Mexico swings Concacaf’s pendulum back its way with Nations League title
“It was referred to as the darkest period in Mexican football history. Following Mexico’s exit in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico lost to the U.S. 2-0 in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League in 2023. Before that, El Tri had lost to the Americans in the 2019 Nations League final, and also suffered a defeat in Cincinnati in 2021 during the World Cup qualifiers prior to Qatar. Shortly before the 2022 World Cup, then-Mexico federation president Yon de Luisa fired his entire sporting department in what was viewed as a last-gasp effort to change the national team’s direction prior to the tournament. Yet Mexico crashed out, snapping a streak of seven straight knockout-stage berths, while the U.S. escaped its group. El Tri were no longer the Kings of Concacaf. Instead, they were forced to look up at their most bitter rivals, as the U.S. celebrated an unprecedented run of success against their neighbors to the south. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: USMNT frustrations boiling over as World Cup clock keeps on ticking