Mexico Stuns the United States For the Second Time Ever, in 2-0 Victory

The definition of a perfect storm is a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors. If you’re a USWNT fan, that’s precisely what happened on Monday night in the last game of Group A, USWNT vs. Mexico.

The United States was 40-1-2 going into this game with Mexico. However, this is the best Mexican side they’ve ever had. It speaks to the investment they’ve poured into Liga MX Femenil, along with the addition of a few American-born Mexican players.

Naomi Girma still wasn’t seen in the lineup for the USA, and with this game being played in LA, it was a true 50/50 game in terms of fans. When you add all that up, you get an upset of historic proportions as Mexico defeated the United States 2-0 for the second time ever. Here’s a recap of what went down at Dignity Health Sports Park.

USWNT vs. Mexico

The game started as many would have expected. The USWNT dominated the ball and were in Mexico’s half of the field for the first 20 minutes. Despite all the possession, the Stars and Stripes managed only one good chance throughout the first half. Mexico’s effort, heart, and desire were stronger than the United States’, and the crowd gave them a huge emotional lift.

Once Mexico was able to show they weren’t going to back down and survived the early pressure, they were able to come into the game themselves. Their counter attack put plenty of pressure on the USWNT backline, they were able to expose Becky Sauerbrunn and capitalize on a mistake.

Full time: Mexico 2, #USWNT 0

MEXICO wins Group A at Gold Cup. It's only Mexico's second victory over the U.S. in 43 games; the U.S. has won 40 of those.

Thorough display from Mexico tonight. This Lizbeth Ovalle goal will be remembered for a long time.pic.twitter.com/6o6pRqiZvI

— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) February 27, 2024

Lizbeth Ovalle would give them a lead. Being in attendance at this game, the crowd noise was tremendous as the Mexican fans went bonkers.

Let’s get this right: Mexico outplayed the United States and thoroughly deserved to win this game. They had more shots and shots on target. There was a brief period in the second half where it seemed like the USWNT would get an equalizer. Trinity Rodman had a great chance but missed it by a few inches.

The only player who played well for the United States was Rose Lavelle. Every time she touched the ball, she looked to attack and take on defenders, elegantly dribbling through and around them. No one else could make their mark in this game. Lindsey Horan was slightly off, Alex Morgan came in and barely touched the ball, and Midge Purce’s substitution came 10-15 minutes too late.

When the game got tough for the United States, instead of playing together as a team, individuals started trying to create instead of continually sharing the ball to open up Mexico’s defense. It has to be said that Nicolette Hernandez, on the left wing, was phenomenal at backtracking and managed to shut down Lindsey Horan a few times in dangerous situations. The USWNT pressed at the end of the game but never truly tested the Mexican goalkeeper, Esthefany Barreras.

That’s when Mayra Pelayo-Bernal delivered the knockout punch, giving Mexico their second win over the United States. This was an absolute stunner, sending the crowd into an even bigger frenzy.

GOLAZOOOOOOOOOOOO 🚀🇲🇽

MEXICO DEFEAT THE USWNT FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HISTORY ‼️ pic.twitter.com/A28VTK4KcK

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) February 27, 2024

I mentioned in our preview that if the US were going to lose a game, it would be this one. While this loss will sting for USWNT fans, being in attendance and witnessing history for Mexico like that, with that crowd in LA with such a heavy Mexican influence, will be something I’ll never forget.

It was a special moment for Mexico. It truly announces their arrival as a team that will be feared in the future. I didn’t want to admit that the rest of the world had caught up to the United States. Yet, seeing that performance made me realize that the rest of the world is here. The United States has a lot of work left to do if they want to be considered the best again.

Featured image via @miseleccionfem on Instagram

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