The USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League match vs. Mexico turned out to be the scene of multiple fights, on and off the pitch, at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Thursday night.
The USA has secured a place in the final with a 3-0 win over their Central American neighbors, with Christian Pulisic scoring twice while Riccardo Pepi added a third. They are now set to play Canada in Sunday’s final but the game will be remembered for the violence that took place, not the result.
The fixture had to be stopped twice because of brawls as four players were sent off. The match was ultimately abandoned as a result of homophobic chanting from a certain section of the Mexican crowd.
Sparks would fly in the 69th minute after Mexico’s Cesar Montes took USMNT debutant Folarin Balogun down with a wild tackle. Montes and USA’s Weston McKennie were sent off, as the latter found himself in the thick of the action.
McKennie had his shirt torn during the melee and would rile the crowd up by kissing the USMNT badge.
A number of fights also broke out among spectators, resulting in riot police being deployed.
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Serginio Dest and Gerardo Arteaga were also sent off later on.
After the US scored their third goal with 15 minutes remaining, Dest lashed out at Arteaga near the corner flag following a verbal spat before being handed their matching orders and seeing the game abandoned because of the chants.
“It’s a great scoreline for us, it’s a big win and we’re into the finals,” Pulisic said after the match. “But the game didn’t need to turn into all the madness that it did.
“They really need to control the game much more. It’s sad. And now we’re missing two good players just because everyone’s losing their heads… I’m a little bit upset but at the end of the day we’re in the final.”
