U.S., Mexico Punch Tickets To 2024 Copa América
Both the U.S. and Mexico booked their spot in this summer’s Copa América after advancing to the 2023-2024 CONCACAF Nation’s League Semifinals. The U.S. defeated Trinidad and Tobago 4-2 on aggregate in their quarterfinal matchup, and Mexico advanced thanks to penalty kicks after drawing 2-2 on aggregate with Honduras.
U.S. Struggles In Trinidad and Tobago Continue:
While both teams advanced in the Nations League and qualified for the 2024 Copa América, which will be held in the U.S., it was hardly par for the course for the two CONCACAF giants.
The U.S. struggled in its first leg against Trinidad and Tobago, finding it difficult to break down an impressively resilient Trinidad and Tobago defense that was reduced to 10 men in the 37′ after defender Noah Powder was shown his second yellow of the game.
The breakthrough finally came in the 82′ after Ricardo Pepi finally put the U.S. ahead. Goals No. 2 and 3 quickly followed, with Antonee Robinson scoring in the 86′ and Gio Reyna capping things off in the 89′. Although this was an uninspired victory for the U.S., it was a victory nonetheless, and the U.S. looked comfortable heading into the second leg in Port of Spain.
Leg two started how you would expect it to. The U.S. was showing its dominance and took a 1-0 lead thanks to an Antonee Robinson header in the 25′. However, everything changed in the 39′ when Sergiño Dest was shown red after grabbing the ball and blasting it into the stands after not receiving a call. He continued barking at the referee until he was eventually shown red, leaving the U.S. with only 10 players on the pitch for the remainder of the game.
Dest’s red changed the entire complexion of the match. With a man advantage, Trinidad and Tobago immediately began pressing forward.
They found the equalizer in the 43′ after a near-post rocket from Reon Moore found the back of the net and then took the lead in the 57′ after a long-range Alvin Jones freekick found its way past Matt Turner.
The Caribbean side had other chances to score that they did not take advantage of, and although the U.S. lost the match 2-1, they advanced to the semifinals of the Nations League and qualified for the Copa América thanks to the 3-0 first leg result that gave the stars and stripes a 4-2 win on aggregate.
Mexico Barely Skates Past Honduras:
If you thought the U.S.’s performance against Trinidad and Tobago was bad, Mexico’s against Honduras was nearly catastrophic. The 2023 Gold Cup champions found themselves behind 2-0 on aggregate after a shocking two-goal defeat in Honduras in leg one of its Nations League quarterfinal clash.
Heading into leg two, Mexico needed to score at least two goals to keep their Nations League and Copa América hopes alive. Luis Chávez gave Mexico the first goal it needed in the 43′. However, a stout Honduras defense resisted every attack Mexico threw at it for most of the game. It took until the last kick of the game, in the 90+11′, for Mexico to finally find the equalizer after Edson Álvarez was the quickest to react during a chaotic sequence in the box.
The match went the distance, and penalty kicks were required to separate the two. After a save on Honduras’s first penalty, a sequence of two retakes for Cesar Huerta that ultimately resulted in a scored penalty for Mexico and an Andy Najar miss on Honduras’s fourth penalty, Mexico won the shootout and saved its Nations League and Copa América dreams.
Looking Ahead:
Despite looking shaky, both the U.S. and Mexico will take part in next summer’s Copa América. Panama and Jamaica joined them as CONCACAF representatives after Panama defeated Costa Rica and Jamaica shocked Canada in their respective quarterfinal matchups. The final two CONCACAF spots for the 2024 Copa América will be decided in the final play-off matches in March of next year.
The U.S. and Mexico both also advanced in the 2023-2024 CONCACAF Nations League and will take part in the semifinals on March 21. The U.S. is looking to retain its 2023 Nations League crown and will take on Jamaica in its semifinal game, while Mexico will match up with Panama in the other semifinal game.
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