SEATTLE - It was a historic night for Mexico in Los Angeles, as the women's national team took on and defeated the United States, one of the best teams in the world in the women's game. In the last group stage match of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup, Mexico, who only needed a point to seal their place in the next round, went all in and got the full reward.
The Mexican team took the lead in the last minutes of the first half thanks to a great goal by Tigres' Lizbeth Ovalle. With the advantage after the break, Mexico did not stop attacking and was rewarded with a second goal: right before the end of the match, a spectacular long range effort from Mayra Pelayo sealed the victory for Mexico over their archrivals.
¡Un GO-LA-ZO de Pelayo sella el paso a los Cuartos de Final para México! 💥 pic.twitter.com/qy2C6vfseN
— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) February 27, 2024
The 2-0 win was Mexico's first over the Americans in almost 14 years, ending an 16-game losing streak that began after in 2010 after a World Cup Qualifying match. All in all, Mexico is now 2-40-1 W-L-D against the four-time world champions at the senior level.
It is not only Mexico's second-ever win over the United States at the senior level, but it also meant the first time in the rivalry that 'El Tri' left the U.S. without scoring a single goal.
Mexico finished an almost perfect group stage with two wins and one draw, 10 goals scored and none against. Mexico has been on a roll lately, extending its unbeaten record to 20 games (17-0-3) and has not lost a competitive game since 2022.
After the match, U.S. interim coach Twila Kilgore told media that the gap between the United States and other CONCACAF nations has reduced. "It just shows how far the game is coming and there's no easy games anymore," Kilgore said. "If we don't take care of business and we don't execute, this is to be expected."
Mexico's win over the U.S. seemed like it was just a matter of time. Their last encounter prior to the CONCACAF W Gold Cup ended in a narrow, hard-fought 1-0 victory for the USWNT, compared to the previous seven games that all ended with at least a three-goal margin in favor of the Americans.
Almost 14 years later and now with a serious project for women's soccer that includes a professional league, Mexico has closed the gap with one of the elite teams in the women's game. Just last night, 10 of the 11 players that started the game for 'El Tri' play in Liga MX Femenil, with Maria Sánchez being the only starter that plays her club soccer for NWSL's team Houston Dash.
Getting that first-place finish in their group will prove key to Mexico's aspirations to win the CONCACAF W Gold Cup title, as they will now avoid facing the USWNT again until an eventual final.
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