always likely to be a fiercely fought affair but the footballing battle quickly became a one-sides affair. Pulisic scored his second soon after the half time break and the Mexican players were well outplayed by their rivals to the north.

Their frustration first bubbled over on the 69th minute when Folarin Balogun, making his debut for USMNT, was scythed down with a wild challenge from Mexico’s Cesar Montes. He was rightly dismissed and his dangerous tackle sparked a brawl on the pitch, with Weston McKennie in the middle of the action.

The Juventus midfielder was left with a torn shirt after being surrounded by angry Mexican players. McKennie whipped up the crowd, kissing the USMNT badge on his ripped jersey, but was subsequently dismissed for his part in the chaos.

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Both sides down to ten, the US got their third with 15 minutes remaining and both sides were soon at each other’s throats again. This time it came from a nothing incident near the Mexican corner flag, Sergino Dest lashing out at Gerardo Arteaga after a spat between the two.

The two players were dismissed for their roles in the ugly scenes, but things soon got worse.

USA vs Mexico abandoned after homophobic chants

The soccer rivalry between USA and Mexico now extends to 76 fixtures but there can be few matches in the history of this fixture that ended in such ignominy.

In the aftermath of the Arteaga-Dest spat, Mexican fans threw drinks from the stands and homophobic chanting was heard from the stands. Those in attendance were warned over the stadium PA system that the game could be stopped if the chanting continued.

Officials would have been aware of the history given that the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) was fined on nine occasions for homophobic chanting during the qualification for the 2018 World Cup alone.

“It’s not necessarily meant to insult somebody,” Javier Ruiz Galindo, head of the National House of Mexico, said at the time. “We have been asked many times not to do it so we should be respectful.”

At the Allegiant Stadium the chanting continued and the referee opted to end the game with six minutes of the scheduled additional time still to play.

“Chants heard during the game led to the activation of the anti-discrimination protocol by the match officials,” said Concacaf in a statement after the game.

“Additionally, security staff ejected several fans for engaging in unacceptable behaviour in the stadium.

“These incidents were extremely disappointing and tarnished what should have been a positive occasion to showcase high-quality football in our region.”