CARSON, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 26: Alyssa Naeher #1 of the United States dives for a ball during the first half against Mexico during the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Group A match at Dignity Health Sports Park on February 26, 2024 in Carson, California. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Mexico are group-toppers in stunning fashion.
La Tri upset the U.S. women's national team 2-0 in Carson, Calif., on Monday to seize control of Group A entering the knockout stage of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup.
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The USWNT started the game atop the group after beating both the Dominican Republic and Argentina, while Mexico drew against Argentina and triumphed over the Dominican Republic.
But the USWNT, the No. 2-ranked team in FIFA's latest rankings, just couldn't get any momentum going against the No. 35-ranked Mexico side.
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Lizbeth Ovalle, 24, opened the scoring in the 38th minute with finesse. Ovalle capitalized off a botched Becky Sauerbrunn clearance, then dribbled around goalie Alyssa Naeher for an extravagant chipped finish over two players.
The U.S. ended the first half with more possession and shots but couldn't deal any damage.
Soccer
The squad kept chasing in the second half, but it was still La Tri who created the clearer chances.
They ultimately found the dagger in the second minute of stoppage time, which was a pure "golazo." Substitute Mayra Pelayo had some room cutting inside from the left flank, then unleashed a curling strike past Naeher.
The result marked just the second time Mexico had defeated the USWNT. It previously went 1-1-40 in win-draw-loss format. The U.S. had also won 16 straight times.
Additionally, the result snapped an 80-game win streak the USWNT had against Concacaf opposition on home soil. The last loss came versus Canada on Nov. 11, 2000.
The U.S. ended this game with more possession at 57%, but managed only three shots on target compared to Mexico's seven.
Alex Morgan, Emily Sonnett, Korbin Albert, Margaret Purce and Jaedyn Shaw were all introduced throughout the second half to influence the game, but it didn't work out.
The U.S. will still advance to the quarterfinals as runner-ups, but its next opponent will likely be a tougher draw than if it finished first.
Groups B and C still need to wrap up play and no team is safe yet, so the USWNT's potential opponent is not yet known.
Mexico didn't concede a goal in the group stage and scored 10. The U.S. conceded just the two to La Tri and scored eight, but couldn't break Mexico's lock with 27-year-old Esthefanny Barreras in net.
