The last time the United States and Mexico played in this building, Jimmy Conrad and Landon Donovan scored the goals in one of several 2-0 victories for the United States. On Saturday, the U.S. team included eight players who had not yet been born when that happened. However, this young American team was much better than its forebears, silencing a sizable pro-Mexico contingent in a quiet 3-0 victory that fully heralded the arrival of an exciting new generation of players. Cavan Sullivan, just days after turning 17, became the youngest goal scorer in program history with a flashy long-range chip. Julian Hall, 18, scored his third goal in as many games. Malik Tillman capped the scoring in the 85th minute, humiliating a 10-man Mexico after having opened the match much stronger. The United States hasn’t played a road game since 2024, but Saturday may be the closest they’ve come with the heavily pro-Mexico crowd. Far more fajitas than sausages were cooked at the tailgates, and the red seats at State Farm Stadium were filled with an abundant influx of green jerseys as the anthems began for Tyler Adams’ first turn as Mauricio Pochettino’s captain. The disparity of support was a fitting embodiment of the party’s initial balance. Mexico came out of the gates with intent, as the hosts struggled to get the ball out of their feet. Despite having a backline that could credibly be considered the first option to start the cycle, the four American defenders had difficulty breaking through Mexico’s aggressive marking scheme. After five minutes in which Mexico maintained a constant attack, the United States adjusted. Leaning on the experience of Diego Kochen playing out from the back, the hosts opted for short restarts with Auston Trusty pushing goal kicks to his young goalkeeper. The conservative approach eased the sting of El Tri’s attack, but did little to activate his own. After 15 minutes, Mexico had managed to get 38 touches in the opposite half, compared to five for the United States. By the 28th minute, as the hosts worked to keep Mexico off the ball, the crowd at State Farm Stadium had lulled into silent observation. Then, America struck. Sebastián Berhalter lofted a ball toward the right flank to Alex Freeman, who caught Mexico’s attention as he headed toward the corner. He feigned a retreat before deftly flicking a pass between two opponents, with Gio Reyna calmly collecting the ball inside the area. Reyna attempted to cross the ball for a goal, leaving Raúl Rangel to fail in his attempt to claim the low cross, launching the ball directly to a lurking Hall. The New York striker made no mistake with his connection, scoring his first attempt across the goal and away from Rangel. The 18-year-old turned to the crowd and cupped his ears in front of the American Outlaws, shamelessly acknowledging the muted Mexican support. Hall scored his third goal for the United States in as many international matches to strengthen his case for a regular place in the team. Mexico struggled to regain control of the match, fouling Tillman every time he tried to move upfield. Playing without the dynamic midfield duo of Gilberto Mora and Hirving Lozano, Mexico struggled to convert wide possession into genuine quality, with just four shots taken after 40 minutes and none landing on frame. The sea of green jerseys began to stir, with waves of Mexico fans lining up for concessions and restrooms with five minutes left in halftime. Their impatience prevented them from witnessing Mexico’s best opportunity of the half. A speculative effort by Luís Romo at the far post forced Kochen into a clumsy diving save. Like the sequence that led to Hall’s first goal, his shot fell directly at Santiago Giménez, giving Mexico a golden opportunity to equalize from inside six yards. Instead, the player on loan from Porto missed his attempt just wide of the goal, saving the United States blushes just before half-time. Skip Beyond Newsletter Promotion Free Newsletter | Twice a week Subscribe to Soccer Desk Jonathan Wilson and Guardian journalists provide expert analysis and reporting on football’s biggest stories. After newsletter promotion Allow content provided by a third party? This article includes content hosted on embed.bsky.app. We ask for your permission before uploading anything as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’. The hosts were not shy once play resumed, throwing the ball to Sullivan down the right flank and down the channel to Tillman or Reyna. Mexico finally had a shot on goal in the 58th minute, with Roberto Alvarado attempting a half-volley on a deflected corner kick. Kochen saved the ball over the bar with youthful ease, keeping his team in control with half an hour remaining. Both teams saw their intensity drop a bit as the half progressed, leading to some sloppiness in possession. Shortly after the hour mark, Rangel received a back pass from Érik Lira and took his time finding his next target for the distribution while high up the pitch. His underworked pass to Diego Campillo found Sullivan, the leader of the US makeshift press and as instinctive a player as anyone in the US group. Players with rare spatial awareness like Sullivan’s tend to manifest moments like these more frequently than most. Instead of looking to retain possession, as his team had done so many times after turnovers, Sullivan caught the ball and then used his preferred left foot to bring down Rangel, turning his shot under the crossbar. Sullivan was beyond jubilant, bumping into the corner flag as his teammates gathered before caressing the United States shield over his heart. Sullivan’s first international goal was always destined to be a staple of his and the team’s highlights, an occasion years in the making as the nation’s latest wonderkid. The quality of his solo effort warranted extensive reps on its own merit, making his nation’s great rival aware of his threat from the first turn. A sort of Mexican crisis ensued as they struggled to return to their former state of control. The substitutes clashed in the 67th minute, and Yunus Musah’s attempt to dribble upwards was thwarted by a Mateo Chavez kick. The foul brought both teams together in a confrontation and Chávez was sent off. For years, Tri fans have soundtracked opponents’ goal kicks by chanting a homophobic slur. After considerable errors on both goals, fans shouted the bigoted chant on Rangel’s restarts, and stadium operators refused to follow through on their pre-match threats to stop play if the chant arose. Fans also began booing Rangel’s every touch, removing an item from the usual list of responsibilities of a host fan base. Perhaps inevitably, Rangel ran into trouble. Another poor back pass, this time from Alvaro Fidalgo, went straight into the box with Rangel staying close to his goal line in the hope that a centre-back would pick it up. Instead, Tillman advanced on the loose ball and slotted it into the top corner, turning what once seemed like a comfortable day for Mexico into downright humiliation. In the lead-up to the game, Adams talked about how the winner of this matchup tends to be seen as the current powerhouse in the region. On Saturday, the United States took that power because it was given to them and they took advantage of it.
